Considering Boxing, The Morning After

If you don't like boxing, go ahead and look away.

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We good now? And even if you do like boxing, wince a little, as we look at what Manny Pacquiao did to Miguel Cotto's face last night:

Now, I think boxing is pound-for-pound the best sport on earth. (Also great if you enjoy studying the etymology of ridiculous cliches). Major sports may have more excitement more often, but then, that's part of what makes boxing so special.

Whether you're in a Vegas casino, a crowded bar, or your living room with four friends, the electricity a big fight creates is unmistakable. And it's so, so awesome. When that first bell rings, it's physically impossible not to get chills.

BUT, as this photo reminds us, there's still something very, very ugly about the sport. Like, look at a Muhammad Ali interview. It all comes with a price. And yeah, Cotto's a warrior, but there's also something tragic about any human willingly taking that kind of punishment. Or is there? Maybe it's not for us judge. But when the lights go down, and everybody leaves Vegas or the crowded bar and the ringside girls go home, it's these questions that boxing leaves us with. And frankly, I don't know the answers.

So, uh, Pacquiao-Mayweather anyone?

(HT: EssentialAlex via Mr. Hudson)