The gloves are off
By TMX Archives on 14th Aug 03
I was sipping one of many beers in the comfortable climes of the Pinnacle Club. And no, it's not the stuff-your-cash-in-her-garter-type club that the name would lead you to believe. SO THERE I was sipping one of many beers in the comfortable climes of the Pinnacle Club. And no, it's not the stuff-your-cash-in-her-garter-type club that the name would lead you to believe. Rather, it's an upscale pub here in Morgantown, West Virginia, occupying the penthouse level of the elegant Hotel Morgan. It is a location favored by certain Racer X staff members for several reasons, including an outdoor rooftop patio and huge, round, cushioned swivel chairs in place of bar stools. But mostly, we go because they let us watch boxing, and shout at the telly.Next to motocross and football (proper football - bring us some silver, Uncle Bobby!) boxing is my preferred spectator sport. Corrupt promoters aside, it remains a pure sport: just two men and four padded lightly padded fists. And this time around, the main event was something special.Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti, two junior welterweight-class veterans, had fought each other twice in recent years, with each man taking a decision. Both fights had been brutal, hard-fought affairs, and their third and final match-up was the subject of great anticipation in the fight world.And so anyway, there we were, about nine or ten of us gathered around the TV. Our bar tab was already a thing of spectacle, and we expected the same from the main event.When you need greatness, depend on the veterans. From the opening bell to the very last second of the tenth round, Gatti, 31, and Ward, 37, put on an epic slugfest. Any normal men would have been knocked out or given up by round five, yet here they were, two tough-as-steel veterans, each taking the beating of a lifetime and coming back for more. When Gatti suffered a broken right hand in round four, it was obviously all over.But of course, it wasn't over at all. Gatti held on, took a tremendous amount of punishment, and came back to win a bloody decision over his archrival. After the fight, the two men went straight for each other and hugged, celebrating the last time they would meet in the ring. Not even their trainers could split them up - in their series of fights, they had clearly achieved a bond of the absolute deepest respect and friendship.By now you may be wondering why I've bothered spending this much time writing about boxing in a motocross magazine. Because I desperately need filler for this too-flimsy column? Almost certainly, but there is another reason. American motocross has its own version of Gatti-Ward: Hughes-Brown.Mike Brown and Ryan Hughes, currently in contention for the 125 class championship in the AMA/Chevy Trucks U.S. Motocross Nationals, are no strangers to each other. In fact, they have been in this position before - even if it was about eight years ago. With 125-class favorites James Stewart and Branden Jesseman sidelined due to nagging supercross injuries, the door was left wide open for these two veterans to make their move.Ryan Hughes is tougher than you. In fact, Ryno should not even be racing right now. Hughes was forced into retirement two years ago after suffering one concussion too many, so he took a job testing and developing bikes for Team Red Bull KTM. When the Katoom brass realized Hughes was putting in faster times than their actual team, Ryno signed a new contract to race the 125 Nationals. Hughes didn't wait long to make an impression, scoring an second-moto podium spot at the first round and taking the overall at round two. It was his first main-event win since 1995, and it put him one point behind Brown in the overall standings. Brown took the win at High Point, round three, and went to Southwick, Mass., with a five-point lead over Hughes.Southwick is a gnarly, sandy course, and every year there brings a surprise. This time around that surprise was Brown's tenth-place finish - surely enough to let Hughes leapfrog him into first. Ah, but not so fast: Hughes could only muster a 10-16 finish for 13th place overall. Why the poor result? Because he broke his leg in the first moto.People talk all the time about how some athletes have "heart." Hughes broke a bone in his left leg in the first moto, taped it up, and went back out there for the second moto. To keep too much strain off the leg, he would simply fall over when he had to, get up, and keep going. This was when my "a-ha!" moment came. Ward and Gatti, Brown and Hughes. Gatti breaks his hand in the fourth round but refuses to quit. Hughes breaks his leg - at the fourth round - and does likewise. Same thing, but without the punching.Hold on, what's that? Hughes and Brown got into a fistfight at round five? Ye gods!Indeed, Budds Creek, Maryland, brought us its own version of the sweet science. During Saturday practice, it seems that Brownie twice attempted to take Hughes down. Now, I wasn't there, so I can't tell you exactly what happened, but it was enough to send Ryno into a fit. After practice he slammed his bike into Brown and started swinging, slipping at least one punch in between the visor and mouth guard of his rival's helmet. Brown was given a warning, and Hughes was put on lifetime probation by the AMA. (Figure that one out on your own.)Fisticuffs and take-out moves aside, Hughes had already twisted his bad leg that morning. He decided that he could not race Budds Creek, and took the weekend off to continue healing. He finished fifth at the next round, two spots ahead of Brown.If my analogy holds true, Hughes will hold on to win the 125 National Championship, although that is looking less likely by the day. After six rounds he is 35 points out of first. And James Stewart is back with a vengeance, and could actually catch up to the leaders by the year's end, despite missing the first four rounds. It is not exactly the best scenario Ryno could hope for.In 1995, Hughes was in contention for the 125 title. In fact, he practically had it wrapped up, but he suffered a broken chain on the last lap of the last moto of the season. As rider after rider, and with them the championship, passed him by, Hughes pushed his bike down the last stretch and across the finish line. Here's my prediction for 2003: Hughes will shock the nation and battle his way to that long-overdue title. It may be just be wishful thinking, but I think he can pull it off. I mean, isn't that what heroes do? By Jeff Kocan, courtesy RacerX