Proof That Nobody Cares About Boxing

I barely pay attention to the sport of professional boxing, but Bernard Hopkins dominated Kelly Pavlik this weekend, and it was kind of a big deal. Anyway, Craig called me the next day to tell me about a quote that caught my eye, but didn't necessarily shock me. What did shock me, however, was the lack of attention said quote received. Take a gander at what Hopkins, a black, said post-fight to Pavlik, a white (from ESPN.com):

"Don't let this fight destroy you," Hopkins told him. "You're a great
middleweight champion. You have a great heart. Keep your head up. Keep fighting.
You have to learn one thing. You have to learn that slickness that black
fighters have and then you'll really be a great champion. I don't want
you to quit. If I have to go to your house and take you to the gym, I will."

Slickness that black fighters have? Really? Do all black fighters share a slickness gene?

I often bring up race, and I think it's an important topic (unless I'm obviously joking). I usually mention the always touchy subject when broadcasters (a.) assume a black dude is athletic because of his skin color or (b.) refer to a white guy as "deceptively fast." Both are unacceptable, but this is something different. I hate to sound like a junior Klan member, and I rarely have this viewpoint, but what if a prominent white athlete said something similar? Anything less than chaos would be an upset.

-Brad Spieser (Brad@TwinKilling.com)
10/20/08