Boxing may not be as big as it used to be (although, Wilder vs. Fury was a boxing match for the ages), but we aren’t too far removed from a time when names like Mike Tyson were amongst the biggest in the world.
There is no sheer showing of power and dominance the way there is in boxing. Two fighters going toe-to-toe for 12 rounds is just about as much of a grueling experience a human body can take in one evening, that is unless somebody gets knocked out.
But the knockouts are what make the sport legendary. The fictional tales of Rocky Balboa became famous by playing into boxing storylines, and playing out what could be real life events in the boxing ring.
Now, ESPN has cut together one of the most famous boxing matches of all time and made it a scene from Rocky II, as part of a promotion for the upcoming release of a new 30 for 30. Buster Douglas famously upsetting Mike Tyson by knocking him to the canvas for the first time in his career – a knockdown the Tyson couldn’t get up in time from.
Check it out here:
Even though the fight was already legendary, something about placing it in the same situation as a movie as beloved as Rocky makes it even better. Somehow, it hardly seems real.
(H/T SportsCenter)
