Heads-Up Battles and Toe to Toe Action

Heads-Up Battles and Toe to Toe Action 

Grinding grudges in the ring and at the poker tables

In the wide, wild world of sports, fair play and sportsmanship are certainly admirable qualities amongst competitors. The spirit of competition drives athletes across pretty much every sport to improve their skills, take on progressively difficult challenges, and perform to their fullest potential and ability each and every time they do battle against their opponents. Of course, not all of the feuds and rivalries in sports are purely founded on mutual respect and admiration. More often than not, audiences will more likely tune in to watch a grudge match – between two sportsmen and/or teams – pretty much entirely fueled by simmering animosity and rage. It’s not surprising for a combat sport like boxing – the manly art of self-defense – to be a veritable font of so-called “blood feuds” and grudge matches. Yet even poker – a complex mind sport favorably compared to chess – has had its fair share of grudge matches through its illustrious history.

As a matter of fact, one of the more well-received events in modern poker was the inaugural World Series of Poker (WSOP) Grudge Matches held at the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas Hotel and Casino – the home of ten consecutive WSOP Main Events (including the upcoming 2014 edition) dating back to 2005. On June 2, 2011, this star-studded event aimed to recreate the magic excitement from the most memorable WSOP Main Event heads-up matches that inevitably changed the poker landscape. If nothing else, Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 WSOP victory over Eric Farha proved that winners of online qualifiers are just as, if not more skilled than dyed-in-the-wool poker pros. And in their highly anticipated rematch at the Rio All-Suite, Moneymaker prevailed against Farha once more, this time in a best-of-three format.

Moreover, the always appropriately named Moneymaker singlehandedly helped usher in the “Moneymaker Effect” – a revolutionary upswing that significantly bolstered the genuine interest in playing poker amongst casual fans and non-players. A recent blog post on Partypoker revealed Moneymaker’s insights ten years after his pivotal victory – he still gets goosebumps when he watches the updated presentation of the WSOP.

While the Moneymaker-Farha grudge match got the closure and fanfare it deserved, one of boxing’s most infamous grudge matches took place in an undeniably historic venue just a five-minute drive from the Rio All-Suite: the MGM Grand Garden Arena. On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield fought for the WBA Heavyweight Championship in a gritty bout that eventually came to be known as the “Bite Fight”. In a fit of frustration and rage after being hit with multiple unintentional headbutts from Holyfield, Tyson bit both of Holyfield’s ears as the third round drew to a close. Referee Mills Lane had no choice but to disqualify Tyson; the troubled heavyweight was also fined $3 million plus legal costs, in addition to his boxing license being revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

On March 8, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Alfredo Angulo will square off at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Showtime PPV in one of the more intriguing boxing matches in the pipeline. With both fighters coming off high-profile losses (Canelo to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Angulo to Erislandy Lara), look for this particular fight to be an interesting and exciting toe-to-toe affair. Angulo has serious firepower in both hands, and will come right at Canelo, who will look to use his slick defense and pinpoint accuracy to neutralize Angulo’s come-forward mentality.