Boxing: Theatre of the Unexpected.

(Tuesday Night Fights in Boston, MA)

I was not too familiar with the boxers scheduled to fight on ESPN2’s Tuesday Night Fights, but the main event was in the middleweight division, so I figured I was very likely to be entertained. Little did I know that the real entertainment would come in a four-round under-card fight. The main event, held in Boston, featured middleweights Ian Gardner (18-2, with 7 KOs) versus Mohammad Said (16-4, with 10 KOs). Gardner, a light-hitting southpaw from Brockton, Massachusetts, was the hometown favorite. The fight was one-sided, with the awkward, sometimes hot-dogging Gardner obtaining a unanimous decision win over the stocky, slow and plodding Said. But the main event was not nearly as entertaining as the wild four-rounder immediately preceding the fight. This fight pitted hometown favorite Chris McInerney, a twenty-six-year-old cruiserweight with a 3-0 record (all by knockout), versus “sacrificial lamb” Anterio Vines, a fighter with a decisively unimpressive 4-5 record who was coming off two consecutive first round knockout losses. It was clear to the live audience, the television commentators, and the television audience that Vines had been brought in to increase McInerney’s record to 4-0 with four knockouts.

The boxing match began predictably enough, with the six-foot-three-inch McInerney dominating from the outside and landing some power shots on Vines. Vines looked game and was even the aggressor in the first round, but it seemed it was only a matter of time before he was caught. ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas had remarked earlier in the round that he expected a knockout in the first round, given Vines’ horrific record and two consecutive knockout losses, combined with McInerney’s perfect knockout record, with two of his three knockout victories occurring in the first round.

Toward the end of the round, fellow commentator Joe Tessitore joked about how it looked like Vines was going to survive the round, when suddenly McInerney landed a series of power punches that put Vines down on one knee at the bell and almost made a prophet out of Atlas. Both commentators remarked how Vines had barely survived the round. I figured the end would come early in the next round. Nevertheless, Vines was looking better than his 4-5 record, and McInerney was showing some holes in his defense that could be exploited by a skilled, superior boxer.

In the second round, McInerney again floored Vines with a straight right hand to the face and I figured the end was near; time for the main event to start anyway. Vines got up and looked like his confidence was beginning to fade. But somewhere in round two, Vines was able to land some head shots that visibly shook McInerney, and one could see Vines’ confidence level rise again quickly.

The third round began with both men trying to establish control, and then Vines landed a jarring left hook right on the chin of McInerney, who went down and almost through the ropes. McInerney got up visibly wobbled, and Vines jumped right on him, trying to end the fight. The fight became increasingly entertaining, as both fighters, knowing they could hurt the other, continued throwing punches with very bad intentions. McInerney almost went down once more in the round, stumbling drunkenly against the ropes. The ropes were all that kept McInerney from going down a second time. Vines threw left hooks and right hands, and the occasional right uppercut through the taller opponent’s guard.

In the fourth and final round, McInerney, knowing he was in danger of losing the fight, reacted with several flurries which also staggered Vines. Both fighters continuously traded punches until the final bell. When the decision came, it was a draw. Not a very popular decision with the crowd in attendance, but apparently popular with the television commentators. I also felt the decision was fair. It would have been a shame for either fighter to lose the fight, although if pushed for a winner, I would have given the edge to McInerney on the strength of the first two rounds. Sentimentally though, I was pulling for the huge underdog.

So when the main event followed, to me it was sort of an anti-climax. Yes, the favorite won. Yes, Ian Gardner showed his remarkable speed and raw boxing skills against a game but outmatched Said. But personally, I enjoyed the four-rounder more.

McInerney’s victory was a foregone conclusion. Vines was just an out-of-town stepping-stone, picked specifically to add to the perfect record of the hometown boxer. No one could have guessed that Vines had other plans. And how many times have fights on an under-card exceeded the entertainment value of the main event? It is this unpredictability which makes boxing such a wonderful sport.

Reynaldo Sambolin can be reached at RSAMBOLIN@libertypr.net