The "born again" boxing event
we all saw the other a.m., live and direct from
Las Vegas was, while not quite as much of a surprise as, say, the re-appearance
of the sun every morning; still a good measure of fun for all of us high-priced-
ticket sports enthusiasts. It was nice to see two experienced fighters standing
toe-to-chin for twelve exciting rounds with neither of them getting hurt.
Still, when a title match draws as much interest and attention (and money)
as this one did, one would like to see something a bit more tangible
than clowning, glowering, and ineffectual flurries.
Sure, it was great to see the old guys;
and it's nice to know that Sugar
Ray hasn't slowed down that much, but he still lacks the punching power
that would remove all doubt as to whether he wouldn't make a better
Three Card Monte sharper than a Middleweight Champion.
Sadly, Marvelous Marvin Hagler hasn't
fought like a guy with an extra "X" chromosone imbalancing his meta-biological structure for a long time, and I don't think he ever will again -- unless -- and it's a
long shot -- unless the people who brought you this match decide that
having Hagler win big in the re-match will set up an even bigger purse
in the re-re-match when Leonard will come out of re-retirement to
claim his share of what could be the biggest ever purse in a main event
title bout!
He'll probably still have most of his
speed, and, even with judges like the
one who scored it 115-113 for Hagler this morning, the will-be-thirty nine
year old challenger would probably win again on a split decision.
But, goddammit, if Hagler is willing
to rent his belt out, at the very least he
should have the guts to fall down the way Andre The Giant does for Hulk
Hogan.
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