NEW YORK CITY -In many ways boxing is theater. The fighters – the actors; the ring – their stage.
But when a press conference for one of the most anticipated fights of 2011 takes place in an actual theater, the Hudson Theater just away from Times Square, boxing isn’t just theater anymore…it’s THEATER.
For the two-plus hours I occupied my seat on the first floor of the triple-tiered playhouse, I was aching for popcorn, dying for a large soda.
The kick-off press conference for September 17 Floyd Mayweather – Victor Ortiz welterweight title bout had all the bells and whistles of a Broadway show.
The theater was dark, spotted lights littered the walls and ceiling. The closed red curtain on stage was used as the backdrop for a giant projector looped both Mayweather and Ortiz’s greatest hits, as well as scenes from outer-space — keeping in theme with the “Star Power” label given to the their upcoming scrap.
At about noon, the two hundred or so fans that had formed a line hugging the exterior of the theater on 44th Street were let in. They filled the two upper balconies. With the fans came buzz; excitement. Some of them had been there since 8:45 am. Two others drove all the way to the Big Apple from Virginia just to be in the same room as the man they consider to be the greatest active fighter.
Immediately after entering the theater, fans with dueling interests began belting out support for their respective fighters. Chants of “Ortiz! Ortiz!” were quickly drowned with boos from the pro-Mayweather crowd. The next round of “Ortiz!” chants were countered with triumphant choruses of “Money! Money!” It was as if we were watching some sort of musical — the kind where the actors ask the audience to clap and sing along to each song.
Then, at about 12:45 pm or so, a deep voice came over the speaker system as the theater lights got even dimmer.
“Please take your seats, the press conference will begin shortly.”
I swore he was going to ask if we could please remain silent throughout the duration of the movie.
Anyway, after a mini-documentary of Victor Ortiz was shown, a spotlight revealed Ortiz to be in the back of the theater. With music blaring over the speakers, he slowly made his way to the stage, stopping to shake a few hands, pose for a few pictures, and blow kisses to the fans up top.
The same went on for Mayweather. A mini-documentary followed by a WWE-like walk to the stage.
Once on stage, both fighters faced-off. We’ll call it a draw. Nobody blinked; it seemed like it lasted forever.
The red curtain finally went up, revealing a giant promotional banner and a podium, and just like that, Act I was underway.
Aside from the spectacular setting of this particular press conference, the content was typical. Mayweather was sold as the greatest active fighter; Ortiz billed as a heavy-handed rising star. Both can be debated, I suppose, but both have earned those reputations.
The opening Act did have two moments that had me at the edge of my seat, however.
The first came from the mouth of Victor Ortiz, who riled up the Mexicans in the crowd when he said this:
“I hope not offending anyone, but July 7th 1985 — there’s going to be a repetition on September 17th. It was Mr. Roger Mayweather vs. Mr. Julio Cesar Chavez!”
Ortiz slapped both hands on the podium and briskly walked away from the microphone. Only feet way, Floyd Mayweather remained expressionless.
When it was Mayweather’s turn to speak, he only threw one jab Ortiz’s way, perhaps in response to the JCC-Roger Mayweather dig. Money May just casually mentioned that he’d “a ton of money for this fight,” while Ortiz would make some “good money.”
He did throw some bigger shots toward the media, however. And after delivering those blows, he followed up by offering some praise.
“To the media, and everyone’s entitled to write what they want to write, and I just want to let you guys know that my children are a lot older now and are able to go on the computer and read the stories that you guys write,” Mayweather said.
He continued, “You turn the tables…do you want me to write negative things about you just because I won’t give you guys a story, so let me write my own stories and make up stories? It’s not right.”
Moments later, praised the media for keeping him relevant even when he is out of the ring.
Both points noted. Although, to his second point, I would just argue that his actions keep him relevant — the media are just writing their reactions.
The press conference had a little this, a little that. It was an eventful first scene.
At times it was over-the-top, flashy, and flat-out dramatic. The fans seemed to enjoy that, though — which of course is great.
I thought it was an above-average opening Act myself. It did what it was supposed to do: lay the groundwork for the rest of the performance, set the scene.
They’ll be other Acts along the way — other stops here and there. But ultimately, we’ll all have to wait a few months — September, in fact — to see how this particular piece concludes. The setting will have changed by then, too; to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. A fitting place for the final Act of “Star Power” to take place.
Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder or KyleKinder1@gmail.com
Photo by Claudia Bocanegra
