“Promoters,” I said in the first serious tone of the evening.
“Promoters?! He doesn’t need to get involved with them!” Roberto spat back to me. He drank another sip of tequila and looked at me over his glass.
Henry lay back against the couch and stared at the Christmas tree in my living room. Roberto and I had had this conversation before. Now a few days after New Years we were in my living room rehashing the same old arguments. I took a sip of whiskey and returned the frown as I exhaled.
“Look, Roberto,” I said, “Promoters are the only way to get Henry to the next level. We’ve got to appeal to them with this next TV fight.”
“Next fight?” Henry excitedly said. His distant look quickly became focused on my every word. “Who? When? On TV? And why didn’t you guys tell me?”
“Because we’re not doing it,” Roberto growled.
“My contact at ESPN says they want you for another fight,” I spoke as I ignored Roberto, “and this time they will guarantee to not only put you on TV, but put you in the main event on Wednesday Night Fights.”
“Main event? But I didn’t even knockout Li last time on TV. What’s the catch?” Henry asked.
“Well you did well and people…” I started.
“They want to feed you to the Body Snatcher,” Roberto interrupted.
“Now, hold on,” I said, “Shawn Long is a nice step up for Henry and just what he needs to get noticed.”
“Nice step up? The only people to beat him in his career are the Li brothers. They call him the ‘Body Snatcher’ for a reason,” Roberto shot back.
“It’s up to you Henry,” I said.
Roberto and I both looked at Henry on the couch. He was smiling.
“Let’s do it,” he said simply.
“It’s your ***, Frenchy,” Roberto said before taking a swallow of his drink.
“I’m English, fool,” Henry laughed.
“French, English…same thing,” I laughed along. “Best thing to be is a Chicagoan.”
Henry looked at me and simply said, “At least I’m not a Cubs fan.”
As we laughed in my living room drinking and sharing each other’s company, I couldn’t help but reflect on the big fight. I could very well be ending this kid’s career before it even got started. But in order for him to get noticed, he was going to need a big win, and beating the Body Snatcher Shawn Long would be his ticket to the big time.
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moblipeg 01:14 AM 10-31-2009
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve now come to our main event!” the ring announcer yelled enthusiastically.
State Palace Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana has got to be one of the best American boxing venues. The crowd was particularly full tonight and ready for the next lamb to be butchered by Shawn Long. He wasn’t a particularly tall fellow at 5’6”, but he was stocky, bulging with muscle and a short reach for quick, damaging hooks.
“…and in this corner, fighting out of Atlanta, Georgia, with a record of 12-2 with 12 by way of knockout…Shawn “The Body Snatcher” LOOOONNNNGGG!”
Long looked particularly menacing this evening. He had very tan leathery skin with a long scar across his chest and face. He was wearing dark, blood red trunks with black trim that said “Who’s Next” across the waist. The rumor was that he fought off two thugs with knives that tried to rob him with his bare hands, but truth was he actually had a motorcycle accident when he was 17 and he had to have extensive surgery. Either way, it was enough to intimidate Graham. As I looked to the blue corner, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He was looking around the arena like it was a mausoleum. If he didn’t snap out of it this fight was going to get ugly really fast.
“Hey Henry!” I yelled.
His head snapped to the press area. He smiled behind his mouthpiece.
“This is it! Good luck,” I said but my words got lost behind the ding of the bell. It was time for the fight.
Henry Graham vs. Shawn Long Battlein the Bayou
(Please scroll and read slowly, and by the way, this is the most exciting fight I’ve ever been in, AI or human alike)
Round 1 And there’s the bell! The fight starts off fast for Long as he establishes position inside. Graham tries to fend him off with the jab, but Long counters inside to the body. Graham gets lazy with the jab and is caught by an overhand left on the chin! Knockdown by Long! Graham is up at the two count, but still looks dazed. Long rushes back inside throwing combinations. The round ends with Long striding very confidently back to his corner.
Graham’s corner
“What was that?!” Gonzales screamed. “Get your head back in the game!”
Graham stares blankly at Gonzales’ face and shrugs his shoulders.
“Don’t give me that look. That ugly bastard has power in both hands, so don’t let him hit you with them. Stick and move. Use the jab and don’t be lazy with it or I might as well throw in this towel right now,” he said as he shook the towel violently at his face. “Now get back in there and remember you’re a boxer, not a punching bag.”
Round 2 Here comes Long exploding out of his corner looking for the KO! He presses Graham against the ropes and hammers away at the body. The right hand is extremely effective as Graham starts to heavily favor his side. Graham drops his hands and is hit hard by a left hook. He forces himself off of the ropes by reestablishing the jab as the round ends.
Round 3 A right haymaker has Graham in trouble early. Graham weaves away and tries to gather himself. He goes back to the right jab, keeping the shorter Long away. Graham stick and moves and counters hard with a left hook. Oh! Long looks shaky! Graham presses the action and hits Long with combinations as the round ends.
Round 4 Graham is still down in the scorecards but he’s clearly found his rhythm. Long looks tired. Graham continues to keep him at bay with his jab, smoothly hitting with combinations from the outside. A nice haymaker catches Long sleeping! He could go down! Oh, but Long counters with a left uppercut and down goes Graham! Graham is hurt! It hit him flush on the chin! The count is at 5 and Graham is up. The bell sounds. Graham’s corner
“You had him tired!” Gonzales yelled. “Now you’ve given him his second wind.”
Henry looked angry. “I can do this, Roberto.”
“You’d better,” he fired back, “because you’re now down big. Two knockdowns are hard to come back from. You’re dropping your hands too low. He’s getting clear shots to your chin because you’re too concerned about your kidneys. Ignore the pain, get out there and clean his clock!” he finish emphatically as he shoved Graham’s mouthpiece back in.
Round 5 Graham has been down twice. He needs to win a round to stay close. Long goes back to working the body. Graham parries, steps back, and throws a left hook that lands flush. Long is clearly hurt, but he battles back with a combination that finishes with a right to Graham’s jaw. Back and forth they go! They are standing toe to toe at the 1 minute mark! A left by Graham! A right by Long! Who will go down first? Graham dodges a wild left and knocks Long backwards with a counter left uppercut. Long teeters…and down he goes! What a punch! What a fight! Long is up at the 5 count…and Graham looks for the knockdown as the round ends.
Round 6 Long hasn’t started the round well. His legs aren’t under him. Graham comes out looking for the KO. What a close fight. Graham jabs from the outside as Long looks for a way to get inside. Long has changed his strategy and has become more of a counter puncher as Graham has gotten more aggressive. Graham avoids the combinations from Long as continues to stick and move. Graham’s corner
“I’ll be damned, you’re back in it, kid!” Gonzales roared.
Henry stared back, looking focused.
“Go get that win. He’s tired, Henry. Stay outside and protect that body. That jab frustrates him. Keep distance and you’ve got the win.”
Round 7 Long gets aggressive and catches Graham off guard. He presses Graham against the ropes and begins pounding the body. Graham throws a combination of his own. Graham tries to dance away but Long continues to press the action inside. Graham begins to brawl and throws his own combination. A flurry of punches finishes this round. This is a fight with bad intentions.
Graham’s corner
To be honest, Gonzales used so many expletives in English and Spanish I can’t even begin to try to list them here. Either way, the point was made for Graham to go back to boxing and not try to brawl with Long.
Round 8 Long tries to get Graham in the corner but he’s having none of it. Graham plays to the center of the ring with his jab and straights to the face of Long. Graham keeps distance as he circles his opponent as the round ends. Long is visibly frustrated as he heads back to the corner.
Round 9 Both fighters look tired, but still begin the round in a flurry of combinations. Long hits Graham with a right hand and Graham is hurt! Will he go down? Oh! Graham counters with a right of his own. Graham goes to the body once, twice, and a left hook to the eye puts Long down again. Is the comeback complete? Graham has his hands raised! No! Long is getting up! 6…7…8 count and he’s up! Graham looks deflated. As the fight resumes, surprisingly it is Long who presses the action. Graham doesn’t look like he’ll make it out of the round. Graham is caught by a right haymaker! He’s wobbly! Long has him! Oh the bell sounds! Graham is saved by the bell! Graham’s corner
“This is it, Henry,” Gonzales said quietly. He was strangely silent.
Henry’s eyes looked wild. “What now, man?” he breathed heavily. His face was a mess of bruises and blood.
“You need the KO to win. Throw out all the strategy. Go out there and knock this bum to the canvas.”
Round 10 They both continue on from the chaos that was round 9. Each begins with a combination of punches. What a fight! Neither man is backing down in this final round. Each corner is yelling at their fighter to go for the KO! Graham presses Long against the ropes. A left hand hits Long flush! Down he goes! That one punch caught him off guard! Long is down in the 10th! He tries to get up…and can’t!It’s over! Graham wins by 10th round KO! [Reply]
…and that was one of the greatest fights I’d ever seen. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Today I got a phone call from Dominik Zajic, owner of Dom Promotional Enterprises and promoter extraordinaire. His current roster of talent includes EABF undefeated featherweight champion of the world Austin Long. Dom has been rumored to have ties with the Eastern European mob. However, these rumors are unsubstantiated, quiet possibly because he’s paid off most of his opposition. He even owns a small stake in the Chicago New-Times!
Well, Dom was at the fight looking to sign Long to a lucrative deal, however, our boy Henry has complicated things to say the least. Dom has the pull to get Henry the really big fights he needs, but the shady history surrounding him has me a little nervous. Wish me luck, bloggers! We’re off to New York!
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DaveDQ 06:26 PM 11-10-2009
Great job. I enjoy reading the round by round commentary.
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