As a girly there is a perception that us of the fairer sex do not know much about sport. Admittedly i wouldn't know the rules of rugby even if i got smacked on the bonce with them, and the same goes for boxing.
Since the Eubank/Watson fight ended with Michael Watson in a coma and brain damaged there has always been an uneasiness surrounding the sport. The visit by the blind and brain damaged ex-boxer Gerald MClelland to our shores last month drives home just how brutal and unforgiving it can be.
That said, and i do get an earful from fellow peaceniks for this, but i like to watch boxing. I also like to watch reality TV but when the two come together, i smell something rotten.
This evening, the runner up in the US reality show The Contender is taking on our very own Joe Calzaghe. As Joe is the current World Super-Middleweight Champion and is unbeaten in 40 fights, the challenger is not expected to hang around long.
What worries me is that Peter Manfredo jnr is out of his depth, out of his league and is going to lose royally. As the bookies have Calzaghe as 50-1 on to win, everyone is expecting it to be horribly one sided.
In most sports that would be a hiding to embarrassment but in boxing, it is just downright dangerous. Manfredo should not be in the same ring as Joe. If he was good enough he would of risen up the ranks and not had to qualify by coming second in a reality show.
I hope Joe wins and i hope that Manfredo comes out of it with little more than his pride bruised and a thick pay packet, but in such a dangerous sport i find it reckless to present such a mismatch as entertainment.
4 comments:
If have to say that I partook in a lot of sports when I was a kid (hockey, baseball, English football, American football). I remain a massive ice hockey fan to this day.
Thankfully, the fight ended quickly (maybe too quickly from the Challengers POV) without serious incident although against Calzaghe, Manfredo was many, many leagues out of his depth.
Shows what a big difference it is between a hardened professional and some TV Executive who has watched Rocky a few times.
The fight definitely had a potential to be a massacre. Thankfully, the officials recognized that this was a farce from the outset and were quick enough to prevent it from becoming manslaughter.
That being said, I'm like you in that while it may seem a paradox, I do enjoy watching boxing while abhoring violence.
Go figure.
Ook ook
I think the referee definitely stopped it too early. Having said that, Manfredo should have realised that it's dangerous to simply cover up on the ropes against the champ - and not throw any punches back. Manfredo said after the fight that he wasn't hurt, and this looked to be the case, but you're asking the referee make this judgment call when you're not throwing punches back.
So - bad stoppage, but I'm certain Joe would have won the fight before the halfway point anyway. Now: Bring on Hopkins!
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