We all know the routine,
two fighters sit down, brag about their abilities
predict the outcome of the fight
and insult each other.
Trash talking is an accepted part of the pre-fight package, even if it can sometimes go too far.
and in extreme cases, jeopardise careers.
But it also plays an important part in the bout itself,
and can yield both great rewards – and risks – for a fighter.
When it comes to verbal warfare, one man is never far from mind.
"Only last week I murdered a rock!"
In 1964 Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali as he was about to be known to the world, openly mocked
the supposedly unbeatable Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston in the lead-up to their title fight.
"He might be great but he'll fall in eight."
Ali went as far as parking a rented bus on Liston’s lawn,
bellowing challenges at 3 am.
The Louisville Lip had enraged the Champion, but this is exactly what Ali wanted, to unsettle
Liston and take his mind off his gameplan.
Ali won the fight by TKO in one of boxing’s biggest shocks
Ten years later, Ali bested another intimidating champion
George Foreman, in the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.
Before the fight, Ali told the world he was going to “dance” and evade his bigger
and stronger opponent. But instead, Ali used his now famous “rope-a-dope”
strategy, luring Foreman in and letting him punch himself out – Ali won by knockout.
Well trash talk can emotionally unsettle an opponent
and mislead them tactically. But it can also give them unintended motivation.
For instance, Ali’s crude, personal taunting of Joe Frazier before the 1975
‘Thrilla in Manila’ fuelled Frazier’s determination to shut his long-term rival up for good.
"It's gonna be a thrilla and a chilla and a killa when I get the gorilla in Manila."
Though Ali emerged the victor, collapsing on his stool just seconds after Frazier’s
corner had pulled their man out, his tactics had nearly backfired.
Trash talk is also prone to diminishing returns. George Groves relentlessly teased and agitated
Carl Froch, almost causing a huge upset in their 2013 encounter.
However, Groves’ intentionally obnoxious provocation couldn’t make the same impact
twice, with a wiser, well-motivated Froch winning the rematch by decisive knockout.
"What you doing?
"We can all pull about, a little bit, if you wanna pull about? Have a little pull and a push."
Talking trash isn’t just about affecting one’s adversary, it also gives a fighter
belief, by emphasising their skill and talent, while diminishing the imagined threat of an opponent.
‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed was a master provocateur,
brashly confident and openly scornful. He made increasingly-flashy entrances always
culminating with his trademark somersault. Before their 1995 title fight, Hamed offered
champion Steve Robinson a winner-takes-all wager.
When Robinson declined, Hamed had already landed a significant pre-fight blow.
He won the WBO title with an 8th round stoppage.
But by 2001, Hamed returning from a 7-month injury lay-off.
he was offered a large purse to fight Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas,
and Hamed accepted.
"Do you ever think you're too confident?" – "No not at all."
His tongue was still sharp, the build-up dominated by his put-downs
and narcissistic preening, as unimpressed trainer Emanuel Steward looked on.
Come fight night the ‘Prince’ failed to perform his somersault for the first time in his career
"He's still not happy with those glove and abandons it."
Barrera won by unanimous decision in a dominant display
Naseem would admit later that he shouldn’t have fought Barrera until he was fully-recovered.
But fighters can become at once trapped and deluded by their own self-image.
The most tangible benefit of trash talk is hype.
"What's the point in insulting each other? The Garden is sold out! That's why!"
Audiences are drawn to strong rivalries, and are even willing to tune in
just to see a cocky fighter get their trap shut.
Professional wrestling is entirely based on this premise – pitting ‘good guys’ against
trash talking ‘bad guys’ and running scripted storylines for months in the build up to their
big match. But away from WWE, when hype goes too far,
it can have an adverse effect. Dereck Chisora’s table-throwing antics,
before his showdown with Dillian White excited some, but cost him his shot at the British
title, and caused many to dismiss him as merely ‘crazy’.
Taking its cues from professional wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts promotion UFC is exceptionally
skilful at hyping fights. The UFC builds interest through smart matchmaking
But the UFC has been guilty of indulging its biggest star, Conor McGregor
Especially after McGregor was sentenced to community service
for throwing a steel railing at a coach carrying rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Conor was widely condemned, including by UFC President Dana White,
yet somehow footage of the incident was used in the promo package
to hype Conor and Khabib’s fight.
And so the biggest-grossing fight in UFC history
made headlines for the wrong reasons when.
Trash talk is present in most sports – it can even be credited with winning a World Cup
but it’s the fight game where it will always be most palpable.
Not every fighter engages in a war of words but even the quietest fighter has to contend
with trash talk from opponents, and must find a way to negate it.
For example the cool and composed Lennox Lewis was able to laugh off Mike Tyson’s threat
to “eat his children”, pointing out that he didn’t have children, before calmly dismantling Tyson
inside 8 rounds.
Whether it’s showboating or shameful, puerile
or poetry, trash talk is and will remain an integral part of professional fighting.
It’s an invaluable promotional tool that risks contempt from the public and a powerful
weapon that can distract your opponent, or make them twice as strong.
In a sport where every move comes with the potential for a devastating counter,
the double-edged nature of trash talk is most fitting.