There are so many things you share that reinforce why she’s the one. Shared love of wine and food, her sometime adolescent male humor; those twin dimples above that round lovely bum; cleaning out your roommates over an epic Texas Hold ‘Em tournament, schooling them on imported small barrel whiskies, with a lavender scented giggle all the while. She was physically ill for three days when her NFL team got unceremoniously booted early from the playoffs, and she makes a mean chimichurri.
The list goes on, but auspiciously missing is respect and appreciation for the sweet science. So here’s your chance to win her over: This Saturday, May 2, Floyd “Money” Mayweather steps into the ring with Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao in a long awaited, highly anticipated unification fight of the welterweight title belts. More importantly, its expected that this will be a battle for the record books.
So, say that she’s just sorta squeamish about the whole boxing realm. Here are a few points to help quell her knee-jerk aversion.
Baby, It’s Like This
The bout has historical significance. This fight is being hyped to a Frazier-Ali scale. It’s been rumored, worked on and negotiated for more than two years. In a sport where bouts are sometimes thrown together overnight, the anticipation going into this fight is worthwhile and holds “I was there to see it” value. Featuring journeyman fighters, Pacquiao brings a 57-5-2 record, with 38 of those wins coming by way of KO. The elder by two years, Mayweather remains undefeated and is a defensive genius. He’s heralded to take the fight by knockout.
There are personal behind-the-scenes stories to each fighter that rival any Olympic tear jerker tome. The stories the fighters bring into the ring makes taking sides easy. In one corner is an American known for his flashiness, backing it up with power punches and out-of-the-ring drama. In the other, is a respected father, husband, Christian and politician, all wrapped in a humble Filipino. Do a quick internet search with her and have her pick a villain. Or a hero. Each fighter has his own “black eye” to his record – in and out of the ring – but there is no doubt that the personalities are polarizing.
Most importantly, because this isn’t a heavyweight bout, she actually gets to appreciate and witness the pure fundamentals of boxing and why it has endured the ages, despite the unscrupulous dastardly characters always at the forefront. Stamina, endurance and strategy will take center stage in this fight — along with the greatest fights of all time.
Boxing Isn’t About Blood
If you take boxing at face value, one could argue that it’s just “two guys trying to knock each other’s blocks off.” But that’s just the thing! A great fight is exactly when the opposite happens! Fight aficionados anticipate a skilled and planned attack from both sides, who have educated themselves with hours of fight tapes, months of training and a cerebral battle of wills, all exacerbated by the tidal wave of adrenaline.
The bout will be a social spectacle. The stars will be ringside, paparazzi flashing, the entourages will include rappers, pop stars. The ring walks will be hyped with custom crafted songs and robes and trunks designed with the thoughtful touch of a Milan runway show. And then there will be the attending celebrities to ogle. You can easily reason that if she were to attend a Stella and Dot jewelry party, she would invest less time than the fight. And it will most likely cost her less cash (unless of course she’s the betting type and then perhaps you could entreaty her with a nice bottle of wine for taking a stab at calling the spread).
If all goes according to plan, dearie may not start rolling into your local gym for a bag session or sign up for the police vs. fire department charity bouts, but at the very least, her water cooler chat will include a recap of “the big fight.” And that is when you know you have done your job.
