Let’s get ready to rumble.
The Rumble on the River.
The Bloody on the Muddy.
The Fisticuffs on the Bluffs.
Call it what you want , but the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight is going to bring out the best (and worst) that Memphis has to offer.
Jack Nicholson, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and Michael Jordan are just a few names that have surfaced as to who will show up for the fight.
But let’s be honest.
If the Tunica casinos (that gross several hundreds of milions of dollars each year) were not less than an hour away and the fact that the casinos are providing the live site fee, would the fight still have landed in Memphis?
It’s possible, but more than likely not.
Don’t get me wrong, I will hopefully be one of the Memphians to get a voucher for a ticket by the time you read this article.
Memphians have had fickle history on learning how to handle “big-time” sporting events.
I’ve seen more than enough fans get in fights at big U of M football games like Ole Miss and Tennessee.
The Southern Heritage Classic has sparked a few riots of its own.
People got hyped up for the Memphis Grizzlies Inaugural Season, which tapered off as the losses began to pile up.
The city couldn’t keep the Titans or the Houndawgs, and the XFL was gone as quick as it came.
Which brings me to my main concern.
PLEASE DON’T ACT A FOOL when June gets here.
Jack Nicholson doesn’t need to see anymore impressions of himself, Michael Jordan doesn’t seem big on autographs and Denzel is married.
This is a prime time sporting event where all of the world will be watching.
That will include CNN, ESPN and a number of other television stations that will be broadcasting throughout the week, giving millions of viewers an idea of what our fare city is like.
So don’t screw it up.
