Every second brings us closer to death. Now imagine how much faster death would come if, for tens of thousands of those seconds, someone is punching you in the head.
Not just anyone, actually – a professional puncher. An immensely conditioned athlete who has been practicing punching people in the head for years or decades. And over the course of 48 minutes, in three-minute bursts, he tries to punch you so hard and frequently that you’ll be separated from your consciousness and, perhaps, permanently debilitated.
Boxing is my favourite sport and I’m troubled by what that reveals about me.
Loving to watch men punish and damage each other is proof that there is a primal part of my being that I can’t civilize. Deep down, I’m still part caveman. And I need to know who’s the leader of the tribe.
Boxers are brave men (and women, of course) walking directly into the flames. Risking their lives. Danger is a big part of the story, although it isn’t the only part.
Wing suit jumpers, sky-divers or mountain climbers risk their lives every on every jump or ascent. But I don't give a damn about them. Why? I could be wrong, but aren’t they almost uniformly rich white kids who have too much time and money to bother to get real jobs? They don’t need to do risk their lives for sport - they're just addicted to the thrill. Boxers are different. In most cases, at least at the beginning of their careers, they risk their lives out of necessity.
On any boxing broadcast, most fighters have been extremely poor by western standards. They’re fighting to escape that poverty. To change their lives. To make the poor people of their hometowns or villages proud.
Winning means they can secure a better future for their families. Failure means they go back to poverty with many less brain cells. Failure can also mean they'll die. It's the highest stakes imaginable.
The journey to the top of the sport may be the longest, most gruelling way to fame and glory. But it's all some people have. It's this need to box, not just the want, which creates the most compelling drama in sports, with some of the most compelling characters. To me, that's why the best sports movies are boxing movies and the best sports books are boxing books.
And that's why I choose to ignore the brutality. I let that grand metaphor of life distract me from the spectre of death. Even if I don't always like what it reveals about me.