Down for the Count

The other night I was cruising on my TV when I tuned in a boxing match on one of the premium channels.

Now, I used to be a pretty big boxing fan. For me, it all started with the one-and-only Cassius Clay – soon to be better known as Muhammed Ali. Ali kick-started the modern boxing world, which had previously been dominated by a mundane series of paunchy, slack-jawed nobodies duking it out on a black-and-white TV screen.

Clay/Ali was so different from everything that came before him. He was cocky, he was “pretty” (his word) and he was unquestionably GREAT.

Even now, he remains THE GREATEST – not just for his ring victories but also for his bravery in standing up against the U.S. government and refusing to go fight in the pointless war in Vietnam.

Also, for being an absolute hero to people of color all across the world.

But in the end, Ali was a famous casualty of boxing.

Repeated savage blows to his head during his long career are believed to have been the cause of the Parkinson’s Disease that ultimately claimed his life.

No one knows for certain, as an autopsy was not performed and Ali downplayed his worsening condition both during and after his career ended.

Of course, boxing is one of the foremost MANLY pursuits and wearing a helmet in the ring – as is done in amateur boxing – would not reinforce that super manliness aura.

And it wouldn’t put as many asses in those high-dollar seats.

So it goes on. And on. And on...

My wife and I used to watch the HBO After Dark fights together and enjoyed them at the time. But eventually, she saw through the macho BS and celebration of violence and stopped joining me on the couch.

And soon, I stopped watching the fights, too.

But now there’s Ultimate Fighting and Mixed Martial Arts Fighting – which are even more violent than plain-old boxing. They seem to speak to – even more than boxing – the ingrained human fascination of watching someone get beat up.

I guess maybe we can excuse that in the young – especially testosterone-drenched young men – who don’t really understand or care that people are trying to kill or maim each other on TV for money and fame.

And now we even have women getting in the ring to clobber each other – something unthinkable when Ali entered the “sport.”

Definitely kind of sick.

So where does it end? Obviously not when fighters die in the ring or are permanently disabled, because that’s happened many times over.

No, it ends – I guess – when the TV ratings tank and people stop attending these bloody exhibitions.

But when will that happen?

I guess I don’t really care, because I’m way past boxing's infantile appeal.

So I say -- respectfully -- goodbye to The Champ. He was The Greatest in his chosen athletic pursuit.

Too bad it ultimately ruined --and likely prematurely ended -- his amazing life.