'Contender' Finale Packed Great Punch
Boxing
Jake Goldberg
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Sports
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It left me saying that was the fight of the year.
It had my jaw on the floor, and it had me going crazy.
Sakio Bika fought Jaidon Codrington on the season finale of "The Contender" this past Wednesday on ESPN, in what most are calling an instant classic.
I don't really know what shocked me more truthfully; the fact that this fight was a down-right amazing slugfest or that there was great boxing on cable television that I didn't have to pay for. Regardless the fight was good enough to make Brian Kenny, one of ESPN's more respected boxing commentators, to say it was the best fight he had ever seen.
The brutality seen inside of the T.D. Banknorth Garden left many viewers claiming similar things to what Kenny said. Frankly I found myself saying something along those lines, while it's not the best fight I have ever seen, few fights carry the barbaric like qualities that this one did.
Bika and Codrington on this night replaced sweet science with chaotic carnage. The opening round saw more action than most fights have in their entirety. Bika floored Codrington with a bone-splitting shot that landed viciously on the side of the head. Bika, for some reason, proceeded to hit Codrington twice while he was down (while funny, it was still cheating and I don't condone it). Codrington didn't seem like this as he handed Bika a huge slice of humble pie as he sent a perfect uppercut to the chops of Bika, sending Bika to the canvas.
When the bell finally closed the action out, fans were on their feet and I found myself standing stupefied glaring at the television. Little to say I wasn't ready for this type of action, truthfully I was anticipating a boring fight. Round 1 only proved as sampling of the fury that was to come.
I threw my remote away from me by round three, I didn't want my fingers accidentally pressing a button, making me miss any of the intense action. I was enthralled by the fact that neither had any sense of defense and that they just wanted to trade punches until one couldn't go on. These weren't your sister's punches either - they were bombs, every punch meant to end the fight.
It had my jaw on the floor, and it had me going crazy.
Sakio Bika fought Jaidon Codrington on the season finale of "The Contender" this past Wednesday on ESPN, in what most are calling an instant classic.
I don't really know what shocked me more truthfully; the fact that this fight was a down-right amazing slugfest or that there was great boxing on cable television that I didn't have to pay for. Regardless the fight was good enough to make Brian Kenny, one of ESPN's more respected boxing commentators, to say it was the best fight he had ever seen.
The brutality seen inside of the T.D. Banknorth Garden left many viewers claiming similar things to what Kenny said. Frankly I found myself saying something along those lines, while it's not the best fight I have ever seen, few fights carry the barbaric like qualities that this one did.
Bika and Codrington on this night replaced sweet science with chaotic carnage. The opening round saw more action than most fights have in their entirety. Bika floored Codrington with a bone-splitting shot that landed viciously on the side of the head. Bika, for some reason, proceeded to hit Codrington twice while he was down (while funny, it was still cheating and I don't condone it). Codrington didn't seem like this as he handed Bika a huge slice of humble pie as he sent a perfect uppercut to the chops of Bika, sending Bika to the canvas.
When the bell finally closed the action out, fans were on their feet and I found myself standing stupefied glaring at the television. Little to say I wasn't ready for this type of action, truthfully I was anticipating a boring fight. Round 1 only proved as sampling of the fury that was to come.
I threw my remote away from me by round three, I didn't want my fingers accidentally pressing a button, making me miss any of the intense action. I was enthralled by the fact that neither had any sense of defense and that they just wanted to trade punches until one couldn't go on. These weren't your sister's punches either - they were bombs, every punch meant to end the fight.
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