BoxRec: Difference between revisions
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The site was founded by [[Londoner]] John Sheppard, a former [[computer systems analyst]] for the British [[National Coal Board]]. Sheppard never attended a boxing bout until 1995 when he attended a [[Prince Naseem Hamed]] fight with Hamed's older brothers Riath and Nabeel. Sheppard had considered boxing to be a "barbaric and degrading" spectacle, stating "I sat there watching people punch each other in the head, wondering why they were doing it.....I was sprayed with blood, getting more and more miserable."<ref name="Indispensable Website"/> |
The site was founded by [[Londoner]] John Sheppard, a former [[computer systems analyst]] for the British [[National Coal Board]]. Sheppard never attended a boxing bout until 1995 when he attended a [[Prince Naseem Hamed]] fight with Hamed's older brothers Riath and Nabeel. Sheppard had considered boxing to be a "barbaric and degrading" spectacle, stating "I sat there watching people punch each other in the head, wondering why they were doing it.....I was sprayed with blood, getting more and more miserable."<ref name="Indispensable Website"/> |
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Later, following Hamed's split with with [[Frank Warren]], Sheppard went to work for Hamed at "Prince Promotions" in 2000. Sheppard then began to compile record of active British boxers in an attempt to aid matchmaking of boxers and then decided to create a website which would store the records of all boxers. The site has grown so much that Sheppard has gone fulltime since 2005 |
Later, following Hamed's split with with [[Frank Warren]], Sheppard went to work for Hamed at "Prince Promotions" in 2000. Sheppard then began to compile record of active British boxers in an attempt to aid matchmaking of boxers and then decided to create a website which would store the records of all boxers. The site has grown so much that Sheppard has gone fulltime since 2005.<ref name="Indispensable Website"/><ref name="BoxRec Welcome">{{cite web | author=Boxrec | title=Boxrec Welcome | work=BoxRec MainPage | url=http://www.boxrec.com/index.php | accessdaymonth=27 December | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> |
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==Organisation== |
==Organisation== |
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Revision as of 18:45, 23 February 2009
BoxRec.com is a website dedicated to keep updated records of professional boxers, both male and female. It also maintains a mediawiki-based encyclopaedia of boxing: BoxRec Wiki.
The objective of the site is to document every single professional boxer and boxing match from the instigation of the Queensberry Rules up to the present times. BoxRec publishes ratings for all active boxers and all time ratings.[1]
Foundation
The site was founded by Londoner John Sheppard, a former computer systems analyst for the British National Coal Board. Sheppard never attended a boxing bout until 1995 when he attended a Prince Naseem Hamed fight with Hamed's older brothers Riath and Nabeel. Sheppard had considered boxing to be a "barbaric and degrading" spectacle, stating "I sat there watching people punch each other in the head, wondering why they were doing it.....I was sprayed with blood, getting more and more miserable."[2]
Later, following Hamed's split with with Frank Warren, Sheppard went to work for Hamed at "Prince Promotions" in 2000. Sheppard then began to compile record of active British boxers in an attempt to aid matchmaking of boxers and then decided to create a website which would store the records of all boxers. The site has grown so much that Sheppard has gone fulltime since 2005.[2][3]
Organisation
The website is updated by approximately 150 volunteer editors from many countries around the world.[3] Each editor is assigned a country or in some instances, regions within countries and they maintain the records for boxers in that country or region. Boxrec also rates each active fighter by weight division using a computerised points-based system.[2]
Criticism of the website
Innaccurate records of boxers
Boxrec has been criticised for not keeping correct records for boxers, especially historic fighters.[2] In 2005, Boxrec applied to the to become recognised as the official record keepers for the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).[4] The ABC held interviews with both Fight Fax and Boxrec at their 2005 convention. Each applicant made a submission and presentation to the ABC panel which included state commissioners and attorneys. The panel then voted unanimously in favour to award Fight Fax the position. The ABC later revealed that they had undetaken tests to measure the accuracy of the records of the websites and the Fight Fax records were shown to be 100% accurate with Boxrec's was found "to be substantially lower".[4]
Boxing promoter Russell Peltz stated "very few things in life are one hundred percent. But I’ve come across some glaring errors at Boxrec, mostly in the historical records." ESPN's Dan Rafael noted that "so many people have a hand in Boxrec that the records aren’t always accurate. Ricardo Mayorga’s record has been wrong for years. There’s a mistake on Derrick Gainer’s record too."[2]
Issues with boxers' nationality
The criteria by which the nationality of boxers have been an issue with the site.[5] Inconsistancies included the listing of Armenian born brothers Arthur Abraham who is listed as German, whilst his brother Alexander Abraham is listed as Armenian, meanwhile Khoren Gevor who was born in Armenia, lives in Germany and carries German passport is listed as Armenian.[6][7]
The Boxrec team changed the nationality of Irish boxer John Duddy to British on their boxing record database after it was initially listed as Irish.[8][9] A number of Boxrec members raised the issue with the owner of the website and Boxrec were contacted by members of "Team Duddy" to inform them that Duddy held an Irish passport. However, the owner of the website, John Sheppard, refused to accept Duddy's nationality as Irish.[8][5] A petition was then created objecting to Boxrec's refusal to amend Duddy's record.[5]
Plaudits from boxing personalities
When asked how important Boxrec was to him, boxing promoter Lou DiBella stated "anyone in boxing who says he doesn’t use Boxrec is either a complete imbecile or lying" and Bruce Trampler, the matchmaker for Top Rank, said that "short of actually being at a fight, they’re the best source of information out there."[2]
The boxing journalist Thomas Hauser also asked the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission Ron Scott Stevens what his thought were and Stevens was quoted as saying "Fight Fax is the mandated record-keeper for athletic commissions in the United States. But Boxrec does more than supplement Fight Fax. In many respects, it surpasses Fight Fax."[2]
References
- ^ Boxrec. "Boxrec Ratings". BoxRec Ratings.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g Hauser, Thomas (2008-07-21). ""Boxrec.com: Boxing's Indispensable Website"". SecondsOut.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ a b Boxrec. "Boxrec Welcome". BoxRec MainPage.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b ""ABC renews contract with Fight Fax"". Hot Boxing News. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ a b c John O'Brien. "John Sheppard of Boxrec.com refuses to acknowledge John Duddy's Nationality". Bernarddunne.net.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Boxrec. ""Alexander Abraham"". Alexander Abraham - Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 20 February.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Boxrec. ""Arthur Abraham"". Arthur Abraham - Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 20 February.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Boxrec. ""John Duddy"". Boxrec Fighter Page.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessdaymonth=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Boxing Record Archive :: View topic - John Duddy Mistake