"The greatest rivalry in Australian sport will be settled once and for all," blurts the breathlessly enthusiastic publicity blurb about the Anthony Mundine vs Danny Green fight at Adelaide Oval on February 3.
The part to really take your breath away? It'll cost you $59.95 to watch the fight on pay per view TV. Yep, sixty bucks minus small change to watch what we called (in a much-clicked story last year) two washed-up old men desperately fighting for relevance.
But forget, for a moment, the exorbitant cost. Let's return to this claim of "the greatest rivalry" in Australian sport.
Know what a truly great rivalry is? Collingwood vs Carlton, that's what. And it just so happens that those very teams will square off in the very first match of the very first AFL Women's season on the very same night in Melbourne.
Which sounds like a very good option to us.
In summary, your viewing choices on the evening of Friday February 3:
- On free-to-air TV, a clash of fantastic female athletes in the national spotlight for the the first time, in the colours of AFL's two greatest historical rivals.
Or;
- For $59.95, two boxers well into their 40s, whose ongoing "feud" became boring a decade ago, whose careers long ago peaked, whose fight will settle no arguments, and who are sucking attention desperately needed (and in some cases deserved) by younger protagonists of their sport.
Quite a choice, huh?
In a very showbiz addition to the fight night, (as in, a desperate attempt to get people excited), fight organisers have managed to entice famous American ring announcer Michael Buffer to Adelaide. He's the guy who coined the phrase "Let's get ready to rumble" and pioneered the whole boxing voice announcer style, where announcers draw out their words.
All we can say is "let's get ready to slumberrrrrrrrrrr".
