“PAIN IS TEMPORARY. PRIDE IS FOREVER.”
Although it’s calmed down over the last year, boxing and MMA fans still occasionally get into over which sport is “better.” For the first time, Hollywood gave their take with a fictional no-holds barred matchup between Bas Rutten and Patrick “Lights” Leary, protagonist of the FX’s boxing drama Lights Out (Tuesdays, 10 pm).
For those who haven’t been following the show, Leary is a 40-year-old former heavyweight champion now strapped for cash. Although he made $12 million during his career, several bad deals initiated by his brother/ manager Johnny, and excess family spending, has left him with nothing. The latest financial hit comes when his brother loses $50,000 betting on their gym fighter. He gets roughed up by Rutten, who plays a legbreaker for a local loan shark Eddie Chin. Leary is able to goad Chin into a double or nothing bet that can he beat Rutten in a cage fight. This leads to first boxer vs. MMA fight seen through Hollywood’s eyes.
The show dropped subtle hints to lead up to the eventual showdown. When Leary and his father went to a local bar to watch a welterweight championship fight, they were stunned that a MMA card was instead showcased.
“What, are these guys going to hug each other all night,” said Leary’s dad, obviously confused and shocked with MMA’s popularity over boxing.
Boxing is a difficult sport to translate into movies. Most of the fighting scenes, even if exciting, come off as highly unrealistic to the knowledgable fight fan due to the loud sound effects and exaggerated movement. Last night’s scene came off much better, and the fight sequences matched up well with MMA techniques, as Rutten focused on submissions like the rear naked choke and an armbar. Moves like those normally end fights, but for the sake of the storyline the protagonist was able to escape and get a comeback victory with a punch to the throat.
Another poignant moment was the confession of young fighter Omar Assarian, who lost his last bout by KO after leading on the cards. When Leary pushed him to come back to the gym and rebuild himself, Assarian admitted that it wasn’t a clean knockout. He said he could’ve gotten up, but he had been taken to the “dark room,” and couldn’t take the pressure. His surrender gave him one somber revelation as he left the gym, “I’m not a boxer.” This was a realistic portrayal of how a bad knockout loss can do way more mental than physical damage to a fighter.
Check your local listings for replays later this week, and make sure to add Lights Out to your regular viewing if you haven’t already.
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