--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In boxing, where most of the guys are…" description: "\"In boxing, where most of the guys are from lower-class backgrounds and have darker skin than most of the fans, one might fear that the athletes are bei..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg" --- # In boxing, where most of the guys are from lower-class… ![“In boxing, where most of the guys are from lower-class backgrounds and have darker skin than most of the fans, one might fear that the athletes are being exploited. But that narrative doesn't hold up very well in the world of MMA, where 99 percent of fighters are amateurs who will never earn a…” quote by Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg) > “In boxing, where most of the guys are from lower-class backgrounds and have darker skin than most of the fans, one might fear that the athletes are being exploited. But that narrative doesn't hold up very well in the world of MMA, where 99 percent of fighters are amateurs who will never earn a dime. They aren't seeking fame and fortune. For the most part, these guys are fighting because they want to and because it gives them an opportunity to strive for something big in their lives. It gives them a chance to become their best selves.” [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most MMA fighters are amateurs seeking personal growth, not fame, using the sport as a path to better themselves. **In simple terms:** Fighters use MMA for self‑improvement, not profit. Key Takeaway Support personal development through sport. Themes sports self‑improvement motivation class opportunity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - training - career transition - community building Key Concepts amateurism social mobility identity formation Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to pursue growth? - How can support systems protect vulnerable athletes? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize struggle, ignoring exploitation risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Best self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-self/) [Boxing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxing/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Fame and fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame-and-fortune/) [Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) [Fighters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighters/) [Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Lower class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lower-class/) [Mma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mma/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) ## Related quotes > [Reach, and all that other stuff, doesn't play as big a part in MMA as it does in boxing. Guys don't really fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cormier/reach-and-all-that-other-stuff-doesn-t-play-as-big-a-part-in-mma-as/) [Daniel Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cormier/) > [I wouldn't say that I'm the most avoided man in boxing, but a few guys might avoid me in the middleweight division.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jacobs/i-wouldn-t-say-that-i-m-the-most-avoided-man-in-boxing-but-a-few-guys/) [Daniel Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jacobs/) > [The part that sickens me about boxing is guys fight their whole careers and they have nothing to show for it. That's not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-ward/the-part-that-sickens-me-about-boxing-is-guys-fight-their-whole/) [Andre Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-ward/) > [I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/i-was-painfully-initiated-into-boxing-because-the-guys-i-fought-were/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [The boxing guys are all talk and no walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-toney/the-boxing-guys-are-all-talk-and-no-walk/) [James Toney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-toney/) > [Really, if the lower orders don't set a good example, what on earth is the use of them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/really-if-the-lower-orders-don-t-set-a-good-example-what-on-earth-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If we want to have a two-class society and an unemployed, welfare-crippled lower class that has no access to equality and educational opportunity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/if-we-want-to-have-a-two-class-society-and-an-unemployed-welfare/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Our inequality materializes our upper class, vulgarizes our middle class, brutalizes our lower class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/our-inequality-materializes-our-upper-class-vulgarizes-our-middle/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [It's incumbent on the President to entertain. Clinton did a better job of it - and was forgiven for the scandals, incidentally. Bush is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-s-incumbent-on-the-president-to-entertain-clinton-did-a-better-job/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Primroses and landscapes, he pointed out, have one grave defect: they are gratuitous. A love of nature keeps no factories busy. It was decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/primroses-and-landscapes-he-pointed-out-have-one-grave-defect-they/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [If you have an economic system in which there must be a lower class, there must be unemployed. There must be a large pool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-you-have-an-economic-system-in-which-there-must-be-a-lower-class/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [You know, without China there is no Wal-Mart and without Wal-Mart there is no middle class and lower class prosperity in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-laffer/you-know-without-china-there-is-no-wal-mart-and-without-wal-mart/) [Arthur Laffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-laffer/) > [“and there is dishonest men plenty to guide them to the devil, scoundrels that reckons to be the ‘people’s friends,’ and that knows nought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/and-there-is-dishonest-men-plenty-to-guide-them-to-the-devil/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“The more violent the body contact of the sports you watch, the lower your class. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fussell/the-more-violent-the-body-contact-of-the-sports-you-watch-the-lower/) [Paul Fussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fussell/) > [The American middle class always wants to be upper class and is scared to death of being lower class. It's a highly mobile group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-american-middle-class-always-wants-to-be-upper-class-and-is/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) ## More by Jonathan Gottschall > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [If someone breaks into your home when you're there - that is, they don't wait to be sure that the house is empty -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/if-someone-breaks-into-your-home-when-you-re-there-that-is-they-don-t/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Part of why I was attracted to the idea of owning a gun was self-defense, and part of it was that I've been fascinated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/part-of-why-i-was-attracted-to-the-idea-of-owning-a-gun-was-self/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suction-of-story-no-matter-how/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“As the video game designer and writer James Wallis puts it, “Human beings like stories. Our brains have a natural affinity not only for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/as-the-video-game-designer-and-writer-james-wallis-puts-it-human/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [In an effort to civilize combat sports, authorities mandated padded gloves and instantly made the sports far more savage. Granted, putting gloves on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-an-effort-to-civilize-combat-sports-authorities-mandated-padded/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [People like head trauma. They love knockouts. The crowd is silent, silent, silent... and then a knockout happens, and everyone goes native. There would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/people-like-head-trauma-they-love-knockouts-the-crowd-is-silent/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/fiction-seems-to-be-more-effective-at-changing-beliefs-than/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/we-are-as-a-species-addicted-to-story-even-when-the-body-goes-to/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Getting punched in the face with a padded glove doesn't really hurt your face. It doesn't hurt your skull. The only thing it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/getting-punched-in-the-face-with-a-padded-glove-doesn-t-really-hurt/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/story-is-where-people-go-to-practice-the-key-skills-of-human-social/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/the-brain-stays-up-all-night-telling-stories-while-we-sleep-we-just/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“Commentators frequently blame MMORPGs for an increasing sense of isolation in modern life. But virtual worlds are less a cause of that isolation than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/commentators-frequently-blame-mmorpgs-for-an-increasing-sense-of/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“Conspiracy theories—feverishly creative, lovingly plotted—are in fact fictional stories that some people believe. Conspiracy theorists connect real data points and imagined data points into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/conspiracy-theories-feverishly-creative-lovingly-plotted-are-in-fact/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [I watch fights and I often feel morally compromised by it. I feel like I'm morally culpable for what's occurring because I'm the spectator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-watch-fights-and-i-often-feel-morally-compromised-by-it-i-feel-like/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) [Explore all 47 Jonathan Gottschall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) ## More Athlete quotes > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-don-t-want-to-say-names-but-there-are-certain-companies-i-won-t/) [Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/) > [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/) [Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/) > [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/) [Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/) [Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In boxing, where most of the guys are from lower-class backgrounds and have darker skin than most of the fans, one might fear that the athletes are being exploited. But that narrative doesn't hold up very well in the world of MMA, where 99 percent of fighters are amateurs who will never earn a dime. They aren't seeking fame and fortune. For the most part, these guys are fighting because they want to and because it gives them an opportunity to strive for something big in their lives. It gives them a chance to become their best selves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Gottschall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-from-lower-class-backgrounds-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Athlete" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-from-lower-class-backgrounds-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/jonathan-gottschall-14219_athlete_in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-fro_2230819.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In boxing, where most of the guys are from lower-class backgrounds and have darker skin than most of the…” — Jonathan Gottschall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jonathan Gottschall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In boxing, where most of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-from-lower-class-backgrounds-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-boxing-where-most-of-the-guys-are-from-lower-class-backgrounds-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```