Jack Handey, a professional humorist, once said: “To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other” That’s a very funny quote, but it's far form being right. Let me explain:
True, there is no music during the bout, at least nothing that we as fans and viewers can hear. But make no mistake, there is a whole symphony going on in the fighter’s head. They have their own rhythm that they work to, and their own timing.
According to the dictionary, choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Boxing, as a whole, as an art form, is not made up of choreography and other pieces, but essentially boxing is choreography.
Every movement has timing, precision, angle and form. A fighter has a certain way to come into a combination, and a way to retract when needed in the safest and quickest way possible. All those things are learned with vigorous instruction and repetition.
Ballet is a show, a form of art, which has a planned start, end, and a way to get from one to another in a certain way. Boxing has the same mechanics.
A game plan, a fight plan, a defensive plan in case things don’t go right, etc. It’s this plan that boxers value the most. They work for months with their coaches and trainers to come up with their own customized story.
One thing Handey hit right in the bull's eye: They do hit each other, and quite a lot.
There are two incredible, top notch “ballet dancers” that we have in boxing. When they get on stage, and are prepared the way they should be, we are entertained. They put on a great show, mesmerizing us with their grace, technique, skill and heart. Those fighters are no other than Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins.
Now that RJJ has shown us that he is not yet all the way in the skill gutter, and that he is still able to do what he was born to do, we're excited, aren’t we? Many fights jump into out minds, but what’s the first fight that excites us the most?
Rematches are always a hit. Especially those rematches that every boxing fan expected to happen a long time go, but it never did. Now, we have a chance to see that rematch. We have an opportunity to close the box on: “Who is a better fighter now? Is it still Jones or has Hopkins outgrown him with time?”
While Jones was able to come back into the world of boxing, Hopkins never really left. He was never dominated, never knocked out, and never really hurt. Hopkins is always prepared, always inspired, and is never short for words.
Jones is a character that is here to stay. He is a showman, an entertainer, and one hell-of-a fighter. He is back, and somehow I think he wants to see his old buddy glove-to-glove one more time.
Speculating on an outcome if this fight ever happens is exhilarating at the least. Jones has the speed, which we can all agree with. But Hopkins has the solid defense, so far impenetrable from the beginning of his life in the ring.
Hopkins can move and be an aggressor if needed, but Jones’s footwork can be overwhelming. Hopkins can counter like no other, but guess what? Jones has shown us in the past that he too has some of that skill.
All I can is that this fight will unlikely end in a knockout. It will be a UD, and I see it going Bernard’s way.
Guys, we are waiting for one of the greatest “ballet” performance of our lives, and I think it’s being choreographed as we speak.
Thank you for reading.
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