RUMBLE IN THE NG

Modern fighters battling the X factor

BOXING social media is quite a frightening landscape these days.

Imagine if X - or Twitter as it was known - was around when George Foreman got cut in 1974, just eight days before the original date for the Rumble in the Jungle with Muhammad Ali.

The conspiracy theorists would have been first with claims it wasn't real and Foreman had staged it.

Then, when shown the evidence, they'd have turned into experts of lacerations and healing time.

Others will have been informing Foreman that the headgear he was wearing for the sparring session, which saw him take an elbow to the eye, was not good enough protection..

Their university degrees in sporting equipment technology would have been laid on the table.