Liam and Anthony

Moving on.

Boxing on this weekend.  Interesting choices, including the other entertainment. Liam Gallagher proved a mighty consolation for all those Oasis fans who failed to get a reunion ticket; he was gratifyingly dire. Whatever pains the boxing might hold couldn't compare. Eh, why stop when they'll pay you so much for being a bit rubbish? I'm surprised his pride doesn't sting a bit though. Meanwhile...

Chamberlain Vs Padley
If I had trusted my instincts and put a teeny bet on, I'd have got 9-1 odds and fattened my purse. Despite the claims re Chamberlain being an apparent favourite of boxing chief HE Turki Alalshikh, Padley seemed to get the better of him throughout and the judges agreed with me. Padley is/was still working a day job as an electrician but what he really is, is a hobbit with a mean streak.  He would like to commit to full time boxing and I hope he gets his chance. Bloke's a natural.

Buatsi vs Hutchinson
Dull and a bit weird.

Cacace vs Warrington
I like Cacace, because he loves what he does. Don't get me wrong, I think he's furious at god knows what. But Dad taught me that you can enjoy your fury, that it can work for you. I can't delight in the spectacle of desperate grim people fighting in the hope that putting their bodies on the line will lift them out of poverty; nobody should be that poor. Society's got a place in sorting that. But I almost understand nutters who find the right place to express their aggression. These gentlemen fitted that spec very nicely. Grinning, talking to each other, touching gloves after each round, a real sense of bonhomie and laughter around this fight. Having said that, technically it was scrappy. Cacace must do better than this if he wants to go forward. Warrington left his gloves in the ring, usually a signal of retirement, and if that's the case, he went out with honour *

Denny vs Sheeraz
Very dull.

Joshua vs Dubois
Another moment when I should have followed my instincts. I should have phoned some bookie instantly on seeing Anthony Joshua close up. All the talk was about how Dubois wasn't going to last the match and that AJ would knock him out. I could well believe it because Dubois has such a gentle face with big soft eyes. It was only when I saw AJ close up that I saw how nervous he was and seconds before he disrobed, I wondered. After all, 34 should think twice about stepping into the ring with 27 however trim the waist and sculpted the pecs. AJ usually vibes supremely unbothered by anything around him. This was not that look. And sure enough, in the first round Dubois landed a punch that AJ never seemed to get over. Down 4 times after that, KO'd in the 5th, by which time I was yelling at the telly for the ref to stop the fight.

It would make sense if AJ retired now. He's a handsome rich bright man whose brain pan hasn't been too rattled yet, so why not? But I don't think he will. It would be so hard to leave with the final photo of his career being of his body splayed out cold across the canvas. I suspect he still cares in a way that Liam doesn't. Maybe he needs the moment Warrington had, of being able to leave his gloves in the ring and walk out with his head high. More than that is pure denial.

*for a Klingon value of the word.

The Power of Chamomile Tea

I started to hear repeat notes of a song I know well, saw the image far away of a man on a mountainside track. There were trees all around him, it was night and there must have been a moon because those trees cast shadows. In all that gloom, the man seemed to stare back at me, and I saw his skin was very pale, no, not pale because that denotes a translucent quality, and this was more like a block colour. He was white like the moon itself. He seemed to have started to walk up the track, paused, looked back, was waiting - was he waiting? - in any case, I didn't follow him.

This all fell away into dreamless sleep.