A CHINAMAN AND THE GREEK GO
BOXING BOINGO BONZO - ROUND 1





WHO WOULD BELIEVE IT? THE ODDEST COUPLE YOU COULD SEE AT A PRIZEFIGHT. A CHINAMAN AND THE GREEK AT A BOXING EVENT FEATURING A JEWISH FIGHTER? YES, THERE WE WERE RINGSIDE AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM IN NYC. WE STAYED FOR THE FULL FIGHT CARD ON MARCH 22, 2007 CULMINATING WITH THE FEATURED EVENT DMITRIY SALITA VS GROVER WILEY.

GROVER WILEY?? MORE ON THAT LATER. LETS SEE , HOW DID WE GET HERE? MY BUD & COLLEAGUE FROM HONG KONG, ENJOYS THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE. THAT WOULD INCLUDE FOOD & BOXING RIGHT NEAR THE TOP. I HAVE TO THANK HIM HERE AND NOW FOR REKINDLING MY LOVE OF BOXING A FEW YEARS BACK. WE HAVE MADE PILGRIMAGES TO THE IBHOF ANNUAL HALL OF FAME WEEKEND. WE HAVE MET SOME GREAT BOXERS , PEOPLE AND JUST HAD A GREAT TIME. WE ARE UNABLE TO MAKE THE HALL OF FAME WEEKEND THIS YEAR DUE TO SOME HIDEOUS WORK RELATED COMMITMENT, SO WE HAD AN ALTERNATE BOXING EXTRAVAGANZA STARTING WITH THE BROADWAY BOXING SHOW ON MARCH 22ND.

SO THE DOORS OPENED AT 6PM WITH THE FIRST BOUT AT 7PM. OF COURSE WE WERE THERE A LITTLE EARLY AS NOT TO MISS ANYTHING! PRIOR TO ARRIVING WE HAD A LITTLE NOSH AT A MEDIOCRE DELI NEAR MADISON SQUARE GARDEN AND THEN PERUSED MACY'S BASEMENT / FOOD AREA AND HAD A LITTLE SNACK THERE TOO! LET ME TELL YOU , MACY'S HERALD SQUARE AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE, BUT THEN AGAIN WHAT IS. I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THE CORPORATE OWNERS WILL FULLY RUIN MACY'S JUST LIKE THEY DID WITH THE MAY DEPT STORES (MARSHAL FIELDS ETC). OH WELL WHAT TO DO? BACK TO DA FIGHTS

LIKE I SAID WE ARE THERE EARLY AND SETTLE IN TO OUR 4TH ROW RINGSIDE SEATS AND WATCH THE CROWD FILL IN. IT WAS FASCINATING AS IT WAS ABOUT 40% HASIDIM, 30% BLACK & 20% OTHER. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE CHINESE GUY AND ONE GREEK GUY THERE. IT LOOKED LIKE AND TURNED OUT TO BE A FUN CROWD. THERE WAS SEVEN SCHEDULED BOUTS FEATURING LOCAL NEW YORK FIGHTERS. THE EARLY FIGHTS INCLUDED A COUPLE OF HEAVYWEIGHT MATCHES ALONG WITH A DECENT JR WELTERWEIGHT BOUT. THE GUYS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN WON AND THEY WERE FAIRLY ENTERTAINING. THE THREE FEATURED BOUTS HAD THE "CHIN CHECKERS" CURTIS "SHOWTIME' STEVENS & JAIDON "THE DON" CODRINGTON BOTH WON THEIR FIGHTS HANDILY DESPITE SOME SPIRITED OUTMATCHED COMPETITION. THE FIGHTS WERE QUITE ENTERTAINING IN THE RING AND OUTSIDE THE RING AS WELL. IT WAS QUITE A VOCIFEROUS CROWD AND WE HAD A VERY AMUSING COMMENTATOR BEHIND US. EVERY TIME THE FIGHTERS WOULD CLINCH HE WOULD TELL THEM NOT TO GET TOO SEXY AND FIGHT. OF COURSE THERE WAS MUCH MORE BUT THIS IS A FAMILY BLOG AFTER ALL.

FINALLY THE MAIN EVENT...DMITRIY "STAR OF DAVID" SALITA VS GROVER WILEY FROM OMAHA, NEBRASKA. OMAHA? I THINK THIS IS THE ONLY FIGHTER WE HAVE EVER HEARD OF FROM OMAHA, NEBRASKA. ANYWAYS WILEY'S CLAIM TO FAME IS HIS DEFEAT OF JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ SR IN SEP 05 FINALLY RETIRING HIM. ALSO HIS VERY ADORABLE SON ACCOMPANYING HIM TO THE RING. THE INTERESTING THING WAS THAT THE CROWD REALLY THINNED OUT AS MOST OF THE BLACKS LEFT AND THE ORTHODOX JEWS SURGED AS CLOSE TO THE RING AS THEY COULD GET. I CANNOT RECALL SEEING AND HEARING SUCH RABID FANS AT ANY SPORTING EVENT IN A LONG TIME. IT WAS QUITE ENJOYABLE AS THE NOISE LEVEL JUMPED AT EVERY PUNCH OR MOVE BY SALITA. GROVER WAS A GAME AND TOUGH FIGHTER BUT HE WAS OUTMATCHED BY THE MUCH FASTER DMITRIY. THE UNANIMOUS DECISION FOR THE "STAR OF DAVID" WAS INEVITABLE MUCH TO THE CROWDS FRENZIED DELIGHT. PERSONALLY I LIKE THE NICKNAME "HEBREW HAMMER" BETTER. SINCE THE DECISION WAS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION WE CUT OUT A LITTLE EARLY TO AVOID THE GLUT AT THE PARKING GARAGE

WE ATE ONE NIGHT AT CHURRAACARIA RIODIZIO WITH THE SOME OF THE OFFICE CREW. THE FOOD AND THE SERVICE WAS OUTSTANDING AND ENJOYED BY ALL. HOWEVER I AM VERY SUSPICIOUS OF THE MEAT ORIGIN DUE TO THE FACT THAT MY CHOLESTEROL SHOT UP TO OVER 300 THE VERY NEXT DAY WHEN I TOOK MY BLOOD TEST!! WELL MAYBE THE TIMING WAS NOT GOOD, BUT THE MEAT WAS DAMN GOOD. PROBABLY WAS NOT THE MEAT BUT THE DAMN CHOCOLATE CAKE! YEAH THAT WAS IT THE CAKE!!