PONTIAC, Mich. – Junior welterweight champions Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander shared a lot of similarities Friday at Silverdome. Both were dark, muscular and respectful to one another and those gathered round a makeshift stage in a glass-paneled sports bar overlooking the arena. If it was a study in contrasts you were after, then, the place to look was backstage.
That was where Alexander’s indefatigable promoter Don King plied his syrupy cackle and unpredictable vocabulary in a final publicity push for Saturday’s “Super Fight.” And in a corner across the room stood Bradley’s promoter, Gary Shaw, quietly prepping for an upcoming rules meeting.
Friday afternoon Bradley and Alexander took to the scale and made 139.5 pounds and 140, respectively. Both looked excellent. Neither looked ready to relent. Each looked a righteous foil to the other.
Meanwhile, their promoters acted more in complementary roles than adversarial ones.
King is, and has been for decades, more famous than the fighters he promotes. The shocked hair, the bedizened jean jacket, the exploding voice; all contribute to a presence round which even confident public figures orbit like tiny moons. Regardless of the merits of his product, King is the spectacle that fills the tent. Few bring to any job the mastery and joy King brings to public self-edification. And yet.
There’s an easily missed humility in the access he affords every promotion. He is not a wind-up toy; were he that, writers would have stopped quoting him 30 years ago. Rather, he is a robust cult of personality hurling himself on the mercy of a crowd.
“You want them to buy what you’re selling!” King said Friday, when asked about an appearance schedule this week that has put his distinct voice all over local Michigan airwaves. “Give them what they want. People are my most important asset!”
But are they buying what he’s selling this time, and just how many assets will be in seats Saturday night?
“Make the economy rise!” King thundered, when asked about his choice of a city 30 miles north of Detroit. “The spirit of Detroit is alive! Detroit is a model for the rest of the country.”
That it is. To most of the rest of the country, though, Detroit is a model of what an American city should not become. While the reports of Detroit’s death are indeed exaggerated, there’s no doubt the area is wanting in both capital and hope.
“The people need you here,” said King. “This is a commercial for three or four hours for Detroit. This (fight) is an infomercial.”
Standing in a hallway 50 feet away – but by no means outside the range of King’s voice – Gary Shaw contrasted his style with that of his co-promoter’s.
“Don is a self-promoter, he’s the marketing,” Shaw said. “I am more operationally seasoned.”
When asked if he thought the two made a good team, Shaw nodded.
“Don’s a legendary name,” he said. “That’s not who I am.”
How good a team the two men have made will be challenged Saturday at Silverdome. Friday’s view of the arena afforded a glimpse at how ticket sales are going. With the ring tucked in a far away corner, blue curtains indicated fewer than a fifth of Silverdome’s 80,000 or so seats will be on sale.
A strong walk-up crowd is predicted. Any service person in uniform will be given a free seat. But whatever the actual gate, you hope for a good throng of committed boxing fans. Detroit and Pontiac need it. Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander deserve it.
Doors to “The Super Fight” open Saturday at 6:00 PM local time. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.
