Best Party Ever!

by John Genco on Jun 8, 2010 2:30 PM EDT

The greatest party I've ever been to was my friend Hank's 2010 New Year's Eve party. And I can prove it. Hank had 10 different kinds of beer. 10 different vodkas and 10 whiskeys. For most of us, it lasted 10 hours. There was an Irish TENor making the girls swoon. It had 10 girls to every guy. And the party kicked off with a TENnis tournament for those of us interested. (Hank has always love a theme)

I hadn't been back to Hank's since the party because the woman in my life doesn't want me around parties like that, even though I met her there. But I had to finally retrieve my tennis racquet that I left there on New Year's Eve.

Hank wasn't going to be home this morning, so he told me to just go in the backdoor. The racquet must be in one of the many little-used guest rooms near the back. As I was rifling through a bunch of equipment, a few large bats and hockey sticks narrowly missed my head before slamming to the ground.

"Darn brother. Keep it down." Everybody's favorite party monster and boxing enthusiast, Chinaski says to me as he emerges from one of the guest rooms while rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry Chinaski. Didn't know you were in there."

"BS. You knew. You were one of the guys who wouldn't let me drive last night." Chinaski answers, still not satisfied with the progress he's made rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"How drunk were you?" I ask. "I wasn't even here last night. I haven't been here since the New Years Eve party." I answer, laughing and turning to continue the search for my racquet.

"Yeah." Chinaski answers quickly, "The New Years eve party last night."

"What??!! That party was 6 months ago. How long have you been sleeping it off?"

Chinaski runs back to the room. He grabs his phone and looks at the time and his messages. His eyes get as wide as a Mayorga left hook.

"I've got 700 messages!" Chinaski is in the midst of panic and falls to the ground as he rushes to get his pants on.

"Slow down Chinaski. Take it easy." I say.

"Slow down? I'm 6 months late for work!" He says as he continues the assault on his clothes. "I've got to get to the office, but you've got to tell what is the one boxing story I've missed so far this year. I don't have much time. Just tell me the biggest boxing story of the year so far while I finish getting dressed."

I find my racquet as I contemplate the question. The strings are still good as I bounce the Wilson off my palm a few times.

"Will you hurry up and tell me? I've got to go!" Chinaski yells at me.

"Ok. Ok." I say and take a deep breath. "It's got to be the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Taylor is out, maybe for good. Green is in. Froch, Abraham and Dirrell have each experienced their first loss. Froch gave it to Dirrell, Dirrell gave it to Abraham, and Froch and Abraham fight next. The loser won't even make it to the semi-finals. Ward has only fought once, and destroyed Kessler exposing the Dane's weaknesses. Then Kessler beat Froch and reinforces his strengths and made a case that maybe only Ward could beat him.

Dirrell stayed slick, but found courage and frustrated and beat Abraham into in to cowardice. But Abraham still leads the Classic by a single point due to his violent KO of the game Taylor. Every fight has had huge significance. Each fight has been incredibly interesting in itself, and controversial. Questions have been answered. And even more have been raised. Belts have been passed around like the Hilton sisters amongst actors. And if Allan Green upsets Ward, there will be a five-way tie for second place!

And stage 3 still has Dirrell vs Ward, Froch vs Abraham and Kessler vs Green." I finish and try to catch my breath.

"Yeah. The Super Six started last year. I was awake for the start of it." He says to me as he sprints out to his car.

I follow shouting that just the fights and controversy from 2010 is still the biggest story of the year so far.

"Oh man. You've wasted the little bit of time I've had to try to catch up on the boxing scene."

"I'm telling you. The biggest story of 2010 is the Super Six! Its success could change the way promoters work with each other. There could be more tournaments like this. Just think of a welterweight tournament!" I yell to him as he begins to drive away.

He screeches to a halt. Powers down his window and yells back at me, "Man. I can't believe I forgot to ask. Who won the Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight?"

I don't answer and shake my head.

"You're worthless man. Have fun at your tennis match." Chinaski scolds me before raising his hands and eyes to the sky and yelling, "Can anyone help me? Someone please tell me the real biggest story so far this year!"

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Comments

well done – I like the way you did that. It’s weird but the weirdness works.

"Yes Gina, I am a Wise Cracker"

by lcollins1 on Jun 8, 2010 6:57 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks

I wanted to take a bit of a chance in how I wrote it. But I think the biggest chance I took was picking the super six for the biggest story of the year so far. There are a few ones that were close and I know I forgot some. Thanks for reading it and keeping an open mind.

by John Genco on Jun 8, 2010 9:22 PM EDT reply actions

Had me at “10 girls to every guy.” You could do no wrong after that! Mate, surely your entourage has room for a token Aussie at NYE party 2011?

"Anytime you go thirty rounds with a guy, try to kill each other, and have the utmost respect for each other, no one understands that, but guys who have been to war understand it." - Micky Ward on Arturo Gatti.

by Goatsnake on Jun 9, 2010 3:45 AM EDT reply actions

you got it.

just have to add 10 more women!

by John Genco on Jun 9, 2010 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Chinaski

would approve, I believe.

"Frankly, I was horrified by life, at what a man had to do simply in order to eat, sleep, and keep himself clothed. So I stayed in bed and drank. When you drank the world was still out there, but for the moment it didn’t have you by the throat."

If I am good I could add years to my life / I would rather add some life to my years.

by Jay Preece on Jun 9, 2010 3:45 PM EDT reply actions

Look at you!

How sharp. I knew folk on here would catch it. I just reread “The Women” I find myself repulsed and strangely attracted to his life style.

by John Genco on Jun 9, 2010 8:02 PM EDT reply actions

Charles Bukowski

Now there’s an under-appreciated autor! Though not half as under-appreciated as his own literary idol; John Fante.

"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey

by Drunken cutman on Jun 10, 2010 5:47 AM EDT reply actions

DC

With a name like Drunken Cutman, I was sure you would be a fan of Bukowski. And as you are accustomed, you’ve one-upped me with Fante. I just read about him and his work. I’m gonna be all over him. I can’t wait. Thanks for the heads up.

So, by your lack of dissent, I assume you agree with the point of the piece, that at the half-way point of the year, the super six is the biggest story in boxing so far?

by John Genco on Jun 10, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions

To me

The biggest story by a pretty large margin is how Mayweather-Pacquiao fell apart and the kerfuffle over drug testing.

Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Jun 10, 2010 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I still think it is the super 6 for the following:

The non-fight was certainly something I considered, but the super six won out due to a few considerations:

Many people never expected the event to happen anyway. And that would have been just what it was-an event. Even with all the kerfuffle (great word. I had to google it) over the drug testing. I can’t see any long term changes or comphrensive changes in the way boxing drug-tests due to Mayweather vs Manny. So, while it would be a giant event. It would end there. Pac retires, and Floyd wouldn’t be searching out other dragons.

And the six 6. I believe will have lasting implications for the super middleweight division and above (and maybe even below) for the next bunch of years. Which will make the event bigger and bigger as the years go on. B/c it wil be a giant point of reference.

Also these are relatively unkown fighters. With Taylor being the only big name, and he’s clearly on the down side. This speaks volumes as to what the fans really want: Good match-ups, that have the chance of being entertaining, where you don’t really have a favorite. (MK) Will promoters go more in that direction? And I can’t see how more of these type tournaments won’t grow from this.

The Super Six forced fighters of “Abroad” and the USA to fight each other…something has been constantly avoided by a lot of fighters that can make good money with making the respective trips. You could name fighters that could have provided many entertaining fights had they fought their counterparts from accross the pond: Roy Jones Jr. is the best example of this. He had many fighters that he could have faced abroad, but chose not to do so. (per MK) So giant story in places outside the US and they have “dogs in the fight.”in the places outside the US.

And just that these weren’t Vegas fights. May have started or renewed a trend that will also have lasting effects.

by John Genco on Jun 10, 2010 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions