Just a story of a real encounter with a professional boxer.
When I was a kid one of my older neighbors, who was a pretty
good amateur boxer, became a pro.
I hadn't seen him in about a year and I sat next to him on a
bus going to downtown Baltimore. I asked how he was doing and
asked him how his boxing career was going.
"Pre' good. Pre' good."
"Where are you fighting?"
"Had 'na couple uh fights in Cle'land, One is Wash'tin.
Couple'a more, you know."
Needless to say his adenoids had been destroyed and the
halting way he he spoke made me thing his brain was addled a
little. (Although I'm not sure I knew the word "addled" when
I was 12 or 13.)
I asked him how many fights he had, and he said, "I d'know,
fi' gonna fight 'siss next mumff."
Noticing his struggle, but not being very diplomatic at the
time I asked, "Did you win any?"
"Yeah, I won all fi'. Gonna move up to middle weight.
Fightin' a guy in New York."
------ Undefeated at five fights. I really don't know what
happened in the sixth, but the next I saw him was about five
years later. He was a basket case mentally and
physically.
I always thought of that as a lesson. They boxers who get
knocked down and keep getting up are the ones who who loose
their faculties early--unless the way is being paved for
them.
Anyhow, just a story of real life I thought might fit with
the theme of Boxing fiction. I guess real life is where a lot
of those boxing stories come from.
BTW, I noticed later that Rocky Marciano--memory escapes me,
but I think he was the only heavyweight champ to retire
undefeated--sounded almost the same. They keep getting
up.
My guy never became champ.
Jack Bludis
http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JackBludis
http://jackbludis.com/
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