I admittedly was not much into boxing before this evening, but after seeing the Joseph Parker- Carlos Takam fight I might just be hooked. This was probably aided by the fact that I was surrounded by Kiwis cheering on their boy in a bar, which always makes you feel a part of something, but it was also evening of sportsmanship. The first fight I saw was surprisingly misjudged, and the winner ended up giving his win to the other boxer… which I thought was pretty honorable. The second fight was a super small man against this huge young kid, but both put up a good fair fight. Finally Joseph Parker came out and proved himself in the ring against Carlos Takam after 12 rounds, giving him a shot at the world title. However, overall I think that my favorite part was the theatrics and rituals surrounding the entrance of the boxers into the ring. They walk out with custom made robes, loud music, and a big possy, so you immediately get a sense of their identity, mission, and attitude. Its just short few seconds and has little to do with the actual art of boxing, but it makes the viewer’s experience so much better.

Congrats, Joe! I’ll be cheering as a Kiwi at future fights to come.