By Lyle Fitzsimmons - I suppose I�m what you�d call a cinema savant.
I don�t go to a lot of movies ?in fact, I haven�t been to five in the last five years ?but when I find one I like I tend to watch it over and over until nearly every sliver of dialogue is memorized.
So it�s hardly a surprise that as Manny Pacquiao lay face down and motionless on the MGM Grand canvas, my early Sunday morning reactions instantly revolved around favorite on-screen quotes.
And by the time Tuesday comes and ring highlights have been dissected Zapruder-style in every cranny of every mother�s basement, it�s a whole lot better way to churn out the week�s 1,000 words.
Here, then, are a few flicks I immediately thought of while still wobbly from a post-KO buzz:
�To beat me, he�s gonna have to kill me. And to kill me, he�s gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me. And to do that, he�s got to be willing to die himself.?br /> -- Rocky Balboa, Rocky IV, 1985
I concede that quoting a series whose scenes were more caveman than cavalier is an odd tribute to Juan Manuel Marquez; but the more I thought about what it takes to actually employ counterpunching on the highest level, the more I came back to these words from Stallone to screen wife Talia Shire.
While appreciating the beauty of the right hand that ended Pacquiao�s stay atop pound-for-pound lists, the amount of courage it took to be ready to throw such a shot might get lost. Bottom line, while a lot of guys can evade an aggressive foe and later pounce on a tiring attacker, only a few ?like Marquez on Saturday ?stay deep enough in harm�s way to both draw the fire and launch the decisive return.
Sure, Rocky was talking about a significantly different brand of combat 27 years ago in the fourth-best installment of his signature six-pack, but his theme was still spot on for what occurred in Vegas right around 1 a.m. Sunday. [Click Here To Read More]
I don�t go to a lot of movies ?in fact, I haven�t been to five in the last five years ?but when I find one I like I tend to watch it over and over until nearly every sliver of dialogue is memorized.
So it�s hardly a surprise that as Manny Pacquiao lay face down and motionless on the MGM Grand canvas, my early Sunday morning reactions instantly revolved around favorite on-screen quotes.
And by the time Tuesday comes and ring highlights have been dissected Zapruder-style in every cranny of every mother�s basement, it�s a whole lot better way to churn out the week�s 1,000 words.
Here, then, are a few flicks I immediately thought of while still wobbly from a post-KO buzz:
�To beat me, he�s gonna have to kill me. And to kill me, he�s gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me. And to do that, he�s got to be willing to die himself.?br /> -- Rocky Balboa, Rocky IV, 1985
I concede that quoting a series whose scenes were more caveman than cavalier is an odd tribute to Juan Manuel Marquez; but the more I thought about what it takes to actually employ counterpunching on the highest level, the more I came back to these words from Stallone to screen wife Talia Shire.
While appreciating the beauty of the right hand that ended Pacquiao�s stay atop pound-for-pound lists, the amount of courage it took to be ready to throw such a shot might get lost. Bottom line, while a lot of guys can evade an aggressive foe and later pounce on a tiring attacker, only a few ?like Marquez on Saturday ?stay deep enough in harm�s way to both draw the fire and launch the decisive return.
Sure, Rocky was talking about a significantly different brand of combat 27 years ago in the fourth-best installment of his signature six-pack, but his theme was still spot on for what occurred in Vegas right around 1 a.m. Sunday. [Click Here To Read More]
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