I watched this fight in a pub at Hamilton Island. The pub was jam packed with Australians. It was quite the experience to be in this all-Australian environment. I was torn between who to cheer for. Here were my thoughts....
Reasons I wanted to cheer for Danny Green
1. He entered the fight as the underdog
2. I have been watching Australian sports for 5 months and cheering for the Aussies
3. Roy Jones Jr. is one cocky SOB
Reasons to cheer for Roy Jones Jr.
1. I am from America
2. In a sea of Australian fans, America felt like the underdog
It was cool to hear all the Australians in the pub sing their country's national anthem. And it was difficult to listen to the American national anthem to be made fun (however, I did also recognize the rivalry of a sports match creates this fun-poking atmosphere...and possibly some Americans "Jones Jr-like" arrogant attitudes). For these reasons, for being conflicted on who to cheer for, and for being far outnumbered....I elected to speak sparingly and just watch the fight.
Shockingly, the fight ended in only 2 minutes and 2 seconds! The first round! Danny Green KO'ed Jones Jr. with only a few punches. The pub went crazy!! I sat stunned with my mouth hanging open. Even after the fight, I had mixed feelings on the result. It was a strange feeling to not know to cheer for but a very interesting experience to go through...
I thought you were quieter than normal during the lead up to the fight. I will tell you both Ally and I commented on how uncomfortable we felt when the crowd was heckling the US national anthem. However I think that is part of the Aussie culture and no harm is meant. I put it down to a lot of alcohol and testosterone! I have been to many international sporting events and it happens all the time. I will tell you, watching it with you made me realise how uncomfortable it can be.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that experience was a highlight of the trip for me. I have never watched a fight, let alone in a pub full of males. And waiting 3 hours for the fight to begin and have it last 122 seconds blew me away! It was an experience that will stay with me
Roy Jones Jr is quite cocky. How can you step into a ring knowing you will be in the fight of your life and not be cocky. Any sensible person spends their life avoiding being whacked in the head in front of a crazy crowd of drunks hoping you hit the pavement with your face. I am pleased to hear you sat back and smiled in the back of the room, as compared to taking on a liquored up fight crowd in full bloom in Australia. Only bad things can happen when you challenge a drunk crowd with your bare fists in any Country. How fun would it be to watch a fight in that same spot on a night with Roy Jones Jr. in the crowd. I would expect that he has a fight attitude and a guy in the crowd attitude. I like him, but I generally rally around the guy that is the least favorite of the crowd. Maybe it is that underdog attitude that you mentioned a time or two. As far as singing with or against any Country, that is what happens when you set boundaries, and declare the land as your own. Be it your home, your neighborhood, your team, your school, your religion, your political beliefs, your race, or your people. It is funny how all that goes away and people still unite against a foreign being in the heat of the moment. Walk out on a branch and believe our planet is attacked by enemy beings from outer space. You can count on the entire planet coming together to ward off the alien being that is threatening our Earth. The entire Aussie liquored up fight crowd would welcome Roy Jones Jr into battle and praise his expertise, as they consider him one of their finest in a time of great need to defeat a new enemy from another World. So you see they just don't understand, which is probably the liquid confidence speaking that is right there in their own open bottle. And you certainly cannot enlighten a drunk crowd with your fist, although I am sure many would enjoy your show.
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