March 20, 2009 at 4:44 am by Michael Rivest
We were 24-hours away from the Pugnacious Promotions St. Patrick’s Day Showdown. It was time for everybody to gather at Albany’s Holiday Inn Express and officially weigh-in and fill out a million forms.
It’s hard to describe the atmosphere at these events. All the fighters are there - along with their managers, trainers, cut men, friends and the media. Within 24-hours, the fighters will step between the ropes and do something that would get them arrested anywhere else.
Yet there’s no animosity - quite the contrary, only good wishes and respect. But that’s how fighters are. I keep saying it over and over. But I can understand the disbelief, given what fighters do for a living, but it’s true.
Here’s a story about that. I’m standing next to Cleveland’s Ryan “Tank” Thompson (9-6, 6 KO), 266-lbs. of ferocity who’ll be squaring off with local sensation, Shannon Miller (15-4, 9 KO). I’m not kidding, folks, I’ve owned cars smaller than this guy.
Anyway, I’m listening as he strikes up a polite conversation with a woman. After a few minutes of
gentle banter, he ever-so-respectfully asks her name. “Linda Miller,” she says with a smile, letting him know that she’s Shannon’s stepmom. What does Thompson do? Walk away? Get real serious? Nope. He kisses her hand, and with the utmost sincerity goes on and on about what an honor it is to meet her and how much respect he has for her stepson. What a truly class act Thompson is, I mean it.
Of course, within 24-hours he’ll be looking to beat Shannon’s brains into a substance resembling guacamole. Only in boxing.
Ryan “Tank” Thompson with Trainer Bill Godhard
The trouble is, Thompson style is to come straight in, a dangerous thing to do with a guy like Miller. What Thompson will find waiting for him, of course, is a lot of Shannon’s leather. I predict Thompson will fall in round 4.
You’d think everybody would be tense at a weigh-in, but that really isn’t the case either. You can actually feel a release of sorts, like the hard part is behind them. “That’s right,” says Shannon. “The fight is easy. It’s the training that’s hard. You get so beaten down getting ready for weeks and weeks. From this point on, it’s really easy. I feel great.”
But don’t you feel any, uh, fear? “No, not at all. First of all, I’m just not that way, but I really calmed down after the Maddalone fight,” referring to the Pugnacious Promotions 2005 brawl at Saratoga’s City Center, a fight that ESPN2 would call its “Fight of the Year.” Shannon and Vinnie Maddalone went at it hard and, although Shannon was TKO’d in the 5th round, anybody there will tell you it could have just as easily gone the other way. Shannon survived two earlier knockdowns and led on Teddy Atlas’ scorecard, drawing even according to the ringside judges.
But after the weigh-in, it’s over. They can eat, then do what only real warriors could possibly do the night before a fight – go home and sleep.
For local fans, the Pugnacious Promotions St. Patrick’s Day Showdown couldn’t be any better or more exciting. Shannon Miller, Mike Faragon, Brian Miller, Jackie Trivilino, Bryan Abraham, Zach Smith. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Hats off to Pugnacious Promotions for giving local boxing fans there money’s worth – every time.
For more information, call Lisa Elovich @ Pugnacious Promotions (518-527-0160) info@pugnaciouspromotions.com