This old story sums up the fight.
An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.
The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.
He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail. As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.
The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"
The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance.. never really wanted to."
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet.
The old prospector - not wanting to get a toe blown off - started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.
When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barrelled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.
The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.
The crowd stopped laughing immediately.
The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly. The silence was almost deafening.
The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever licked a mule's ass?"
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but... I've always wanted to."
There are a few lessons for us all here:
Never be arrogant.
Don't waste ammunition.
Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.
Always, always make sure you know who has the power.
Don't mess with old men; they didn't get old by being stupid.
Last night's fight between David Lemieux and Marco Antonio Rubio reminded me of that old story. While Rubio is not quite yet an old man, at 30, he is a seasoned veteran and has been around for a while. He may not be taking the world by storm just yet but he is a man that has clearly learned his craft. He passed a little of that knowledge on to his young and over anxious opponent. The lesson that Lemieux learned last night or at least we hope he learned, is that "patience is a virtue".
Marco Antonio Rubio, of Torreon, Mexico, entered the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Saturday night, the decided underdog against the hometown hero David Lemieux. Who can blame them? With 25 wins under his belt, all but one ending by knockout in the early rounds, he was percieved as unbeatable by his countrymen. Rubio had plans of his own and it didn't include losing to a 22 year old hot shot, hometown or no hometown.
When the first round started Lemieux was on Rubio like a swarm of bees. The crowd was roaring at every punch he threw. Lemieux is a strong kid and hits hard but he didn't have the slightest concept of pacing himself. Rubio on the other hand proved to be a good defensive fighter, covering up, picking off most of the punches and biding his time. This went on for the first four or five rounds. In the fifth Lemieux slowed the pace a bit. Coming into the sixth round the momentum seemed to be shifting and then somewhere in the middle of the round Rubio took control of the fight. It started with a stiff right hand that shook Lemieux a bit. The crowd was quiet now. The stage was set for the next and final round as Rubio, in complete command of the fight now, had his way with Lemieux, dropping him in the corner. Referee Marlon Wright pulled Rubio away from Lemiex. A few seconds later, as Rubio was on the verge of knocking out Lemieux, Lemieux's cornerman Russ Anber motioned to the ref to stop the fight. It was a smart move on Anber's part.
Rubio is the kind of fighter that is hard not to like, durable, not flashy and with a quiet and unassuming demeanor. He clocks in, does his job, clocks out and goes home. What's not to like?
Lemieux? You gotta like him too. He was beaten, tired and humbled last night but I saw no quit in him. You can't fault a man for losing a fight. He's young and if his next few fights are handled properly he'll be back on track, only a little bit smarter.
2 comments:
..and the kayo was also poetic..
Yeah but Lemieux seems like a good kid. If he doesn't dwell on the loss he should be alright. He can consider this a graduation gift from Rubio. There was a lot to be learned in this fight.
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