Mythology

It is certainly fascinating how history developes, grows, evolves, changes shape. Watched 'The Fighter' tonight, Micky Wards story of rise from journeyman, stepping stone boxer to world champ and his brother, Dicky who famously floored Sugar Ray Leonard though many say he slipped. Dicky subsequently descends in to crack addiction before jail reforms him to help his brother achieve world championship over Sean Neary in Liverpool. This is true though Micky Ward is truly much more than this film tries to show. His two battles with Arturo Gotti were legendery battles. Micky reverted to his brawling at many times though boxing skills are necessary to last through contests of that dimension. I lodged with a Norwegian guy for a while where professional boxing is not allowed around the time of the great period of super middle weight British boxing, Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn and Michael Watson. He was apalled that as a nation we saw this as sport. I can kind of understand yet it is also the purest of sports. One man against another in a contest that tests intelligence on many levels from speed, intuition, observation, pure fitness and the desire to win. I love the sport though hate what has happened to its' promotion. Rugby League, the greatest game of all has suffered too. Yet the product, once you have cast aside the distractions is superior to any other sport. Football is a terrible example for any young man, money, faked injury, disloyalty. Rugby Union the apartheid of sport where any player that so much as looked at the northern game was banned for life is disgusting at every level. Biggotry of class and eveything you can imagine.