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Dear Paris Hilton,
Back on March 31, I posted an article on this web site decrying the crass promotion of your attending the May 7 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. You can read it, if you'd like to, and I'll quote some of it, though it now pains me to do so.
I usually don't get my dander up about things like this, but something here truly rubbed me the wrong way. This isn't Denzel Washington or Spike Lee, guys I can imagine kick back some Saturday nights and flip on a fight on Showtime or HBO simply because they enjoy watching a fight.
I pray to God we aren't headed this way. I don't want HBO promising a PPV interview with the Kardashian sisters during Mayweather-Spadafora, or Lindsay Lohan as a guest emcee for Solo Boxeo Tecate. There's only so much shameless, nauseating, and frankly embarrassing attempts at elbow-rubbing from the boxing community I can handle. It's one thing to show me that Liev Schreiber is there. It's another to tell me a month ahead of time that Paris Hilton will be, and that she "tweeted" about it.
But last night, there you were in the audience. You were shown on Showtime pay-per-view at the MGM Grand, and for the life of me, it seemed like you were having a better time at the fight than I've ever seen from Mark Wahlberg or Will Smith.
I also said I doubted that your presence would add any attention to the fight. Maybe it didn't, but that definitely wasn't because you didn't try to bring the fight to some new eyes. You lit up your Twitter page with updates, and even used the "#PacMosley" hash-tag that the promoters thought would take off, though I'm not sure it ever really did, as I wasn't on Twitter during the fight, I was watching television, wishing I was discussing the intricate details of the event with someone like you who had a nice view in the arena.
Here were my two favorites, and they came at the end of the night:
Wow! Such an honor to be brought on stage by Manny & his wife Jinkee after the fight. Can't wait to visit them when I go to the PhillippinesHanging out with @MannyPacquiao and his beautiful wife Jinkee. They are such a sweet & down to earth couple! Love them! :)
It is clear that if nothing else, you enjoyed yourself at this event, which in the end is what it's really about, no matter why you enjoy it. I now feel silly for having doubted your receiving a ticket to the fight, and for just assuming you weren't as "serious" as Denzel Washington or Spike Lee.
Most of all, I'd like to apologize for stereotyping you as someone who would get nothing out of attending the fight other than PR and a little bit of attention.
Enjoy your upcoming trip to the Philippines, and good luck with your business ventures there.
Your friend in boxing fandom,
Scott Christ
Managing Editor, Bad Left Hook