{"id":1782,"date":"2009-04-12T21:04:10","date_gmt":"2009-04-13T05:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.godammit.com\/?p=1782"},"modified":"2009-04-12T21:04:10","modified_gmt":"2009-04-13T05:04:10","slug":"even-if-you-hate-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/godammit.com\/even-if-you-hate-boxing\/","title":{"rendered":"Even if You Hate Boxing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I hate professional boxing, and I hate the people who rhapsodize about it (Norman Mailer, I’m talking to you.) But Thrilla in Manila<\/strong> is one of the most gripping documentaries I’ve ever seen. It’s a compelling story about character more than anything else, but it’s also a revealing historical document about racial politics in 60s-70s America.<\/p>\n

I grew up worshiping Mohammed Ali as a beautiful symbol of righteous Black Power. Watching this film, I was distressed to learn how wrong I was. But people like to say that for every door that closes, a new one opens. I have a whole new hero now, Joe Frazier, who knows everything there is to know about betrayal and revenge.<\/p>\n

If you’re as senile and ignorant as I am, and you don’t know who won the celebrated bout in Manila, this film is almost unbearably suspenseful. The actual fight is terrible to watch, much worse than a cockfight or dogfight, to my Girlie sensibility. I don’t know why people are willing to pay big money to watch two men brutally try to destroy each other. It’s pretty fucked up.<\/p>\n

But for me, Smokin’ Joe Frazier is clearly the moral victor of this piece, and I salute him for his soul, his dignity, and his refusal to forgive. He’s a man after my own heart.<\/p>\n

Check here at HBO<\/a> for the schedule. Here’s<\/a> a trailer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"