Boxing was not the sport that I thought is was due to all the

The words of Gerry Cooney, “Boxing was not the sport that I thought it was due to all the politics,” carry the sorrow of disillusionment. He speaks not of defeat in the ring, but of the corruption and intrigue beyond the ropes. To the young fighter, boxing appears noble—a test of strength, courage, and endurance. Yet when veils are lifted, the purity of the contest is marred by politics: greed, manipulation, and power games that cloud the spirit of the sport.

The ancients themselves knew this duality. In the Olympic Games of Greece, athletes were crowned as heroes, yet even then whispers of bribery and favoritism stained the contests. What was meant to be a sacred trial of body and soul could be twisted by ambition and profit. Cooney’s lament is timeless: that behind the spectacle of competition lies a darker world where politics often dictates who rises, who falls, and who is remembered.

History offers clear parallels. In the era of Muhammad Ali, the ring was not only a place of combat but of controversy. Ali fought not just opponents, but also governments, organizations, and promoters who sought to control his career for their own ends. His greatness was forged not only through skill, but through his defiance of the politics that threatened to break him. In his struggle, we see the same truth Cooney discovered—that the battle outside the ring may be fiercer than the one within it.

Cooney’s words also stand as a broader warning: wherever human endeavor seeks purity—be it in sport, in art, or in service—politics will try to intrude. Ambition and greed twist the noble into the convenient, the courageous into the profitable. Yet those who recognize this do not despair; rather, they fight harder to preserve the essence of the craft. For the heart of boxing is still courage, discipline, and willpower, even if clouded by human corruption.

Let the generations remember: every noble path is shadowed by politics, but the true warrior does not let the shadows define him. The purity of struggle, the honor of discipline, the beauty of the fight—these endure in the heart, even when the world around them is corrupted. And though Gerry Cooney’s lament reveals the flaws of men, it also reminds us that greatness is found in the courage to see those flaws and to strive still for the higher spirit of the game.