Well I've been to the States 4 times to watch Ricky box, I've met him and spoke to him a few times aswell as his Dad, his brother and many of his good friends. That was all quite a few years ago...
Agree with most of what you say Matt, never, ever the most naturally gifted boxer, but the heart of a Lion and someone who always promised to entertain his audience, he was the people's champion and grew a huge army of following through giving the punters value for money.
Hitting the real big time when beating Kostya Tsyzu. For that fight I paid £83 for my ticket which was quite a distance from the ring, but was worth every penny as it was a fantastic night and one I'll never forget. At the peak I paid £385 for my ticket for the Mayweather fight and was probably as far away from the ring as any other person in the MGM that night.
Along the way I've been sucked into going to many an after fight party at a ridiculous cost. The ones where he was just beginning to hit the big time were excellent, but once he arrived on the big stage and all the 'hangers on' were there it became a joke.
Too much money and too much greed along the way has spoiled things a bit for me, poor treatment of good people, the likes of Graham, Kayes, Beard, Hobson etc... and stories in the press that aren't true have also changed my thoughts.
If Ricky really was still the people's champion the 'homecoming' fight against the poor Juan Lazcano would have been a lot cheaper than £100 for an average seat. If he was coming home to thank his fans and not out to make more money then it would have been far cheaper.
I still live in hope that he won't fight again and still retain a little bit of dignity before he loses more than that with another pointless fight...
