UNRIVALED “RIVALRIES”
לחץ כאן to Watch Round 12 From Ayala-Tapia I & Tune-In Tonight To Re-Live The Full Fight (SHO EXTREME® ב 10 p.m. ו/PT)
אשראי תמונה: טום הקזינו / Showtime
NEW YORK (פבואר. 4, 2016) – Round 2 של ספורט ואוטיים® 12-round celebration commemorating 30 שנים של ההצגה מתחילה אליפות אגרוף® continues in February with “Rivalries’’ onSHO EXTREME®.
This month will be highlighted by five of the most exhilarating and memorable fights in boxing history: the two Paulie Ayala-Johnny Tapiabattles and the first three Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez wars.
Ayala-Tapia I was 1999 מאבק של השנה; Ayala was 1999 לוחם של השנה.
The initial three Vazquez-Marquez showdowns are universally acknowledged as among the best of all-time and were consensus Fight of the Year winners in 2007 and ’08. בנוסף, the third round of Vazquez-Marquez II earned Round of the Year honors in ’07 while the fourth of Vazquez-Marquez III was 2008 סיבוב של השנה.
These epic rivalries will air on “Throwback Thursdays” all month long at10 p.m. ו/PT ב- SHO EXTREME וזמינים ב- SHOWTIME DEMAND®, בכל עת שואוטיים® ובאמצעות שירות הסטרימינג המקוון של הרשת. Each fight will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer.
Below is the schedule of SHOWTIME EXTREME premieres for the month of February:
- Today/Thursday, פבואר. 4: Ayala vs. Tapia I
- יום חמישי, פבואר. 11: Ayala vs. Tapia II
- יום חמישי, פבואר. 18: Vazquez vs. מארקס אני & II
- יום חמישי, פבואר. 25: Vazquez vs. מארקס III
In celebration of the best rivalries on SHOWTIME, see below for a special column from SHOWTIME Sports expert analyst and boxing historian סטיב הפרהוד.
RIVALRIES
By Steve Farhood
Boxing without rivalries would be like elections without debates.
Rivalries are natural, especially in boxing. Who is the best prospect in the neighborhood?
Who is the best bantamweight in Mexico? Who is the best fighter in the entire world?
Fans want to know, and so do the fighters, especially if a one-on-one matchup is likely to provide a definitive answer.
The best example comes from the best rivalry in history, regardless of sport: When Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier clashed in their rubber match in Manila, they were fighting for something much greater than the world heavyweight title. They were fighting for the championship of each other.
Ali-Frazier … Robinson-LaMotta … Louis-Schmeling … Barrera-Morales … מייוות'ר-פאקיאו … Pep-Saddler … Leonard-Duran … Holyfield-Tyson: Boxing history has been told through its juiciest rivalries.
ב 30 years of memorable fighters and unforgettable fights, SHOWTIME boxing’s history can largely be told through its rivalries as well.
על ההצגה מתחילה EXTREME, we’ll be focusing on two rivalries in particular: Rafael Marquez-Israel Vazquez and Paulie Ayala-Johnny Tapia.
Marquez-Vazquez is the equal of any pairing in recent history. So compelling were the battles, so consuming was the rivalry that many fans can’t tell you what the final scoreboard read. It didn’t matter all that much.
(Fittingly, the fighters split four bouts.)
What made Marquez-Vazquez different from most rivalries: They were defined more by similarities than differences. Most rivalries feature stark contrast. Think Borg-McEnroe. Or Bird-Magic. Or Evert-Navratilova. But Marquez and Vazquez were both classy champions from Mexico who needed each other to raise their profiles and all-time standings.
They gave us no trash-talking, no posturing, no hatred, real or imagined. במקום זאת, they punched and bled and fought proudly and at the highest level. And because of the classic ring drama they created, that was more than enough.
Suffice to say that two of their bouts were chosen as Fight of the Year. And Marquez-Vazquez III was surely among the best fights I’ve covered live in my 37 years in boxing.
It was a bit different with Ayala and Tapia. When they first fought, Ayala wasn’t a familiar name. קיר, מצד השני, was an undefeated and long-reigning champion with a unique personality and a distinctive ring persona.
A suitable rival is exactly what Tapia needed to fully realize the potential that we sensed when he soundly defeated New Mexico rival Danny Romero two years before.
A pair of controversial decisions, the contentiousness that marked the negotiations preceding the rematch, and Tapia’s raw emotion made Ayala-Tapia a particularly bitter rivalry.
It was a memorable rivalry as well.
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