Fight Night Tidbits: Covering Boxing
Criticism is an expected hobby surrounding journalism, and I just gave hobbyists some prime fodder.
My boxing story from last night's fight at Sky Ute Casino is the definition of hackneyed.
Just read the lead: "experienced veteran"? Really?
In sports terms, I didn't have my best fastball yesterday.
Evan Bekes disappeared from the Bloomfield Invitational track meet before I could interview him about his big showdown with 3A distance runners Ryan and Eric Fenton. When I left for the Bloomfield softball game at 1 p.m., the field was empty. Finally, last night's main event ended close to deadline, and Elco Garcia fulfilled every autograph and picture request after the fight, delaying my interview. It was the right thing for him to do, but I sure stunk up the joint.
My first time covering boxing proved an interesting experience.
As I stood in line waiting to waltz through the metal detector with my laptop and press credential, the guy in front of me noticed.
"Hey, you with the paper? Who's favored in the main event?"
"Garcia's favored over Joe Gomez in NewMexicoBoxing.com's online poll," I said. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. But there's a definite contrast in the two fighter's styles, the cagey older puncher and the smooth younger guy. They started talking some trash over the past day, so it should be a good fight."
He broke into a toothy grin, revealing a desperate need for a dentist.
"That's what I came here for," he said, referring to the combative nature of the prefight buildup and the violent nature of the sport.
And that's what he got. Sitting ringside, at times close enough to touch a fighter's ankle without standing up, I had prime real estate.
Blood: Abel Perry (10-3, 3 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colo., blooded Rio Rancho's Lucas Galle during unanimous decision on the undercard.
Between one of the rounds, I glanced down at my laptop as the radio announcer next to me chuckled. A quarter-sized splotch of blood had splattered onto my touchpad.
"What, they didn't warn you?" he said.
I smiled and used some computer paper to dab it off. Daily Times photographer Lindsay Pierce told me "a clump of blood" landed in her hair.
Skirmish: Fans in attendance got into some sort of fight during the break before the main event.
According to one person who saw it, a few bodies were flying around and several security officers rushed into the lobby. That's as close as I got to figuring out what happened. I asked two security guards in the lobby, wearing bright red suits, and both of them said they didn't see anything.
One of Sky Ute's marketing/event guys Ben Fernandez also didn't know what happened, saying it probably wasn't a big deal.
Worst fight: Dustin Hendrick of Kearney, Neb., had no business standing in the ring with Bloomfield's Victor Filerio. It was nice to see a fighter with pasty skin and hair on his chest after all the handsome, chiseled olive skin that I could never have, but that was about all Hendrick brought to Saturday's fight in Ignacio.
Filerio knocked him out 1:59 into the first round.
Hit immediately, Hendrick gestured to his corner that it didn't bother him. As the referee separated the fighters, Hendrick tapped his own chin to mimic Filerio's punches and smiled, as if to say, 'I can't feel it.'
Moments later, a body shot stunned Hendrick, and Filerio pounded his face until referee Stephen Blea stopped the fight.
WWE: During a break, a boxer entered the ring and took the microphone. His message?
He lost in a recent fight, and he wanted a rematch.
"If you're out there, let's do this again. One more time! Give me my chance!" he called out to his opponent, barely stirring the crowd. It felt a little like professional wrestling, only the crowd didn't seem to care.
Someone nearby told me that he's a bad fighter that rarely wins, secretly responding to his request, "No! Nobody wants to see that ... no!"
Stay true,
Christopher
My boxing story from last night's fight at Sky Ute Casino is the definition of hackneyed.
Just read the lead: "experienced veteran"? Really?
In sports terms, I didn't have my best fastball yesterday.
Evan Bekes disappeared from the Bloomfield Invitational track meet before I could interview him about his big showdown with 3A distance runners Ryan and Eric Fenton. When I left for the Bloomfield softball game at 1 p.m., the field was empty. Finally, last night's main event ended close to deadline, and Elco Garcia fulfilled every autograph and picture request after the fight, delaying my interview. It was the right thing for him to do, but I sure stunk up the joint.
My first time covering boxing proved an interesting experience.
As I stood in line waiting to waltz through the metal detector with my laptop and press credential, the guy in front of me noticed.
"Hey, you with the paper? Who's favored in the main event?"
"Garcia's favored over Joe Gomez in NewMexicoBoxing.com's online poll," I said. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. But there's a definite contrast in the two fighter's styles, the cagey older puncher and the smooth younger guy. They started talking some trash over the past day, so it should be a good fight."
He broke into a toothy grin, revealing a desperate need for a dentist.
"That's what I came here for," he said, referring to the combative nature of the prefight buildup and the violent nature of the sport.
And that's what he got. Sitting ringside, at times close enough to touch a fighter's ankle without standing up, I had prime real estate.
Blood: Abel Perry (10-3, 3 KO) of Colorado Springs, Colo., blooded Rio Rancho's Lucas Galle during unanimous decision on the undercard.
Between one of the rounds, I glanced down at my laptop as the radio announcer next to me chuckled. A quarter-sized splotch of blood had splattered onto my touchpad.
"What, they didn't warn you?" he said.
I smiled and used some computer paper to dab it off. Daily Times photographer Lindsay Pierce told me "a clump of blood" landed in her hair.
Skirmish: Fans in attendance got into some sort of fight during the break before the main event.
According to one person who saw it, a few bodies were flying around and several security officers rushed into the lobby. That's as close as I got to figuring out what happened. I asked two security guards in the lobby, wearing bright red suits, and both of them said they didn't see anything.
One of Sky Ute's marketing/event guys Ben Fernandez also didn't know what happened, saying it probably wasn't a big deal.
Worst fight: Dustin Hendrick of Kearney, Neb., had no business standing in the ring with Bloomfield's Victor Filerio. It was nice to see a fighter with pasty skin and hair on his chest after all the handsome, chiseled olive skin that I could never have, but that was about all Hendrick brought to Saturday's fight in Ignacio.
Filerio knocked him out 1:59 into the first round.
Hit immediately, Hendrick gestured to his corner that it didn't bother him. As the referee separated the fighters, Hendrick tapped his own chin to mimic Filerio's punches and smiled, as if to say, 'I can't feel it.'
Moments later, a body shot stunned Hendrick, and Filerio pounded his face until referee Stephen Blea stopped the fight.
WWE: During a break, a boxer entered the ring and took the microphone. His message?
He lost in a recent fight, and he wanted a rematch.
"If you're out there, let's do this again. One more time! Give me my chance!" he called out to his opponent, barely stirring the crowd. It felt a little like professional wrestling, only the crowd didn't seem to care.
Someone nearby told me that he's a bad fighter that rarely wins, secretly responding to his request, "No! Nobody wants to see that ... no!"
Stay true,
Christopher
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