Marcus Oliveira, Professional Badass
Monday, June 23, 2008
A quick follow-up to my story on Marcus Oliveira, badass Haskell Boxing Club star turned pro, who fought on Friday night at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka: he won.
Facing Leo Pla, a cage fighter competing in his seventh professional boxing match, Oliveira pretty much assaulted him—bloodying his face, knocking his mouthpiece into the air and clean out of the ring, etc.—until the ref called the fight in the fifth round. 
I had never attended a live boxing match before, and the three fights preceeding Oliveira's were fairly uneventful. But seeing Oliveira was worth the wait. Comparing him with his overweight opponent and the fighters who stepped onto the canvas before him, he was clearly a man among boys—so much faster on his feet, and you could tell from the stands how hard his punches were landing. It reminded me of watching (hate to say it) Michael Beasley play college basketball.
After the fight, Pla started yelling for Oliveira to face him in a cage match. At 13-0-1 and angling for a shot at the light heavyweight title, I don't think that's gonna happen. Next time Oliveira has a fight around here, I'd strongly suggest checking it out while you still have the opportunity. The dude is amazing.
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Posted by Joel (Joel Mathis) on June 23, 2008 at 5:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, I'll just check back in 20 years and see if any of these guys still have any motor control.
No disrespect meant to Oliveira. And i'm a hypocrite: I've watched a bout or two on TV, and found it fascinating. But boxing doesn't tend to be kind in its long-term effects on its most ardent practitioners. Watching a guy's eyes glaze over when he takes a shot to the temple just makes me ... sad.
Posted by duplenty (anonymous) on June 24, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Neither is journalism kind to its practitioners, Joel, and seeing a guy's eyes glaze over as he writes yet another "important news article" detailing the latest in the Jeremiah Wright spectacle (not you, of course) just makes me sad...but we all make our own choices, no?
ding, ding...second round.
Posted by Joel (Joel Mathis) on June 24, 2008 at 6:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Neither is journalism kind to its practitioners, Joel."
Duplenty: Trust me when I say I know that better than you can know. Difference between that and boxing: In boxing, the brain damage is physical and, well, impossible to undo.
Posted by duplenty (anonymous) on June 25, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Joel, I know that you know. I know you (ooooh, creepy!!!). In fact, when I see you next, I'll let you know that I know that you know.
I do take issue with your second point. Until further evidence surfaces, I believe that Neal Cavuto's brain damage is physical and impossible to undo.
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