Today the word exhibition generally brings many blank expressions. If it wasn't for Mike Tyson's 'World Tour' it’s probably safe to say many new fans, if not the general public, wouldn't have realized such practices existed in the sport.
In other sports it happens on occasion, charity games mostly, featuring the Harlem Globetrotters going up against the L.A. Lakers or some college universities. But the general aspect of it is, 'It's all in fun.'
It’s not to be taken seriously. Or should it? Remember the little town of Mystery, Alaska who boasted that their rag-tag team of high school kids, lumberjacks and a sheriff were good enough to play against professionals?
Nobody, especially the New York Rangers, took them serious, though come game day the match was so heavily contested that some of the Mystery men were given NHL contracts.
But if an exhibition doesn't count, if it’s all just for show, then why don't boxing fans get that?
When Joe Louis retired as champion he made a return to the ring fighting numerous exhibitions across the country in the hopes to pay off his debts. But when he knocked out Pat Valentino and other good prospects, the boxing world rallied behind him as still being the true champion, despite Ezzard Chares winning the vacant title.
Louis returned to the professional ranks only to lose a wide decision loss to Charles, and though he racked up a few good wins over solid opposition which eventually made him the number one contender again, he lost to up and coming undefeated brawler Rocky Marciano by kayo.
Jack Dempsey himself had over 100 exhibitions after his 2nd loss to Gene Tunney and genuinely considered making a legit comeback that is until he had a poor performance against slick moving Kingfish Levinsky and never returned to the ring, though he fought exhibitions up until 1945.
Possibly the most publicized exhibition in the last 50 years was the 1975 ‘Toronto Five’ stunt that showcased the dethroned Heavyweight champion George Foreman knocking out five men: Alonzo Johnson, Boone Kirkman, Charles Polite, in no more than 12 rounds combined!
With that impressive showing Foreman declared that he was truly the baddest man on the planet that his loss to Ali was a fluke, and he genuinely deserved a second chance.
Is this what the public expects from Mike Tyson? That he will beat on a few of boxing’s most mediocre and then come back bigger and better than ever, against a champion?
In the words of Sir Henry Cooper…
‘How does knocking out a few bums make someone a better fighter?’
Like any soap opera, Hollywood fight scene, rasslin’ match, and even politics, exhibitions give the illusion of legitimacy.
Who’s next for Tyson? Rumor has it that the next performer in the Tyson Freak Show is the lumbering, bumbling, plodding ‘Big Bear’ Bob Mirovic, former champion of Australia.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
Exhibitions
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HomicideHenry
- Heavyweight
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- Joined: 08 Sep 2005, 00:43
re
Back in the 80s I saw Meadowlark's offspring team of the globe-trotters, I forget now what the team was called, but it was very entertaining and almost true to form, Meadowlark throw up his half-court hook and made it, one try...it was pretty amazing as his was pretty much "money" on that. Damn, that's really bugging me now that I cannot reemeber the name. The Bucanners, Bucateers...something like that...I think...anyway, I was a kid and it was the first live basketball game that I had seen and I remember it seemed very much larger-than-life.