Do you really think all those people who watched the Fight of the Century on Saturday night were boxing fans?
It wasn’t the fight of the century in my mind. But then again I am old enough to have watched Ali-Foreman, Spinks-Tyson, Brown-O’Sullivan. The latter was supposed to be the Canadian Fight of the Century, until O’Sullivan was destroyed by Brown… and his career went in a tailspin. A smart reader will also point out that NONE of my references are from THIS century.
But it was the Fight of the Century on many dimensions. The ten year buildup. The money being wagered. The money being earned. The celebrities in attendance. The criminal charges amassed.
I didn’t want to get caught up in it. Why should I contribute financially to the massive earnings of a domestic abuser and a homophobe?
But how could I avoid it???
This was like the last episode of The Sopranos, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Happy Days all rolled into one. To say nothing of who shot JR? Tony Soprano? JFK? It was the Beatles reunion that never happened.
Olympic 100 metre final, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl, World Series Game 7. March Madness in May.
The hype won.
I made plans to meet with friends to watch the bout at a new hip downtown sports bar. I got there at 8:30 and was faced with a ninety minute lineup. Are you kidding me?
Wandering West we wound up at the Cadillac Lounge.Couldn’t believe they were showing the fight. Cadillac Lounge is great for live music. Karaoke. People watching. Heated patio. But boxing?
But maybe it wasn’t the boxing.
Maybe it was the prospect of evil being defeated by good. Or perhaps less evil is a better descriptor. They used to call the pro wrestling when I was a kid.
Maybe it was the absurdity of watching someone make $ 200 million dollars for 36 minutes of work. That used to be called the dot com era.
Maybe it was the award show like celebrity watching. They still call that award shows. Hey Denzel, what is with that horrible moustache.
Boxing trumpeted this as the start of the sport’s renaissance. I suggest it’s the end of the line.
It was a crap fight. Why risk injury when you’re guaranteed to be filthier and richer tomorrow whether you win or lose. Yes both filthier and richer.
It was boring. It was over hyped. It was sporadic. It was too old men, by sport standards, posing for the cameras. Afterwards they laughed in each others arms. Like two frat boys who just pulled one over on a new pledge. This is the same pair who a manufactured a decade old rivalry out of thin air?
I felt robbed when it was over. I bought into the hype. I was the pledge. The butt of the joke. The only person who got knocked out was me.
And you.