Cotto, Beer Fights & Amazing Ring Card Girls (Sorry No Pics)

After thinking about it, I decided to go see Cotto vs. Jennings at Madison Square Garden since there was still $50 tickets left on Saturday. I swung by the Garden a little before 4PM. There was some people waiting in line for future events. The "boxing only" line was empty. I copped my ticket and was satisfied with my seat. Obviously, I was in the cheap seats, but I still had a pretty good view (I was far away, just to the left of Cotto's corner). There was still a whole other level above us that was not used. I paid either $120 or $150 (the cheapest price) for Tito vs. Winky and me and my friends literally had the wall behind us for that fight (although MSG must certainly be bigger than the MGM). So I think $50 was an OK price to pay. After getting my ticket, I cheap-assed it to Gray's Papaya for The Recession Special (junk food is bad, but drinking on an empty stomach is worse). I then hit a bar for a couple of beers before heading back to The Garden. I thought they would let people in before 6:30, but I was wrong. Had to wait in line for 45 minutes to get in. I needed to take a piss half way through. Luckily, I was near the front of the line so when they did let us in, I ran my ass up the elevator and relieved myself (in the bathroom, of course). I then immediately bought an $8 beer (no line) and then the usher lady showed me to my seat. The first bout was already getting underway, a 4 rounder featuring Heavyweights. The bell sounded just as I sat down. (It sucks that they don't let you in earlier.) Sorry, but I'm not gonna be good with fighter names on the undercard. I didn't get a program. But the first match was some guy with a 10-1 record vs. a guy with like a 10-7 record. It's funny how you can tell who only has 1 loss and who doesn't just by looking at them. The fat flabby guy... he's lost a bunch of times. Anyways, the guy you expected won (one of them had the nickname "Baby Bull" but it wasn't Diaz obviously. Someone else later had the name "Raging Bull," Vic D's moniker). The undercard matches moved along briskly, one right after the other without any pauses in between. The next fight on the undercard was a Lightweight(?) match between a Mexican dude and a local PR dude that was a majority draw (but one judge had it 40-36...). Then a PR dude beat a dude from Ghana. That was probably the best match of the undercard. Some good action, and they let their hands go at the end on some impressive sh*t. Then some females went at it for a belt. The local favorite was undefeated (13-0, I think) and was from the Bronx. If I remember correctly, her last name was Shea, and her trunks had the Mexican flag on the front and the Irish flag on the back. She lost to a woman from Peru who I think was named Kina. The women had skills, but it was kind of one-sided. It was an upset and the Peruvian took it when she KO'ed Shea like in the 9th or 10th. Also on the undercard was a Polish guy and a Russian dude who both won their matches although I've already forgotten the fights expect that one ended in a KO with 1 second left (and I missed the punch because people kept getting up and walking up down the freaking aisle, blocking my view. All I saw was the dude fall like a tree). There was like a 15 minute break before Duddy. I'd say the arena was about 75% full by that time. For you hip-hop heads, they played Eric B. & Rakim, EPDM, Run-DMC, Tribe, Main Source, Showbiz & AG, Ghostface, etc. They even played DJ Quik, which is weird in that mix. Then Buffer came out, did his spiel. There was a lot of Irish in the house supporting their boy Duddy. (What's up with "Ole, Ole, Ole," ain't that for futbol?) That dude Vanda came out wearing some Skeletor-like mask. I thought, "He's gonna lose." Anyways, that fight was a let down (Duddy and Vanda even started hugging with 5 seconds still left on the clock for Christ's sake). As a matter of fact, a drunk brawl broke out in our section during the 8th round and that caused more excitement and attention than anything in the 10 rounds of the Duddy fight. I was sitting on the other end, so I didn't see any punches land, but I did see a couple dudes flying down the stairs. Before I go further, I should mention there was some hot chicks there this night. But, like at all sporting events, they're always with dudes. You got to be careful not to stare too long because you never know if that guy she's with is a Golden Gloves winner. And the round card girls... Oh my God. Dios mio. Of course, they usually have hot chicks, but last night... a whole new level of hotness. I was salivating. I'm such a pervert. Before the main event, Buffer announced some celebs in the house. Paulie from The Sopranos and Tony Danza got more applause than Clottey, unfortunately. Then there was a tribute to Jose Torres RIP. It's just too bad that some people find it too hard to stay quiet and show respect when they're drunk as hell. There was a lot of reggaetone before Cotto came out. When he did make his entrance, the place went nuts obviously. Boricua pride was strong. When Jennings came out, there wasn't a lot of love. About the only thing he did right was walk out to the Sex Pistols. But when some lady tried to sing England's national anthem, the arena booed her, drowning her out. It was very disrespectful. But then again, I always think national anthems slow down the pace and they should just get rid of them. Anyways, you all probably saw the fight. Cotto hunted Jennings down like a trapped animal. During Round 2, security was escorting a fan out. This drew disapproval from the crowd, so somebody threw a beer at the security dude hitting his target. Then some fans a few rows behind me threw their beers. They were also incredibly accurate, hitting the bullseye from a farther distance (plus, they were wasted, which made it more impressive). But I also got tired of thinking that drunk dudes were gonna spill beer on me by accident. And again, people getting up every five seconds. After the two knockdowns in the 4th, Cotto jumped into the arms of Evangelista. I thought the fight was over. But they went to the 5th for more punishment. Ouch. It was good to see Cotto fully confident and happy after the fight. The place emptied out pretty quickly after Cotto's interview in the ring. About a 1/3 of the crowd stayed for Pavlik / Rubio on some big screens. The Human Punching Bag might have had a chance if he didn't throw one effective combination every 3 rounds. He looked scared, but thought he could have made it a fight if he actually punched. My people are having a rough 2009 so far. Anyways, that's my report. I hope there's $50 seats in June, but will probably have to get those in advance considering the PR Parade.