Rocky and his opponents fought from the heart. Money was an issue, but their honor and pride
were of foremost importance to them. Who
can forget Clubber Lang’s challenge in the public square at Rocky’s statue
dedication – “I’ll fight this fool anytime, anywhere for nothing!” Last night,
the time, place and the money were at the forefront of the planning. Great fighters can put on a great fight in a
beauty parlor if they had to. There was
so much money involved, it choked out the spirit of the fight that so many had
waited for – for so long!
Rocky and his opponents stayed hungry. When Rocky’s will to fight began to fade,
Mighty Mick lamented, “You’ve suffered the worst thing that can happen to a
fighter – You got civilized!” It took
Apollo and the “eye of the Tiger” to get the Rock back on track. Both
Mayweather and Pacquiao seemed to have lost some of their edge and the “eye of
the tiger” was conspicuously absent. Instead
of watching two hungry champions battle it out for pugilistic immortality, the
world witnessed two highly skilled and wealthy entrepreneurs square off for self-preservation. Both men have financial empires to protect,
interests to guard and futures to consider.
If someone were to invent the Time Machine, this fight might have been a
spectacular one to watch when both were still hungry young lions establishing
their greatness, rather than what they are now - seasoned boxing royalty trying
to protect their legacies.
Rocky and his opponents faced their demons. When confronted
by the ghosts of their past defeats or future uncertainties, Rocky and his crew
overcame them. Pac Man seemed haunted by
the Ghost of Marquez Past, while Mayweather seemed obsessed with the Ghost of
his legacy future. As a result, their performances seemed to lack passion and
generally appeared to be choked with an abundance of caution. Even the final “Championship Rounds” seemed
more like an exhibition than a display of boxing excellence and intensity.
Boxing is known as the Sweet Science. In its brutality, there is an artistry and technicality
present. When it is presented with
excellence, all the elements of science and passion comingle, elevating boxing
above the level of a mere brawl. Rocky’s
fights always managed to show the sweetness of the passion and the science of
the preparation. Yesterday’s contest had all the technicality of the science
and very little of the sweetness of the heart. The result was a flat, lifeless display.
The Fight that was supposed to resurrect boxing has now put
its future as an industry in an even more uncertain state. The best fight of the evening – one of the
preliminaries – began with the challenger entering the ring to “Gonna Fly Now!” His opponent showed fierce scientific skills
and passion, while the would be “Rocky” showed a level of heart and grit that
would make Sylvester Stallone proud surviving every fistic barrage and managing
to return fire, even to the last bell.
Perhaps our two heroes need to watch Rocky III for themselves and to
rediscover their own eye of the tiger.
If not, they should enjoy the futures they have secured and make a way
for those behind them who still have it.
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