ABC Wide World of Sports Boxing

The boxing ring on your computer changes the moment you realize your opponent will never fall, just take a breather. ABC Wide World of Sports Boxing from 1991 promises a simulation of classic boxing in two-player mode or against the computer, which sounds promising until you discover that the game basically just blindly repeats its moves without any tactical awareness whatsoever.

It's a passive sports sim on DOS where two boxers alternate moving around the ring and throwing punches. The graphics are simple, pixelated, the responsiveness sluggish. Your jab and its flurry come when the game decides it's time. Controls hide in the keyboard or joystick, but they all feel incredibly delayed. There's no reading your opponent, no tactical improvement from playing, I just stumble around the ring and wait for a punch animation.

Better boxing simulations existed in the nineties. This one tries to be accurate but instead comes off as frustrating. Long stretches where both boxers just stand there and nothing happens, then a sudden burst of action with no real chance to defend yourself. The sound is bare — gloves thudding without rhythm, without tension. Playability becomes a tedious repetition over time.

I remember it more as a hint of potential the creators failed to deliver. A boxing sim on computer should be about reading, about timing, about strategy. This was just tedious clicking in hopes something would explode. And if I played it, it was only because I wanted to see how far I could get against the computer opponent — and the result was disappointing.

Today you pick it up out of nostalgia, not out of desire. It runs fine in an emulator, just like everything on DOS, but it's like watching an old tournament on mute. Better grab Boxing Legends of the Ring or another title where the game actually gives you a chance to win better than this one. ABC Wide World of Sports Boxing remains just a filing card entry in the least interesting sports sims of its era.