Is there somewhere I can go for my addiction?

Sometimes I do wonder what it is about this sport that makes me love it so much, that makes me spend hours in front of the tv, hours reading and rereading magazines, searching the internet, reading blogs and websites… I mean, what is this addiction to a sport that is often brutal, that is corrupt and subject to outside influence, that is sometimes so dull and boring that you want to throw something at the tv, want to jump in the ring and slap the fighter upside the head and say “throw a left you fool, he’s wide open for it!” But its an addiction I can’t stop. I just love the science of it, the pacing, the subtle moves, the roll of the shoulder, the quick jab, the inside body punches, the sheer power of a hard right… I’m a sucker for it. Which makes it hard when you see the cheating and bad judgements, the dull fights, the recent spate of old farts fighting well past their use by date, the lack of mainstream coverage for anything good that happens in boxing, just the bad calls, the tantrums…
But, hell I’m still watching, I’m still spending my money on ppv’s and magazines, logging on, blogging, so I guess they won’t change will they? But some day I will make a stand, I promise.
And maybe it’ll be Vargas/Mosley II (maybe not). I mean sure, the first fight was a good one but do I want to see them do it again? Despite what people say, I didn’t think Vargas was up to the challenge. Mosley was wearing him down, he was faster, slicker and a boxer. He doesn’t have anything to prove against Vargas so why take him on again? I said so time ago that I thought Mosley might just be a decent challenge for Mayweather and the other top echelon welters… I still think he can be… maybe he wants to show them that he is, that it wasn’t a fluke over Vargas. He sure as shit should be able to beat Hatton, who I didn’t think won against Collazo. Sure, he had that flash knockdown but really, he was being outworked by Collazo from about the fourth round on. It was much closer than the judges called it. But then I guess, there’s a fair bit of money tied up in Hatton now isn’t there? They could hardly afford a loss in his first big bout in the U.S. (cynical, who me?)
So Mosley is in there maybe with a chance. If he gets the right backing. And what about Taylor/Wright? How lucky can one man be? Close decisions against Hopkins and a draw against Winky… Taylor’s got to learn to pull the trigger… he can’t rely on the judges to always give him the close ones (or maybe he can – after all it’s worked so far!)
And speaking of Hopkins… how good was the executioner in his finale? Tarver had absolutely no answer and no magic. Hopkins has finished on a high. Let’s hope he’s smart enough to stop now, with a defining victory over the universally recognized best light heavy in the world. My money though would be on Hopkins/Jones II just because the egos will demand it. That is of course if Jones can beat the prince whoever the hell he is. So where was I? Oh yeah, why do I still love this sport, why am I waiting for Contender II to start, why am I still spending money on ppv’s I don’t really rate? Because, goddamn it, I still get a thrill out of seeing two young fighters going for broke, I still love watching the magic of a Winky Wright, the power of a Paul Briggs, the sheer skill of Floyd Mayweather. And every now and then someone like Carlos Baldomir comes along and shows everyone that dreams can come true. As long as that keeps happening, well then I’ll be watching.