In a boxing ring, or any 1 on 1 contact sport competition as far as I know, it's forbidden to talk Psychological attack is vastly underrated, it's usually something you throw before the physical confrontation, and it's definitely a major factor in defining whether the physical confrontation will occur or not, regardless of the implied odds in terms of combat skills/weight difference https://youtu.be/9qsLfsryl-U With experience I know one line, one polite line/question... That will always, ALWAYS, trigger the attack... "What are you going to do? Hit me with a bone?" works all the time, you can be sure the rear end will fly toward your face the second after, every single time. And then you have the opposite, just like the black kid did in the beginning. It's a game of nerves and implicit provocation "on the line" and your game is ready, you're used to it you reply to anything thrown at you in a split second without even thinking because you've seen it all already, and you don't insult, and of course you show no fear because you don't lack circumspection... And then, you have the opposite, you just came to butcher the guy, but that's an entire different story, it's not a mere "ego battle"