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I have always wanted to be in the armed forces to serve the nation, being from a defence background, my father inspired me greatly and set an example of the kind of citizen I should become upon growing up. This admiration turned into an unwavering determination to join the armed forces. I had tried for NDA NAVY after my 12th grade, but my whole batch was washed out from the 33rd Bhopal SSB. After that I got busy in my college life, but the zeal to join the defence forces was still present. In the 6th semester of my college, the Indian Navy came to our college and gave an orientation on the UNIVERSITY ENTRY SCHEME . According to the orientation I could join the Indian Navy as an Executive IT Officer. I filled in the necessary details, and the shortlisted candidates were made to participate in 2 group discussions at my campus's premise. Further shortlisting was done on the basis of the group discussions, and I was shortlisted for my SSB interview at 12 SSB board, Service Selection Center, South, Bangalore. I had to report with the documents and items mentioned in the call up letter at the railway station in Bangalore at 14:00 hrs on 31st October. Around 250 candidates had reported in my batch. The bus came at 14:30 hrs and we were taken to the centre. This was followed by document verification of each candidate, and candidates with insufficient documents were asked to leave. We were then instructed to stay in the barracks and on the dress code to be followed, and we were told to report at 06:30 hrs the next day for the screening process. Our phones and electronic gadgets were taken by the board. The next day, we were asked to stand into groups of Freshers (candidates appearing for the first time), Screened Out(candidates who've been screened out in earlier attempts), Repeaters (candidates who got screened in but were not recommended) and recommended candidates (candidates who have been recommended for other entries). I was a repeater and stood in line accordingly, there were no recommended candidates in our batch. We were then taken to a hall and our OIR test was conducted, which consisted of verbal as well as non verbal tests. Our OIR test was followed by the Picture Perception and Discussion test. The picture shown to us was a blurred image of a man giving instructions to some people in a working environment. I wrote a story about an entrepreneur who had a business in automobiles and was currently going in loss ( the automobile industry was suffering at that time) and how he endured the losses and came out victorious by using various technologies such as IoT, 3D printing,etc. Later we were divided into groups of 14 approximately and I was grouped with other repeaters. The discussion took place with 3 officers as observers, we were instructed to narrate our stories along with our observations in turn (according to chest numbers). I was chest number 8 and the last candidate was chest number 14. The moment Chest Number 14 finished narrating his story, almost every candidate started shouting his own opinion, because of this our group was bifurcated into 2, and each group discussed their points seperately. Once all the groups were finished with their discussions and all the candidates had had their lunch, we were taken to the same hall and the chest numbers of the screened in candidates were called, my chest number was the first to be called out and I was then given chest number 1. Subsequently 31 more candidates were called out, the rest were given their phones and gadgets back, and were instructed to return back home. 32 of us were instructed to shift into the the candidate lines, and be ready for the psychological tests that were to be conducted the next day. We were also told that the personal interviews for candidates will be starting from tomorrow and can take place in any order, so we should be prepared for that as well. The same evening we were made to fill out Personal Information Questionnaires (PIQ) which asked about details of our native place, family, extra curricular activities, achievements, hobbies, marks ,etc. I would suggest that you fill this form very cautiously, because your interview will depend on it. We were made to fill 3 copies of the form. The next day we reported at 06:30 hrs in the morning. We were taken to a hall and were given instructions on how the tests will be conducted. Our tests started around 07:45-08:00 hrs It was hard to keep track of time as there were no wall clocks in the hall and we were not allowed to wear wrist watches. The first was the Thematic Apperception Test, where we were shown 12 images of which the last one was a blank image. We were given four minutes to write a story for each image. This was followed by Word Association Test which consisted of 60 words and we were given 15 minutes in total for the test. The next test was Situation Reaction Test, where we were given 30 minutes to attempt 60 Situations. I could attempt all in TAT and WAT but could only attempt 48/60 in SRT. Then we were given a 10 minutes break, the break was followed by a self assessment analysis, we were asked to write paragraphs on each of the following:1) What do your friends think about you?2) What do your parents think about you?3) What do your teachers think about you?4) What do you think about yourself?5) What qualities would you like to improve in yourself?As soon as we got done with the psychological tests I was summoned for my interview. I reached the waiting room along with my documents, and waited till my chest number was displayed on the screen. I took my documents and headed for the designated room number, and to my surprise, it was the cabin of the President of The Board. I entered the room, greeted the interviewing officer, closed the door gently and was requested to take a seat in front of the IO( Interviewing Officer). The IO wasted no time in casual greetings and started asking me rapid fire questions straight off the bat. He asked me around 10 questions regarding :° My marks in 10th,12th,and current marks in University.(3 questions asked separately)° How many family members I have?° Who are my friends in college, school, colony I reside in?(3 questions asked separately)° Which is my favourite subject and why?and a couple of more questions which I cannot recall at the moment. I kept a count of the number of questions being asked and tried to answer all of them accordingly. The conversation after that is as follows:IO: Do you know what job role you're applying for?Me: Sir it's that of an IT Executive Officer in the Indian Navy, according to the website my job roles would mainly consist of networking, patching older softwares with new ones, data base management and Data Science.IO: What is Data Science?Me: Sir it's the science of inferring information and insights from a given datasets after applying certain statistical models on the dataset.IO: How will it help the Indian Navy?ME: Sir, we can infer important information and pass it on to the executive officers to make the decisions.IO: Give me an example.Me: Sir, there are buoys in the sea which measure the parameters of the waves, we can collect this data through live sensors and use it to predict the trajectory of a vessel in the region (I explained it more elaborately at that time)IO: What B*llsh*t? Give me another example.Me: (I was taken aback and took 2-3 seconds to start my answer) Sir, we use drones for surveillance, the data being sent through drones can be monitored more effecientlyb with the help of data science. (Went on to explain about regional convolutional neural networks,and how they can increase accuracy by even identifying pixelated images).IO: Hmm, okay. So what improvements have you made since the last time to ensure that you get selected this time?Me: Sir, after last time I realised I lacked general awareness and worked on that by reading newspapers daily, improved my routine, included exercising, read more novels,etc.IO: Okay, have you been placed yet?Me: Yes sir, I've been placed in TCS.IO: What's your package there and what's your job role?Me: I've been assigned the destination of SYSTEM ENGINEER C, and my package there is 7.5 LPA, our specific job roles will be assigned to us after our introductory training.IO: How do you think that job will be any different from what you're going to do here?Me: Sir, the Indian Navy is not just an organisation, but as they say, it's a Way of life, it's been my aspiration to join the defence forces and here I would be pursuing my dream of serving in the armed forces as well as putting my technical knowledge to use.IO: So if I call you at 1 in the morning to provide me with some data, will you come?Me: Surely Sir, goes without saying.IO: Okay, you've mentioned that you have been till the clusters in swimming U-17 , but the year that you've mentioned clearly shows that you were way underage. Are you lying?Me: No sir I'm not, I was in KV IIT Powai, at that time and our school didn't have any seniors who were into swimming, so I was sent in the under 17 category from my school in the fourth grade.IO: What events did you participate in?Me: Sir, 50 M Freestyle, 50 M Breaststroke.IO: What were your timings?Me: Sir I didn't measure then because I couldn't secure a position in the first three in both the events.IO: Hmmm, okay. You've mentioned that your father is in the Indian Coast Guard, tell me the difference between the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.Me: Sir, the Indian Coast Guard was born out of the Indian Navy in 1978. The Coast Guard monitors the exclusive economic zone in accordance with the customs, maintains the Marine Flaura and Fauna,and-IO: How do they maintain the Marine Flaura and Fauna?Me: Sir The Indian Coast Guard conducts many beach cleaning exercises, sprays the seas with essential chemicals,-IO: Exactly, they prevent anyone from disturbing the Marine Flaura and Fauna, they don't maintain it. Now you mentioned the exclusive economic zone, how big is it?Me: Sir it's approximately 2.01 Million Sq Ft.IO : Hmm, okay, Digaant how would you define the boundary of the EEZ of a country?Me: Sir, I don't know the exact way.IO: Take A guess.Me: Sir we would take certain nautical miles from the coast of the country and uniformly define the EEZ throughout the coastal region of the country.IO: How much is 1 Nautical Mile in Km?Me: Sir Approximately 2kmsIO: I don't want approximate answers give me an exact one.Me: Sir 1.8 kmsIO: If you knew then why didn't you answer before?Me: Sir I wasn't sure, and didn't want to provide you with the wrong information.IO: Hmm, okay, how much is 1 Nautical Mile Sq in Km Sq?Me: Sir, I don't remember the square of 18, so I'll say approximately 4km sq .IO: Fair enough, how much is 4km sq in m sq?Me: Sir 4 million m sq.(I realised what mistake I had made, it was 2.01 million sq Km and not ft), Sir I realise the mistake I made, it's 2.01 Million Sq km and not ft.IO: Exactly, according to you our EEZ would've been bloody less than a Nautical Mile Sq. Now tell me how many positions has your father taken in the Indian Coast Guard at the various stations he's been posted to? What is his rank?I told him all the ranks and positions my father has assumed till now.( not stating them here for personal reasons)IO: So which AOPV (Advanced offshore petrol vessel) has he commanded?Me: Sir he has commanded ICGS Sankalp,ICGS Chandbibi, etc.IO: What's the number on ICGS Sankalp?Me: 46IO: What's the length of that ship?Me: Approximately 116 metres sir. (Same question had been asked in my NDA NAVY interview, hence I was prepared this time).IO: Name the various cheifs of the Armed forces at present.Me : Indian Navy : Admiral Karambir SinghIndian Army: General Bipin Rawat (this was in early November 2019).Indian Airforce: Air Cheif Marshall R.K Bhadauria.Indian Coast Guard : Director General K Nattrajan.IO: I notice you mentioned the head of Indian Coast Guard too, do you know him personally?Me: Yes sir.IO: How?Me: Sir he was our neighbour in Mumbai.IO : (smiling for the first time) Okay. So tell me Digaant, has your father ever caught a pirate?Me: Yes sir, he has caught a few.IO: But I don't see any news regarding all this in the news papers or TV channels, does it mean that the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard are not doing their job?Me: Sir, I'm sure the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard are selflessly doing their job extremely well, the officers in the armed forces do their job in order to protect the civilians and not for recognition from the media houses. As the saying goes sir, Service before Self.IO: hmm okay, what is Somalia famous for?Me: Sir, due to economic backwardness of the country many civilians have resorted to piracy for a living.IO: So which area is affected by them?Me: Sir I don't have an idea.IO: Take a guess.Me: Sir, the area to the west of India in the Arabian Sea.IO: That's like asking for my address, and me telling you that I live in Asia. Any how where is Somalia located? Is it an island?Me: Sir it's located on the continent of Africa, and (made a mistake here) it's an island.IO: Okay, what is AFSPA?ME: AFSPA Stands for Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Which gives them a certain autonomy to make decisions regarding arrests and other matters.IO: Which states is AFSPA active in?Me: Sir in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.IO: There is another state, do you know?Me: No sir (it was Arunachal Pradesh)IO: Alright, which states had their elections recently and which states have their elections coming up?I could tell him about the states which had their elections recently, but couldn't answer about the states which had their elections coming up.IO: What is cyber security and how can we improve it?I told him about cyber security, told him about VPN, FIREWALL, ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, Etc.IO: I'm not satisfied with your answer but let's continue.( he went on to ask me more questions related to Gk, some of which I couldn't answer, but I cannot recall then at the moment)IO: What do you think are your strengths?Me: Sir my strengths are courage, confidence and determination.IO: How do you know you're courageous?Me: Sir you can see that I've mentioned trekking and outdoor activities as my hobby in the PIQ, there are certain activities which requires a person to overcome their fears in trekking, and overcoming your fears is courage according to me.IO: What do you think you need to improve in yourself?Me: Sir I need to improve my general awareness as I couldn't answer all your questions and also increase my knowledge on the supporting branches of my stream as I couldn't give you a satisfying answer related to networks.IO: Very well, would you like to ask me something?Me: No sir.IO : Okay, you may leave now.So, that's how my interview went, it lasted around 1 hour. I was nervous that I had not performed well, but I didn't let that affect my performance in GTO the next day, I got Role of Media on Governance as my Lecturette topic and a pretty simple command task. Our group came second in Group Obstacle Race out of 4 groups. The GTO was constantly provocating us during our tasks, but that's what he has to do in order to check your determination and endurance. My individual obstacle course went pretty well as I was able to complete all the obstacles in given time period. Finally it was the day of reckoning, CONFERENCE DAY. I was the first candidate to be called in and was asked why I didn't give NDA after my first attempt, I told them that it was clashing with my college exams and wasn't feasible at the time, they asked for any suggestions, and I said I had none.After the conference was done for every candidate we were called into the same hall and the results were announced. The Deputy President gave a pep talk before announcing the results to keep the morale high. Then the moment I had been waiting for arrived, he started announcing the chest numbers of the recommended candidates. And lo and behold mine was the first chest number, I was so taken aback, and happy, I stood up and said my name. Another 8 candidates from our batch were recommended. It was an amazing emotion to experience, I had finally achieved a lifelong dream.

Can I be painfully honest with you for a moment?And I can almost guarantee you will not enjoy it.You know how you’ve been struggling to get more and more returns on your investments? Tried everything, and it’s just not working, right?Well, it’s not because you haven’t found the right investing strategy. It’s not because you need to change your investing guru. It’s not because the Mr. Market have turned against you and cursed you to wallow in mislaying forever.It’s because you’re dumb.And if you ever want a chance to earn passive income from your investments, you’d better smarten up.Did I really just call you “dumb?”Yes, I did. Sorry.This is not a ruse where DUMB turns out to be a clever acronym for something far less offensive. The truth is, I’m calling you out, and I’m doing it out of love.Because you see, everyone has been lying to you. Including me.We teach you investing strategies. We dole out trading tips. We give you a pep talk and make you believe maybe you can really become the next investing superstar.But honestly?There’s one really big thing we’ve been leaving out. Here it is:"Popular investors are smarter than you are"And no, I’m not talking about IQ. Instead of their simplicity and transparent views.Investing is not much complex, in lieu you made it complex. Being simple is the way to turn your ass out as a smart investor in the crowd of dumb investors.How to make yourself smart InvestorI was not what you would call a “bright” kid.I bunk my school classes. I failed tests. I scored mediocre grades.But sometime around the age of 16 or so, I got fed up with myself and decided to change things. I just started caring less about what my friends are snapping at Snapchat and started thinking about who I wanted to become.And that person was smart.So instead of spending my time on FaceBook, I started scrolling MoneyControl. If my parents endorse me some money, instead of spending it on leisure, I buy books to furnish my finance knowledge. On the weekends, I stopped going to the playground and hunt out at the library, reading books totally of my own interest.Nobody told me to do it. I just did it. Because that’s who I wanted to be. Within a year, I was well furnished with more than basic knowledge.Each and every one of us decides who we are. No, you may not be ready to be a popular investor now, but you can become ready.The whole reason for dictating this trash is not to brag my past or to publicly announcing myself, instead make you understand that you don't need to be extra-ordinary to get extra-ordinary returns. Doing things simply is what drive great returns.Finally! Here's what you're here for.......So let me share some simple tactics that I'm using and tested since I started investing (and even a dumb head can use this tactics).#1) Be Greedy when others are FearfulThis is often quoted by great investor Warren Buffett. So instead of giving you theoretical preaching, let me try to illustrate it.I bought some shares of ICICI back in May 1st week when it was trailing at low of 214 and currently (14 June) it is quoted at 245 INR.I just followed a simple tactic - Market devalue share on each and every negative news without considering the fact weather it will hamper its long term value or not. It's a great time to enter in market. Nerd investors are pessimist, most of the shares are red and people are pulling out their funds in market.I heard a negative news of ICICI that its net profit plunges 76 per cent to Rs 701.89 cr on NPA surge.In continuation, again another bad news - ICICI Bank reports lower than expected Q3 net profit, bad loans rise and also ICICI was fall out of top 10 market cap list.Above statements are enough to clarify its bad situation right now but...What made me invest in such bad times?Always remember this when it comes to value investing - "Buy wonderful companies at its low instead of hoping ordinary companies to go up"Its a common phenomena that a bunch of quarterly news can't decide the company's future. In addition, great companies will always find ways to tackle its pitfalls which maintains their futuristic growth and ICICI presence in BSE30 (Sensex) shows its greatness.In short, news can change company's price but can't change its fundamental values. Currently, same situation is happening with pharmaceutical companies. Here comes my next investment.... Cipla disappointing results, profit falter.Again its a great bet right now. I entered in Cipla stock on 2nd June @468 INR and now just check out it's current trailing price.I just want to clear out one point - Market devalues stocks on bunch of negative news and value investors hunts this situations to get most out of less.Here's a short overview of situation...People will hear out news >>> they will react emotionally >>> they will feel insecure (like all are selling stocks, why shouldn't I?) >>> this results in high sell-off >>> stock price declines >>> smart investor leverage this situation.Don't get excited....However, this technique sounds simple but still their are some precautions to consider before reaching out to final decision.Don't consider buying all stocks on bad news. Some stocks have stinky financials. Have a short overview over their financials.Don't follow this technique in Government owned stocks. Actually government own stocks are owned by Current President of India, not by any individual promoters. So it decrease the chances that it will recover its value in future. For example, MOIL ltd (a government owned mining company) has its maximum number of share under President name.(If image is blur, follow the link here to get navigated to the source page)Have a keen track over stock news, download any news app. I prefer Inshorts, What do you prefer? (see you in comments).Set stock alerts in moneycontrol to get notified whenever a stock touches your desire price.Another excellent alternative to create a customize notification would be Google Alerts. Steps - Search any stock on google search bar >>> navigate to news section >>> At the end of the page, you can locate a "create alerts" buttons. Create some alerts and keep an eagle eyes on emails.Text read in red circle - "Create alert"Twitter is also evolving as a great source of news for investors. Well explained by theguardian....A simple search on Google (top 50 financial twitter feeds) will swamp you with more than enough results OR you can find them easily segregated in my profile (whom I'm following). Here's the link - @sowmay_jain. I usually re-tweet the news that can make market dance.There are many other sources to quickly get updated with financial news but for now just try above method. If curious enough, shout at comments below. Now lets switch to second strategy.#2) Stop digging when you find yourself in a holeImg - MylifeBIts not about doing any research or sticking your eyeballs on stock charts or dying out to find any news for gaining out of volatility.....Its all about restraining yourself if you find yourself in any bad investment. Every human make mistakes, even great superstar investors sometime takes wrong steps but what makes them great is they admit their mistake and take back their steps.A uncle of mine once bought a huge amount of shares of Jaiprakash Associates.He bought it 3 year back when it was quoted at 100 INR and now its trailing around 8.Why didn't he sold out it stocks when he found it going down?Interviewing him a bit gave me a good conclusion. Here comes a emotional phenomena.... step by step.When stock goes down to 75 from 100. The though came in his mind was - "I'll wait until it again get recovered"When stock goes down to 50 from 75. The thought came in his mind was - "I'll wait until it again get recovered, otherwise my 50% investment will get lost"When stock goes down to 25 from 50. The though came in his mind was - "I'll wait until it again get recovered. I already lost 50%, lets bet other 50 too. May be possible that it may go up"Now when stock is trailing around 8. He may be thinking - "What the heck will I get by selling this crap? let me retain them and wait for any miracle"At every downside of stock, his "emotions of losing money" and "hoping that stock may go high" conquer his decision. Instead of relying on vicious circle of advisers, brokers, pro investors etc, he would have rely on financial data of company.Its not only his position, it happens with us all, driven my emotions. You can easily locate it out by seeing many trending questions on Quora: Q&A.How can I smartly overcome huge Loss in MarksansPharma stock?What should I do to overcome loss in stock market?Is there any chance that my portfolio could recover money or should I sell everything now?How do I cover my loss of 100000 INR this year in the stock market?I would also like to share one of my mistake I made on betting stock of Tree House (sometime I also react like a dumb investor)I bought this stock @76. Now it's trailing around 48.My luck! here's a good news. Guess what? I sold it when it was quoted 58. This decline in price came after Morgan Stanley Asia pull back its fund from Tree House...You may have thinking - "Is he gonna mad? It's not something good happened to him instead he lose 18 Rs per share"Yeah, exactly. You're right at your place but according to me it's a good news because I saved myself from losing more 10 Rs per share. I didn't act like my Uncle acted in case of Jaiprakash Associates.This behavior is termed as loss aversion, well explained by Robert Hagstorm in his book "The Warren Buffett Way" :-"The downside of an investment (a loss) has a greater emotional impact than the upside. This fundamental bit of human psychology is known as asymmetric loss aversion. applied to the stock market, this means that investors feels twice as bad about losing money as they feel about picking a winner"Timothy Sykes, superstart penny stock trader also explained this in his own words - [bctt tweet="Every single loss that I take encourages me because when you do wrong, now you what to do (via @timothysykes)" username="sowmay_jain"]Enough of 2nd strategy, now let us discuss about 3rd one...#3) Concentrate on Mid & Small Cap stocksIndian mid- and small-caps remain world's best equity category: These are words said by Shankar Sharma (Vice-Chairman and Joint Managing Director, First Global) in an Interview.You can also get a quick overview of his interview on Business-Standard website here.Also read another aired content in favor of above statement on Economic Times - 62 smallcap stocks doubled investor wealth.Lets have a look some numerical matrix....Below are aggregate last 3 year returns of 3 different capitalized markets:Large Cap Index - 39.2%Mid Cap Index - 77.2%Small Cap Index - 82.1%Now it doesn't need Einstein mind to Locate out which sector provide great returns. And also well explained by Jimeet Modi, chief executive officer, SAMCO Securities, said,“More and more retail investors are entering the stock market in the hope of earning quick money. The potential to double money in such small cap stocks are higher compared to the large cap stocks. This is because most of small cap companies tend to grow at the faster rate in an environment of growth in the country. Large cap companies are already well established and therefore are available at fair valuation and have appreciated in tandem with growth number.”Hey, Hold on! Don't Day Dream...As said by French bankers, "Extraordinary returns comes to those who goes extra miles".So to get more return you would in Mid or small cap stock but remember a simple phase, More the profit, more will be the risk. Many stocks had also wiped out investors wealth by more than 95%.Chromatic Industries fell 97% from Rs 124.75 to Rs 4.21, Sudar Industries fell 93% to Rs 11.07 from Rs 159 on January 1. The other top losers were Aanjaneya Lifecare (down 92% from Rs 752 to Rs 60.15), Tuni Textiles (down 91% from Rs 127.40 to Rs 10.34) and Orient Paper and Industries (down 91% from Rs 79.65 to Rs 6.71).To tackle above problem and to build more profit optimized portfolio, track the following factors (outsourced from businesstoday).Track record of promoters:The first thing one must check is for how long the promoters have been in the business and whether they are backed by a strong team. It is better to have face to face interaction with company's managements but retail investors have no option so they should rely on research reports on this count.Promoters' stake:A high promoter stake shows his confidence in the business. You should also ask if the promoter plans to increase his stake. One has to be extremely cautious while investing in smallcap companies. Attributes such as promoter holding, shares pledged, return on equity and debt-to-equity ratio should be considered carefully.Business model:A unique and robust business model augurs well for the company in the long run. If a small company is present in areas dominated by those with deep pockets, then chances are that it will close shop sooner than later.Debt figures:High debt means the interest outgo is huge, which can be a big drag.Institutional holding:Experts say institutions avoid buying shares of small companies due to lack of liquidity. But if you come across a small company in which institutions have bought stakes, you need to take the stock seriously. But be careful, as institutions can also take wrong calls.Apart from this, I also prefer to look over some growth matrix such as return of equity (ROEs), return on capital employed (ROCEs) to judge the quality of these businesses. Stocks with reliable business model, strong anticipated sales growth, sustainable operating margins and cash flow generation and attractive ROEs and ROCEs will tend to score better in future.Note - If you're not capable enough to value the stocks from above mentioned matrix then stick with Large Cap stocks as they are less risky then small and mid.ConclusionIt's better to invest in stocks by your own personal analysis. Don't rely on others recommendation. Nobody suggest anything until and unless they are benefited. Do some research yourself and invest wisely.Here's a small experiment I did to authenticate the truth...I searched on Google with 2 different terms:how to analyse a stock (4.48 lakhs results)hot stocks (8.07 lakhs results)Guess what? The total Google results differed by almost double.All web is filled out with stock recommendation. Everybody want to get rich by doing what others are doing. Go look at Quora questions right now. Come back here and tell us about what you find. I bet you’ll have something to say! See you in comments.(Initially publish on my blog)

The future of boxing is that it will probably survive as a very minor niche sport.I strongly agree with my friend Keith Scott that unless we get real all time greats in the game, it will continue to slip away.The growing body of evidence on the long term devastation of CTE and brain trauma, coupled with the best athletes deserting the sport, more titles in more weight classes leaving no one sure who the real champion is, fewer fighters, fewer fights, no great trainers, no great fighters, boxing is slipping into the minor leagues of sports.This was not always the case. In the roaring twenties, boxing was at worst the #2 sport in the world, behind baseball. No reliable study has ever been done comparing the two, but at worst, as I said, boxing was a close second to baseball.Depression era boxing, up to WW2, I would argue boxing was first. Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, were stars of a magnitude unimaginable today.In the 1930’s every family in America with a radio would be listening if the Brown Bomber was defending the heavyweight title.What happened?The sport of boxing is in real trouble, and sliding down away for a number of reasons, but the seven best reasons are:there are fewer great athletes going into boxing; especially fewer skilled big men; most great athletes are choosing sports world wide that do not involve large men hitting them in the head, and which are not as dangerous overall;size does not mean skill; people mistake larger for better;there are far few good trainers, and the great trainers are a distant memory;there are fewer fights, so fewer opportunities to learn and develop;there are fewer African-American boxers as there are other opportunities, both in sports, and out of sports, than being punched in the head;there are too many sanctioning organizations, too many titles, too many warring promoters in bed with the sanctioning organizations, and the best fighters do not fight each other;the increasing evidence that boxing leads directly to brain damage and neural traumaSo let us discuss them all:There are fewer great athletes going into boxing, especially fewer big menEvery fighter and trainer alive agrees that the numbers of fighters, the far fewer great athletes boxing, especially in the higher weights, is proof that the best athletes, instead of picking boxing, as they did in Ali’s day, now pick other sports.CREDIT PICTURE KENTUCKY SPORTS RADIOEmmanuel Steward said of today’s bigger fighters, "they are nowhere near as skilled as the old fighters. All the good big men are in the NFL or NBA!" He went on to say that the money is so good in the NBA and NFL, which have medical coverage and a good pension plan to boot, that fighters like Foreman and Liston, would today be in other sports.Angelo Dundee said before he died, "the great heavyweights are gone. Lennox Lewis was the last great heavyweight you will see in your lifetime. These guys coming up just can't box!" Dundee reinforced what Manny Steward said, that “today’s big men are simply not as good athletes as their Golden Age predecessors.”There are fewer fighters today compared to even 50 years agoThere are fewer fighters, fewer trainers, with less expertise fighting fewer fights, and not just in the US, but all over the world the totals are down.Fighters today fight far fewer rounds, box less in the gym, and simply do not learn the fundamentals of the game.By every metric that matters, the sport is far less healthy than it was 40-50 years ago. Those metrics include key indicators like the number of licensed fighters and the number of promoted events. Both are significantly lower than they were 50 years ago. In fact, both are significantly lower than they were in the 1930′s.Even counting the relatively greater popularity of the sport in England and Eastern Europe, there are still less fighters total, in the world, licensed to fight than there were in 1970, almost 50 years ago!There are less licensed trainers than there were 50 years ago!Fighters today fight far fewer fights, thus boxing infinitely fewer rounds, box less in the gym, and simply do not learn the fundamentals of the game, because practice makes perfect. Greater money for a single fight means fighters do not fight as much, and thus do not learn as much.There are also far fewer boxing events held. In addition, there are fewer fight clubs, licensed fighters, and licensed trainers today that in 1970, and in the US, fewer than even in 1930. Fewer boxers, fewer trainers, fewer events to box in, less training, less sparring, worse athletes - no wonder modern heavyweights especially are simply pitiful next to heavyweights from the past.CREDIT FOR ALL STATISTICS TO The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science: Mike Silver, Foreword by Budd Schulberg: 9780786493876: Amazon.com: BooksThis era of fighters, especially heavyweights, is all time weak, skill wiseThe Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science: Mike Silver, Foreword by Budd Schulberg: 9780786493876: Amazon.com: BooksIn this riveting book, Mike Silver point by point by the numbers shows the ongoing deterioration of boxers' skills, their endurance, the decline in the number of fights and the psychological readiness of championship-caliber boxers. The strengths and weaknesses of today's superstars are analyzed empirically and compared to those of such past greats as Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Liston, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Dempsey and Jake LaMotta - and the modern fighters simply do not stand up in the comparison.Fighters today fight far fewer rounds, box less in the gym, and simply do not learn the fundamentals of the game.There are fewer trainers, with less expertise fighting fewer fights.The numbers do not lie. Tyson Fury and Luis Ortiz are the only heavyweights in the top ten who actually can box! And Fury is coming off a near 4 year drink and drug binge, and Ortiz is at least 40! Oleksandr Usyk can actually box, but he is unproven as a heavyweight at this time.Bigger does not mean better, except to fanboysThere are writers on here, such as “Never was,” who know nothing of boxing, and who confuse size with skill.Boxing writer and historian, Frank Thomas, explains the difference between size and skill:"In the minds of some, size trumps all. Ergo, the Klitschkos [or Joshua] should defeat any other heavyweight who is not of similar stature. This gravely misunderstands the role of size in boxing, as amply demonstrated by yesteryear’s Primo Carnera, the Golden Age’s own Ernie Terrell, or modern fighters such as Nikolai Valuev and Lance Whitaker. In addition to height, it also misreads what “size” is.Many modern heavyweights are the same height as their 1970s counterparts, but pack twenty pounds or more of extra mass. Yet does that mass make them a better fighter? If it was earned by lifting weights, [or PED's] as is all too often the case, then the answer is no.Bulky muscles look impressive, but they do not help a fighter hit harder. Instead, they slow a fighter down and serve as useless bulk which must be hauled around the ring all night. Anyone who has trained using old school boxing methods is familiar with just how difficult it is to build good boxing muscle through weight lifting."Because fighters today are bigger, does not mean they are better. A physique like AJ's is useful if he is posing on a stage for Mr. Universe, and not a bit of help in the ring while a fat Mexican is pounding his huge posterior. His size helps him against boxers without the skill to actually box him.Ditto for Wilder - people ooh and ah about his being 6′7″ and knocking out 32 complete bums, and 5 journeyman - but he did not beat the only good fighter he faced.The Great Trainers are a distant memoryTraining hasn’t improved in any way. If anything there are less qualified trainers than ever before. Joe Frazier commented in KO Magazine, March 1999, ‘These guys aren’t trained by real champions, by great ex-fighters.”The best trainers in history were fighters who knew all the secrets of the game. Rocky Marciano's trainer, Charley Goldman, claimed to have had over 300 pro fights. Jack Blackburn, Joe Louis’ trainer, was one of the great fighters of the turn of the century and had over 160 pro fights. He fought the likes of Joe Gans, Sam Langford, and Harry Greb. They learned to fight by fighting, and then by working with other great trainers.That level of experience is completely gone from the sport today.Ray Arcel, Hall of Fame Trainer, who learned himself from some of the greats, like Benny Leonard and Whitey Bimstein, noted right before his death, "Boxing is not really boxing today. It’s theater. Some kids might look good. But they don’t learn their trade. If you take a piece of gold out of the ground, you know its gold. But you have to clean it. You have to polish it. But there aren’t too many guys capable (today) of polishing a fighter.”And that is what the Never was a coach misses, that fundamentals and training are missing, and in the heavyweights, athletic ability. The sport used to get the best athletes - now it gets those who can't play football or basketball...Multiple sanctioning bodies leave fans unsure who is champion of whatIt used to be there were eight undisputed champions. Now there are 17 weight classes, and five title belts, plus the Ring Championships, for a total of 102 champions for the 17 weight classes! Then they have super, interim, and regular champions, so they have, potentially, 306 champions! That is 306 compared to 8 in the days of Sugar Ray Robinson.Each of the five organizations, the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF, and the IBO, charge sanctioning fees for their title fights. They also charge for their elimination fights, and for everything else they can manage to screw a penny out of fighters for. They are all allied in one form or another with certain promotors, and certain Television viewing options, et al. None of them work well with the others, and none of the viewing platforms do either. The horde of sanctioning organizations allows the horde of viewing platforms and promotors to con the public and bilk everyone out of more money.Until 1965 there was basically one champion - the WBA/WBC split over Ali’s rematch with Liston was a forerunner of multiple champions, and much confusion.Promoters not letting fighters fight the best competitionEver since Floyd Mayweather introduced the value of “0” as in no defeats, no promoter wants to let a money fighter fight anyone who might endanger their value. Case in point: Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua. They could have had a Fury or Wilder fight years ago, but Hearn deliberately low-balled both.Nor is that the only case. Al Haymon won’t let Errol Spence fight Terrance Crawford, who is promoted by Bob Arum.People have asked "Did Pacquiao ever offer to fight Kell Brook? … Errol Spence? … Terence Crawford? … even Shawn Porter? " Yes, he wanted to fight all of them! Why didn't he fight them? Because never was, up until last year, he fought for Bob Arum, and all of them except for Brock fight for the same rival promoter who scuttled a Spence-Crawford fight, Al Haymon.Kell Brook worked for Eddie Hearn, who also has a poor relationship with Arum, and any Pacquiao vs. Brook fight would have been held in England, which neither Arum nor Pacquiao was keen on. Now Manny works for Al Haymon, who also has a poor relationship with Eddie Hearn - and that fight won't get made not because Manny does not want it (Kell Brook trying to starve himself back to welterweight would be so weak Manny would eat him alive) but because Haymon won't work with Hearn.it used to be that the best fought the best, but now, it is simply not the case, most of the time.Bob Arum just announced this week that Terrence Crawford may fight an MMA bout and then a boxing match with a UFC star because they cannot get any of Al Haymon’s welterweight stable into the ring.That says it all. The best welterweight boxer in the world has to consider fighting an MMA star because rival promoters keep the other good welterweights from boxing him.Racism was one ugly reason so many great Black fighters arose back in the dayJon Jones mentions this all the time - and he is spot on.Ken Burns, the great filmmaker who produced “Unforgivable Blackness” about Jack Johnson, has noted that young Black men flocked to boxing in the 20th century as a way to earn a living. He also noted with the real end of segregation in the 1960’s, there appears to be far fewer young African-American men boxing because there are other, better, ways to make a living, in other sports, and in general.WK Stratton wrote in Floyd Patterson how boxing was one of the few avenues to a young Black man in the 1940’s and 1950’s to escape poverty.Although things are not completely rosy today, and there are other avenues to get out, and other sports, the NFL and NBA, which pay more on average, and are less dangeorus.The rising, indisputable proof that boxing causes brain damage and neural illnessAccording to the latest research, ALL boxers, every single one, 100% of them, suffer brain trauma from boxing; ALL OF THEM, EVERY SINGLE ONE, THOUGH NOT EVERY ONE DEVELOPS ACTIVE NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS.So far the research indicates 17 out of 100 develop pugilistic dementia, and about 23% more develop other neurological symptoms.Again, according to the most recent studies, EVERY SINGLE BOXER has brain damage - the key appears to be, most appear to be uneffected by it, BUT IT IS STILL THERE.In fact, according to very reputable studies by British researcher Dr. A.H. Roberts, any fighter who fights professionally, has a 100% chance of having brain trauma - but that trauma is not necessarily disabling, nor is it certain to develop into dementia. A fighter’s chances of developing dementia pugilistica (DP), (also called chronic traumatic brain injury (CTBI), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)) are approximately 17 out of 100 if the figures consistent with the general population of boxers holds true for him.According to a retrospective, randomized study by Dr. A.H. Roberts regarding CTBI among ex-boxers competing in Great Britain, ALL boxers tested had evidence of chronic brain injury, and approximately 17% had symptoms consistent with DP, which was believed to have been the result of repetitive concussive and/or sub-concussive head traumas, generally over the course of many years.In other words all boxers had some evidence of chronic trauma, and 17 boxers out of 100 suffered dementia as a direct result of fighting. The key appears to be length of time during which repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows to the head were suffered.The sad truth is, most boxers do not have long, happy, healthy, lives. The ones that escape with their faculties intact, most often do not escape with their money intact, nor are they able to successfully translate their fame into lasting fortune.The problem is the trauma that head blows bring appears to be permanentOne might think that a defensive master like Floyd Mayweather, for instance, is less likely than most to develop pugilistic dementia, but that does not factor in the ferocious sparring sessions he engaged in at Mayweather Gym, and it does not factor in that the critical factor appears to be length of time fighting. The longer one fights, the worse the trauma, and greater liklihood of dehabilitating damage.Indeed, the fighter generally regarded as the ultimate defensive fighter, the finest of all time, Willie Pep, died of pugilistic dementia.According to the American Medical Association, up to 40 percent of ex-boxers have been found to have symptoms of chronic brain injury. Most of these boxers, about 60%, have relatively mild symptoms. But about 13–20% suffer severe, progressive, impairment. Recent studies have shown that almost all professional boxers (even those without symptoms) have some degree of brain damage.How much impairment do boxers suffer? it depends on the individual, how long they fought, how many blows they took, and a host of factors. One thing is certain, beyond any reasonable doubt as Dr. Max Hietala, MD, PhD, says: "the more you get punched in the head, the greater the possibility of long term damage. Period."A study by the American Academy of Neurology in 2007 found blows to the head in amateur boxing appear to cause brain damage. "This data shows blows to the head in boxing, over time, are associated with neurochemical evidence of brain damage," said study author Max Hietala, MD, PhD, with Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden.But what about the effects of boxing over time?What is the truth about boxing, blows to the head, and cognitive impairment?The cumulative effect of head blows in boxing is vicious.One highly regarded scientific study, by the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee, National Football League, and published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health Search database, addresses impact biomechanics from boxing punches causing translational and rotational head acceleration. Olympic boxers threw four different punches at an instrumented Hybrid III dummy and responses were compared with laboratory-reconstructed NFL concussions.Head injury criterion (HIC) for boxing punches was lower than for NFL concussions because of shorter duration acceleration. Boxers deliver punches with proportionately more rotational than translational acceleration than in football concussion. Boxing punches have a 65 mm effective radius from the head center of gravity (CG) , which is almost double the 34 mm in football. A smaller radius in football prevents the helmets from sliding off each other in a tackle.Olympic boxers deliver punches with high impact velocity but lower HIC and translational acceleration than in football impacts because of a lower effective punch mass. They cause proportionately more rotational acceleration than in football. Modeling shows that the greatest strain is in the midbrain late in the exposure, after the primary impact acceleration in boxing and football.Interestingly, the hook produced the highest change in hand velocity (11.0 +/- 3.4 m/s) and greatest punch force (4405 +/- 2318 N) with average neck load of 855 +/- 537 N. It caused head translational and rotational accelerations of 71.2 +/- 32.2 g and 9306 +/- 4485 r/s. These levels are consistent with those causing concussion in NFL impacts.In other words, a Olympic class amateur boxer throwing a hook matches any blunt force trauma of a full body NFL impact. A pro boxer, especially a heavyweight hooker such as Mike Tyson, would vastly exceed NFL full body impact with a single left hook.Stop and think about it: one hook from someone like Mike Tyson is more damaging than a full body collision from a 300 pound NFL player launching himself at your head.Another study by the American Academy of Neurology in 2007, "Does Amateur Boxing Cause Brain Damage?" which appeared in Science Daily on 3 May 2007, found blows to the head in amateur boxing cause brain damage, according to research that presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 -- May 5, 2007.For the study, researchers used lumbar puncture to determine if there were elevated levels of biochemical markers for brain injury in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 14 amateur boxers. Boxers were tested after a fight and then again three months after rest from boxing. The study also included 10 healthy men who were not athletes.The study found high CSF levels of neuronal and glial markers suggestive of brain damage after a fight. A particular marker for neuronal damage, neurofilament light (NFL), was four times higher in boxers within 10 days of the fight as compared with healthy non-athletes. These increased levels returned to normal after three months rest from boxing for amateurs- but the study stipulated that continued fighting, for years, would cause no return to normality, and progressive degeneration.Another study, published in Frontiers of Public Health published on July 21, 2014, by the Maryland State Athletic Commission, the Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and other entities, attempted to measure cognitive impairment in boxers from head trauma.Among professional boxers, the majority of injuries occur in the facial area (51%). Additional areas of injury include the hands (17%), eyes (14%), and nose (5%).Evidence from amateur and professional settings suggested that boxers may suffer from acute cognitive impairment post-injury. Areas of dysfunction noted include delayed memory, information processing and verbal fluency, and spatial and mathematical processing. Dr. Collie Moriarity also found significant slowing in simple and choice reaction time among a group of amateur boxers whose matches were stopped by the referee.Interest in the chronic consequences of professional boxing is longstanding. In 1928, H. A. Martland published a seminal article titled “Punch Drunk” in which he hypothesized about the relationship between boxing and brain injury.Overtime this condition has also been called dementia pugilistica (DP), chronic traumatic brain injury (CTBI), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).Remember Dr. Roberts research: 17 boxers out of 100 suffered dementia as a direct result of fighting.In all studies, the deadliness of boxing cannot be overstated. The force of a professional boxer's fist is equivalent to being hit with a 13-pound bowling ball traveling 20 miles per hour, or about 52 times the force of gravity.According to the Journal of Combative Sport, from January of 1960 to August of 2011, there were 488 boxing-related deaths. The journal attributes 66 percent of these deaths to head, brain or neck injuries; one was attributed to a skull fracture.According to an explosive new study out of Australia, more damage is done neurologically from sparring than from fights.Let that sink in: more brain trauma long term damage is done to fighters sparring than in actual fights.Indeed, boxers are more at risk of brain damage when sparring during training than in actual fights, because of the amount of sheer hours spent sparring, and the cumulative effects of it, according to a research study by a Australian doctor and researcher whose expertise is extremely highly regarded.CREDIT FOR PICTURE TO UNSPLASHIn a thesis prepared with colleague Michael Wang and published in the British Medical Journal, Dr Peter Lewis described boxing as “a popular activity with many health benefits” but also stressed the dangers, finding that most of the trauma contributing to brain damage boxer sustain happens in training, especially in sparring, rather than in fights.Sparring a bigger risk than real boutsIt appears all too many fighters and trainers are too old school and tough about possible brain trauma, concussions, in sparring sessions.Think about the sheer number of hours fighters spend sparring as opposed to in actual fights, and this is exactly and precisely why more neural trauma occurs during sparring than real fights.And, there is no ring doctor present during sparring, and no mandated sit outs for suspected concussions!Examination, treatment of any suspected trauma, MUST be by qualified physicians and medical experts to prevent permanent harm, or even death, whether in sparring or in actual bouts!CREDIT DOCTORS PETER LEWIS AND MICHAEL WANG, AND THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNALIt is vital to note that no distinction is made between Class I and II concussions. That is not a decision for a layman to make, the medical professionals, in particular the Association of Ringside Physicians, mandates treatment, concussion protocols, and treatment preferably by a neurologist or neurosurgeon.The Association of Ringside Physicians has awoken as well to the inherent dangers in sparring, and has recommended not only that any boxer or MMA fighter sustaining a concussion at any time and place be barred from competing, but that a combat sports athlete’s suspension continue until a specialist physician trained in concussion management clears the fighter to return, however long that may take. Specialist physicians trained in concussion management include neurologists, neurosurgeons and primary care sports medicine physicians.https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjs...CREDIT THE ASSOCIATION OF RINGSIDE PHYSICIANSNor is sparring of any type risk free, even without a concussion! Trauma appears to accumulate, whether an overt injury occurs or not.Dr. Lewis’s work seems to indict that the damage is cumulative, and sparring over the long term creates lasting brain trauma even if you never fight a bout.We can only hope that fighters we see and care about are one of the 83 out of 100 boxers who seem to escape pugilistic dementia, but sadly, only time will tell.But the unquestioned advances in neural research, and the devastating effects of boxing, are having an effect on the number of young kids willing to risk their brains in the sweet science.An honest comparison of today’s fighters to past eras shows they are not as goodThe best way to compare eras is to use Boxrec’s computer rankings. Their system is not foolproof, it has flaws, but it is the best, most objective, attempt to rank fighters across time, factoring in quality of opposition, et al.We will use the glamour division, so these are the top 100 heavyweights fighting today, and we will compare them to past eras:(Usyk is not counted, as he is untested against a top 1000 heavyweight and his record was as a cruiserweight)#31 Tyson Fury#34 Anthony Joshua#54 Alexdr Povetkin#55 Marco Huck#63 Deontay Wilder#85 Andy Ruiz6 top 100 but only two in the top fifty, for all their size, none in the top twentyHow let us list the top 100 fighters active in 1990–2000:# 3 Evander Holyfield *#6 Larry Holmes *#14 Mike Tyson#15 Lennox Lewis#18 George Foreman *#30 Riddick Bowe#35 John Ruiz#37 Mike Weaver#40 Mike Dokes#49 Nicolay Valueav#53 Adolpho Washington#66 Frank Bruno#69 Oliver McCall#70 Pinklon Thomas#78 Tony Tubbs#90 Ray MercerFive in the Hall of Fame, five in the top twenty, 16 in the top 100!How about the top 100 fighters active in 1980–1990?#1 Muhammad Ali *#6 Larry Holmes *# 10 Joe Frazier *#18 George Foreman *#26 Ken Norton#42 Jerry Quarry#58 Gerrie Coetzee#63 James Douglas#67 Jimmy Young#70 Pinklon Thomas#78 Tony Tubbs# 82 Joe Bugner#89 Leon Spinks#90 Ray MercerFive in the Hall of Fame, four top twenty, 14 top 100.How let us list the top 100 fighters active in 1970–1980:#1 Muhammad Ali *#4 Floyd Patterson *#6 Larry Holmes *#10 Joe Frazier *#17 Sonny Liston *#18 George Foreman *#42 Jerry Quarry#43 Jimmy Ellis#67 Jimmy Young#70 Pinklon Thomas# 82 Joe Bugner#84 Oscar Bonavena#89 Leon Spinks#95 Ernie Terrell#97 George ChuvaloFive in the Hall of Fame, five top twenty, 15 top 100.How about the top five active in 1960–1970?#1 Muhammad Ali *#4 Floyd Patterson *#7 Bob Foster (light heavyweight champ tried twice for the heavyweight title)#17 Sonny Liston *#29 Ingemar Johnannson *#38 Eddie Machen#72 Doug Jones#74 Lee Savold#75 Zora Foley# 82 Joe Bugner#84 Oscar Bonavena#95 Ernie Terrell#96 Tommy Jackson#97 George ChuvaloFive in the Hall of Fame, 3 top twenty, 14 top 100How about the top 100 active in 1950–1960?#2 Joe Louis *#4 Floyd Patterson *#6 Rocky Marciano *#8 Ezzard Charles (ranked as light heavy, was heavyweight champ, and would have been #1 light heavy if the fights were not counted after he was symptomatic with ALS) *#27 Jimmy Bivens *#33 Joe Walcott *#72 Doug Jones#74 Lee Savold#75 Zora Foley#77 Bob Baker#92 Hans Neuhas#95 Ernie Terrell#96 Tommy Jackson#97 George Chuvalo#98 Roscoe TolesFive are in the Hall of Fame, 3 in the top twenty, 15 top 100How about 1940–1950?#2 Joe Louis *#6 Rocky Marciano *#8 Ezzard Charles (ranked as light heavy, was heavyweight champ, and would have been #1 light heavy if the fights were not counted after he was symptomatic with ALS) *#9 Billy Conn (ranked as light heavy, fought for heavyweight title twice)#12 Max Schmeling *#21 Max Baer *#27 Jimmy Bivens#36 Mello Bettina#52 Primo Carnera#57 Elmer Ray#59 Bob Pastor#60 Walter Neusel#64 Bruce Woodcock#68 Fred Fulton#98 Roscoe Toles8 in the Hall of Fame, 3 top twenty, 15 top 100!An honest look at today’s other weight classes would produce a similar, but not as dramatic, result.CREDIT FOR ALL RANKINGS, RATINGS, AND RECORDS TO BOXRECBottom line: I hope you enjoyed watching Lennox Lewis 20 years ago, he is the last great heavyweight champion you will seeLennox Lewis was the last great heavyweight undisputed champion, and, as a great trainer said, likely the last we will see in our lifetime.First, the best athletes quit being boxers, especially heavyweights, then the great trainers disappeared, then fewer fights were held, then there were four major sanctioning bodies instead of two, with a fifth one rising its ugly head, and five champions in every one of the now 17 weight classes, then the major promoters decided to keep their fighters from fighting each other, and finally, scientists and doctors are saying that boxing kills your brain.The sport, if it survives in its current form, will be a minor niche oddity within 20 years.