Boxing, economics, and American culture…what do these three topics have in common?  On the surface, absolutely nothing…but digging deeper, you will find that they are truly intertwined.

​I wonder, a thousand years from now, how will America be remembered? Still a very young nation, there has been many more creative cultures that have proceeded us, but not one has put capitalism on the map like the American Democracy.  We have a system that cultivates rawness, and brings extreme wonders when refined. Our forefathers built this country on these ideals, which in turn, created our economic and commerce system.  With these ideals in mind, the men who built this country had vested ownership in their companies, which, in return, led to stability. Families like the Rockefellers and the Morgans became famous for demonstrating such ethics.  They were the oars that rowed the financial dynasty from London, England, to America by the 1950s. The Rothschild family, the pioneers of the financial sector who dominated the banking system for over a century, passed the torch on to these families.  The passing of this torch was a feat which seemed unattainable, due to the Rothschild’s supremacy, and the fact that their main banking house was located in Great Britain, which was the most powerful empire for centuries.  What amazes me is how predictable this shift was. A little more than a half-century earlier, there was a defining moment that would reveal the same shift from east to west…the day the heavyweight championship changed hands.  John L. Sullivan, otherwise known as the Boston Strong Boy, would hold the heavyweight crown, and the future of this sport, with the exception of a few minor interruptions, would be dominated by the western world for the next century.  So I bring you back to my opening statement, and the intertwining of boxing, economics, and American culture. Sullivan would demonstrate the same fortitude as the blue-blooded American who fought through the rugged terrain to lay his foundation in America, in order to control commerce and industry.  With America’s new found power, there would dominance not only in the financial sector, but also in what I believe is the world’s toughest challenge known to mankind, the sport of boxing.

The one concept that no one could predict was how much of an important role this sport would play on each ethnicity as they began their lives in America.  At this time, when the sport of boxing initiated new found fame, the gates opened for immigrants, primarily the Irish, Italians, Jewish, and Hispanics.  It was through the sport of boxing that you would witness the initial climb to success in this land of opportunity. As time progressed, each new ethnic group that was starting from the bottom managed to dominate the fight game.  While Irish fighter John L. Sullivan initiated the championship at the beginning of the century, Benny Leonard and Maxie Rosenbloom, both Jewish boxers, represented the immigrants of the twenties and thirties. Through the forties and fifties, Italian fighters such as Rocky Marciano, Rocky Graziano, and Jake Lamotta, dominated the sport. As the seventies came to fruition, the Hispanic culture dominated, with fighters like Roberto Duran, Carlos Monzón, and Salvador Sánchez. As for the sixties, I saved this decade for last, because it was the start of the dominance of a new trend of champions that would last nearly four decades.  The African-Americans would dominate, but in their case, their rise to the top wasn’t based on immigration, but on gaining equality through the Civil Rights Movement.  The likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Joe Frazier, Evander Holyfield, and Pernell Whitaker are just a few of the African American men that would represent this group. What’s just as amazing is that through every century, this culture always had a dominant player in this game, from Joe Louis or Henry Armstrong in the thirties, to nineteen-fifty’s Sugar Ray Robinson; these fightersare arguably within the ranks of the top five fighters ever.  What a feat to accomplish, but even this feat must come to a peak.  As each one of these cultures found their way up the ladder to more civil positions, and the amount of immigrants began to cease, we would slowly see the desire of each one of these groups begin to fade away.  By the late nineties, new events were happening in the world, and America’s democracy would spread to Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and so on.   Unfortunately, she took the work ethic and determination of the American’s to succeed with her. So who is dominant in this new century, but men such as the Klitschko brothers, Arthur Abraham, and Manny Pacquiao.  It may be a coincidence, but it seems to me that wherever new found democracy is, boxing is right in the middle…and each culture goes on to leave a remarkable impact on this world.

​One concept life demonstrates is that history repeats itself.  Remember at the beginning of this article when I discussed the shift from England to America?  Now you will see the pendulum swing.  In the late nineties, there was a dominant champion in the world of boxing known as Lennox Lewis. At the same time, in the world of finance and commerce, you saw the resurrection of the Rothschild banking dynasty.  England began to show signs of revival and a new breed of success became defined. In this new era, many boxers do not have to fight their way through poverty, but rather choose this profession, knowing the character it will produce.  These values inspire fighters like Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch, dominant figures in this generation. As the current world power, it is constantly stated that the torch will be passed east to China by 2050.  Only a decade in to the new century, with our financial system crashing, I will not be surprised if this torch is passed much sooner. To further assure this threat, take a look at the Chinese Olympic team in the most recent Olympic Games, in which they looked more polished than ever. It’s amazing, because just as in our nation, we view boxing as the toughest challenge, Chinese feel this way about the art of Kung Fu. With that being said, their performance demonstrates how capable this culture is of transforming themselves to meet any challenge.

Again, I refer back to my opening statement regarding the relationship between boxing, economics, and American culture. It was nearly half a century after the initial crowning of John L. Sullivan as the first American heavyweight champion that England would be succeeded as the world power. If history repeats these steps, we are entering the fading years of the American dynasty. I do want to say one thing on behalf of the Americans…we will not go quietly in to the night. We are not a one-dimensional culture, but rather, an abundance of heritages seeking to reach the top.  We do not resemble any other nation at any time; therefore, we may not follow the same path. Not until recently did I realize how seriously the boxing fraternity took its role in society.  It’s very intriguing that the same ethnicities that entered the fight game years ago now have families who still have a vested interest in the sport in one form or another.  This fraternity knew how vital it was to resurrect the sport of boxing; therefore, when America showed signs of weakness during the financial disaster of 2008, the boxing fraternity continued to play its part in society by providing one of the greatest years in boxing in over a decade.  Past, present, and future champions, such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins, and Chad Dawson, to name just a few, would step up to the plate and reveal the leadership qualities necessary to ensure that we won’t let history repeat itself. I can also sit back and say that I haven’t seen an amateur class so hungry in my life.  Now, I find myself watching these young men and seeing the same flame which sparked my grandfather’s generation out of the Depression.  That fifty year shift that history has in store for us…don’t chalk it up just yet. This next generation plans on writing their own history.

Boxing, Economics & American Culture

  By Mike Natalino