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Cage-fighting man

'Kill him, Jimmy!' A night at the cage fight

Steven Berkoff

Wednesday, 29th August 2007

So we went to Wembley Arena to witness for the first time what is called ‘cage fighting’.

And so they go on, one after another leaping, throwing each other to the floor and then belting them, belting them when they are down, belting them hard on the face, the nose, the ears, when they are on their backs. The victim tries to cover up and also belts back even from a recumbent position. This must be the closest I have been to what I have read about the Roman Colosseum. The bodies come and go. Some are dispatched rapidly and some take the punishment or deal it out for the full five-minute rounds. In boxing if your opponent goes down, you do not hit but give the man time to recover. Not here, not in this brutal arena. I am still waiting for my ally, Dave ‘Death Wish’ Legeno. Suddenly he appears at my seat with the news that his bout has been shifted to near the end. ‘You don’t have to wait,’ he says (such a gentleman) but of course, he is why we are here and so we stay. A break is called and so we all pile out for drinks, a pee, a fag. We opt for a fag outside and pass through a rigmarole of checks, gates, turnstiles and then we’re out. What a relief and how sweet and normal seems life outside this armpit of hell. Soon my friend is on and we keenly await what promises to be a slaughterhouse since he is revved up and keen to demonstrate his lethal powers. He looks over, of course, we cheer him on. ‘Come oooon Daiiiiive!!!’

His opponent is a black American, Herb Dean, who doesn’t look too threatening, and wears his hair thick, long and tied back. Dave advances like a killer and momentarily alarms the American. He strikes at great speed and it looks as if it might be over in seconds. Dave will prove what he can do. He is proud. But wait. Suddenly the American charges him in the stomach and pull his legs from under him. Oh! What is happening? Dave is pinned down and is being clobbered but at the same time using his brute strength to wriggle out. But the Yank is huge and it’s not easy. This is a battle of the Titans for sure but Dave is striking back from the deck since one of his powerful arms is still free.

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