Rumble in the Valleys
Last weekend saw Joey and I in Cardiff, ready to rumble, standing outside The Millenium Stadium, as we queued to take our seats for a 15 bout boxing extravaganza. We had driven the four or so hours from Brighton to Cardiff to see Joe Calzaghe fight in his 20th defence of his Super Middleweight crown.
The first thing that hits you as you walk into the stadium is how cavernous it feels with the retractable roof closed - it was a stunning day outside, yet it was as cold as ice inside. We hustled down to ours seats, eager to see what £85 a head gets you in terms of boxing real estate. We were at pitch level, in the last row. Not exactly ringside, but not that far away from the ring, either. We fared a lot better than the majority of people who were behind us in the tiered stadium seating.
We took our seats in mostly empty stadium at around 1PM - the first of fifteen scheduled fights started almost as soon as they started letting folks in. With each fight scheduled to last approximately 40 minutes, we were a long way from seeing Calzaghe. The undercard fighters came and went, largely event-free, and it soon became early evening. The first fight which really got people excited was Enzo Maccarinelli v Bobby Gunn; Welsh v Canadian, and Raw Power v Reputation. Bobby Gunn spent a decade in the underground bareknuckle boxing circuit, but Maccarinelli wasn't intimidated, and ended things quickly in the first.
The second fight to really get me into things was the Amir Khan fight - he fought another wet-bag who didn't really seem that up for the fight, but nevertheless it was entertaining seeing the young Khan. I just hope he doesn't let the pressure get to him, and turn out like Hamed.
Ask me how many punches I saw land in the course of the day, and I'd have to get at several thousand. There were many, many brutal shots, and you don't really get a feel for how hard some guys really hit until you're there watching it in real life. Straight rights reverberated around the stadium, making thudding noises that would put a gun to shame.
As most will now, Calzaghe successfully defended his title; the atmosphere was amazing; more intense than any football game I've been to (and I've been in some of the most fervently supported Old Firm games). I really got into things, and was more than happy shouting for Calzaghe; so much so, my voice was a little worse for wear the morning after. Joey was a little apprehensive at first, but as the night went on she got into the mood of things, and really enjoyed herself.
The icing on the cake had to be when we found out that Amir Khan was staying in the same hotel as us - the foyer was full of his entourage, complete with 'Team Khan' jackets.
It was a lovely weekend, and from what I saw of it, Cardiff looks like a really nice place to spend time. All of the locals we met on our travels were more than friendly, and really helped to make the weekend all the better.
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