Not True

Winky Wright, in a recent Ring Magazine article:

Wright himself last year noted the belief that African-Americans have “different styles” from the “face-first” opponents most fight fans and journalists tend to embrace.

“Boxing is supposed to be an art,” he said. “Black fighters, we’ve got style. We’ve got pizzazz.”

Boxing's ethnic or racial stereotypes are usually overstated, and this one is no exception. Hopkins, Mayweather, Wright--sure, they all fit the mold of the type of fighter Wright is talking about, but that doesn't mean that all African-Americans fight like that. It's been an accident of chance that the best African-American fighters of this generation were mostly (but certainly not entirely) safety-first movers, but beyond the three I mentioned above, there are plenty of fan-friendly black fighters who've been at the top of the game over the past decade: Jermain Taylor, Jeff Lacy, Zab Judah, and especially Shane Mosley come to mind. A generation ago, all of the best African-American fighters with the exception of Leonard (Hearns, Hagler, and of course Tyson) were bangers. Even Leonard would go to war when need be. And among today's young black fighters, perhaps the one with the greatest upside is James Kirkland, who fights like a southpaw mini-Tyson.

Then again, I got five out seven fights wrong last weekend, so don't listen to me.