There?s tons of movies that I can watch over & over again. At times, one of my favorites could be on TV and even though I have the film on DVD, I?ll sit & watch the whole thing, even with commercials. That?s probably a familiar trait to many of you. I can be the same way with many fights. I watch Hagler/Hearns, Hagler/Leonard, Arguello/Pryor I, Gatti/Ward and many others several times per year. Perhaps you can blame it on the buildup, but I won?t use that as a reason why I?ve watched both Pacquiao/Marquez fights at least 20 times apiece. Loads of fights don?t receive the same type of attention and end up being legendary. These are the ones that perhaps have many fight fans or the on-the-fence types wanting to kick themselves the next day. They had a chance to buy a ticket, but decided otherwise. ESPN has treated us to some dandies these past few weeks. July 15th – maybe a few New Yorkers walked past the Roseland Ballroom and casually observed the marquee advertising the night?s bout between Delvin Rodriguez & Pawel Wolak. We got a great fight. I?ve watched it a few times. Wonder how many missed it or just passed on the chance to see it live. Last night, we got an entertaining contest on Friday Night Fights. The main event had Tim Coleman win the battle of the trash-talkers against Vernon Paris. Coleman was the Wermacht to Paris? inability to protect the interior. How many SoCal (Santa Ynez is still considered so, right?) fight fans missed out on that one? I?ll tell you why you should always seize the chance to see boxing live and why you shouldn?t hesitate.
Mother?s Day weekend, 2005. It was the first for my darling wife. We enjoy taking weekend runs to Las Vegas. We took about 18 months off after our first son was born. So, we returned in May of ?05. We were having such a great time. It was understood that Sunday would be all about her. Champagne, strawberries, breakfast in bed, massages, etc. We could do all of this in Vegas. Saturday night, however was a toss-up. My wife knew the day she met me that I love boxing. I knew there were some fights scheduled at Mandalay Bay that night. She encouraged me to buy a ticket & go enjoy some prize fighting. She assured me that she?d get a pedicure and have a few drinks while she waited for me. I thought about it for a long time. I even went over to the Mandalay Bay box office and had the money in my hands. Tickets were very reasonable. I decided not to go. I didn?t want to keep my wife waiting. Funny that she even gave me a hard time for not going. All was ok. There would be another time. I knew who the fighters were, but I didn?t want to keep her waiting on me. I?m a good husband and I just wanted to show it.
The next morning, I walked down into the casino for some orange juice. I saw many people with fight shirts on and so I had to ask them, ?how was it?? Not a single person told me a different story. The main event was blood and guts, desire and fire all rolled into one. At that point, I felt a little gutted. I?d missed a great fight, so said those that attended. My message, fight fans is this: go out to the fights if you can. Don?t do what I did. It?s different if you?re giving the brush-off to real responsibilities, of course I should add. I was on vacation, though. I should have gone. I had to read the Vegas newspaper that was delivered with the wife?s breakfast to find out just how epic Corrales/Castillo I was. Yes, I missed out on seeing Corrales/Castillo. I didn?t see it on TV, either. I felt like one of those old-time cartoons where Spike the dog knew he?d just been shanked and his head briefly turned into that of a burro. We all know the fight business can be hit and miss. De la Hoya vs Pacquiao: remember the undercard? All early blowouts and HBO had to scramble for nearly two hours of filler material to pass the time. The main event rolled around and Manny played Jenga on Oscar?s face. Mayweather vs. Ortiz may end up being an exercise in nodding-off, all for the low price of $59.95. The undercard is worth a watch for sure, though. Don?t forget why we love this sport. The entertainment value that with all due respect, MMA cannot provide. Don?t miss out. Life is short. We?ll never see the same great fight twice.
