I'll post some pics now and try to edit in some captions and thoughts on the event later.
I don't have much to say ATM since I feel a little sick because I don't do well in crowds, my eyes hurt because of the lights, and my head hurts because of the screaming lady. (She was told to leave, not because of her behavior, but because her companion was passed out and drooling on himself and the person next to him.) But I can safely say my ears were completely unaffected by the PA system and music -- the acoustics in that arena are just terrible!
EDIT:
-The ring looked small.
-There were a lot of young boxers on the undercard, most of them from the Golden Boy stable. I think a local fighter, Karim Mayfield, had a good fight against his Mexican opponent and GBP's heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell at least came to fight. He got the night's best KO.
-I have no ability to discern weight divisions on sight. Mayfield, a welterweight, looked smaller to me than Guerrero, a featherweight. The heavyweights didn't look super big to me, but Boxrec says they were both 250+.
-Oscar's name was announced several times early on and it was roundly booed each time, prompting the ring announcer to say, "That's not very nice." When he initially came out, there was some applause but plenty of jeering to go with it.
-Guerrero was clearly the draw. The biggest reception was for his entrance and the biggest disappointment was the decision to stop the fight. It felt like people thought Guerrero was going to lose his belt after the headbutt; they seemed uneasy until it was announced that he was still champion.
-The Ortiz fight looked like it ended early, but I haven't seen replays.
-After the Ortiz fight, DLH spent a significant amount of time with Arnoutis' corner. They weren't overly animated or anything, but they didn't agree with the stoppage.
-Since the televised matches had run short to that point, DLH came down to greet some of his fighters, then went into the crowd and started to entertain and sign. Smiles and pictures all around, no booing.
-My cousin shook DLH's hand and talked with him real quick. Oscar asked him, "Pinoy?" (We're Filipino.) He said that it was nice that he came out and that he was sorry there weren't Filipino fighters to fill the card. My cousin said it was okay; he was there to see Ortiz. Then something came up about Pacquiao and my cousin that he likes Manny, but not that much. Oscar kinda smiled and said something like, "Yeah, me too."
-One of the biggest responses was for video of the Anne Wolfe KO from a few pages back.
-What was the controversial moment in the Kirkland-Julio fight? Did Kirkland hit on the break? I couldn't follow.
-I like Kirkland, but I've followed the Love Child longer. (Julio looks younger, but I didn't know he actually was, it feels like he's been around for so long.) It looked like the fight would end early, but Julio survived before mounting some respectable offense of his own. Kirkland took everything well and I definitely think he would have touched down on some of those shots earlier in his career. He still eats a lot of unnecessary punches, but I guess that's just going to happen with his style.
-Lennox Lewis was absolutely charming. When he initially came out, people were unsure it was him because there were two or three black guys with dreads in suits and sunglasses that were just as big as him if not bigger. After the taping he drew a big crowd and held stage with Lederman, signing tickets, taking pictures, kissing babies. Everyone was telling him that he was missed and he seemed genuinely affected and appreciative.
-The screaming lady (I hope I'm talking about the same person) made people smile with her comments. "Get that body! ""Let your hands go!" "Right down the middle! WOOOO!" The HBO production crew noticed, clearly entertained. It's just that she wouldn't quit. People around her asked her to stop, but then she completely disarmed them with her smile and charm.
-I got a ringside seat the night before. I'm not sure what that meant for ticket sales; it seemed to be well-attended. Still, the seating didn't serve me at all. I had a good view of one corner, the timekeeper, the judges, photographers (a show onto themselves), print and internet media -- my attention was constantly drawn and I couldn't even follow what round it was, this despite the efforts of the ring card girls. To get the round number and clock, we had to look up and and a little back at the scoreboard. As if we were in the front row at the theatre and the screen was tens of feet higher. Also, the ring lights were murderous. I guess it's considered rude to wear sunglasses indoors, but if I had them, I would have put them on without hesitation.
-Other than those posted on the last candy swap, these where the first pictures I've taken in so many years. I just don't have ocassion to take pictures, but now I want to get a new camera and get good at it.
-I think I had an okay time but it's difficult to evaluate the in-ring. I'll try to find Kirkland-Julio on YouTube because it felt fun.
