By: Sean Crose
Last weekend I attended a fight card in my hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut. It was the first time there had been a fight card in the city for roughly 50 years. Willie Pep once fought there in front of 20,000 people, but those days were obviously long gone. Yet those who felt it would be foolish to bring back boxing to the community found that they were quite mistaken. For well over a thousand people were packed into the Palace Theater in downtown to watch local fighter Michael Kimbel attempt to continue to climb his way up the ladder. The main event was a thriller. So was most of the card leading up to it.
Kimbel knocked his man down in the first round. However, his opponent, a very game Edgar De Leon, came back and knocked Kimbel down. Not once but twice. Staggered, Kimbel was barely able to hang on. The thing was, however, that he DID indeed hang on. After surviving the round, he took control of the fight and essentially laid a beating on poor De Leon. The fight was stopped with just seconds left in the 8th and final round. No one argued that the referee made the wrong call. De Leon’s face was becoming a punching bag and there’s no need for him to take further damage at that point.
Upon the end of the bout the crowd in Waterbury which is long known for being a wiley place, exploded in celebration. Indeed, It was a wild night of boxing, with relatives trying to jump onto the ring and fans screaming four letter vulgarities throughout all 3 minutes of every round. Unfortunately some people brought their kids there. A quick tip… Don’t take your kids to a boxing match until they’re old enough to deal with f bombs and the effects of serious alcohol consumption. After the card had ended, one member of the theater staff who was used to musicals, concerts and other plays, said he needed a drink now that he had covered boxing.
Point well taken. Here’s the thing though… Small fight cards are fun. Adult oriented but fun. Yes, there are some people who make drunken fools of themselves. Yes, there’s some people that can’t help shooting off their mouths as if they know anything they’re talking about, but still the feeling of up to 2,000 people roaring in approval,truly engaged in the action before them, is a great feeling. What’s more, it’s wonderful for the fighters involved. Something fight critics don’t understand is that fight fans love to see fighters win even more than they love to see them lose. That’s a fine distinction. There’s a sense of community when you’re fighting at the local level.
No doubt there will be a feeling of community in Atlantic City on Saturday night as Boxing Insider Promotions presents another of its popular live cards. The key to events like this isn’t so much to show the stars of the day, but to show the rising stars of tomorrow. These individuals are hungry and looking to impress. That makes for good viewing, especially when a fan is watching it all go down live and in person. The truth is that the sport of boxing needs more of this sort of thing. Fighters need to be seen growing before the public. Small cards such as Saturday’s are what prove to be the testing grounds for tomorrow’s talent.
It’s great to be able to say you knew a popular fighter when no one knew who he or she was. There’s a sense of community involved for the viewers who have actually been there from the beginning. It’s all well worth boxing fan’s attention.
