Monday, December 08, 2008

Something you might not expect from me...

Boxing!!

As in, did anyone watch Pacquiao v. De La Hoya on Saturday night? I am too broke for pay-per-view and didn't feel like sports-barring it to watch this fight, but now I wish I had.

I watched Pacquiao fight a couple of years ago and he blew me away. The heavyweights get all the cred, but lemme tell you, the lighter guys are way more fun to watch. Fewer knockouts, sure, but the blinding speed is mindblowing.

Not too long ago, when I was living in South Carolina, my social life pretty much revolved around the gym. I took up kickboxing again to get over a messy breakup, met another guy who trained in muay Thai and boxing, and suddenly...yeah.

And there's something about the purity of a fight. Of two people in a ring wearing as little clothing as possible, not leaving until one of them has admitted defeat. I love muay Thai and MMA probably more than straight boxing, but every now and then I'm intrigued by a fight, and this one had the elements that sucker a lot of people.

Yeah, De La Hoya's one of the great ones, but damn if it isn't cool that Pacquiao jumped up two weight classes and still made De La Hoya quit. (Granted, cutting weight was probably harder on De La Hoya than gaining it was on Pacquiao. But still.)

There's something about making the other guy quit that really says something, too. A knockout can come in a flash, just one good punch. A decision always pisses off some people, who think it was bad. But when the fighter just doesn't come out of his corner at the bell? Talk about conceding.

Anyone actually watch this?