Antonio Escalante Vs. Miguel Roman

Last night on ESPN was a candidate for Fight of the Year, if not for Fight of the Century.  It was in the 126 pound class but you’d never know it.   Non-stop action and more fury than a combat zone.   Escalante emerged the winner but this was one of those fights when there were two winners.

Miguel “Mickey” Roman advanced like General Patton the whole night through to ten rounds.  Apparently, these guys knew each other since they were little kids in Juarez, Mexico.  They had street fights then—it must have been like unrequited love the way they went at it.

You’ve got to love both these warriors.  Escalante is a beautiful fighter, a champion with all the tricks, and some bad punching to boot.

Miguel Roman ought to be nicknamed something more than “Mickey” –unless that references “slip you a Mickey”…one of those Knockout Drops they used to lay on you in those old-time crime flicks.   Man, what a furious little beast, determined and powerful, going at the body with both hands on the inside.   

Roman went down once in a flurry of punches—in the late rounds.   Escalante staggered at times, looked a little woozy.  I got a little woozy just watching it.  There was no layoff in intensity, not for a  brief moment.  The boxing people got PPV all wrong—where people pay good money for ho-hum fights when you can watch action like this for free.  

The arena was packed.  Two guys fighting for heart and pride.   Enough cannot be said for the two of them..