Pirate Galaxy » tiny he can go unnoticed until the first bell

For more than a decade and a half, my typical work week is hard to explain. Especially the part of keeping an eye on chiseled men taking center stage and stripping down to bikini briefs. A Chippendales consultant, Im not. Boxing weigh-ins are unlike anything else in sports. Calling fights week after week on national TV fosters an appreciation for them, the texture and passion of the sport is why its one of Hollywoods all-time favorite storytelling crutches to lean on. At least parts of it are.The overused late-round drama crescendo is an easy go-to for directors. But the day before the fight weigh-in? Its mostly ignored. Or its dismissed as a convenient scripted smack-talk moment.Then comes the 2016 biopic Bleed For This, the story about former five-time champion Vinny Paz. In what is as authentic a scene I have ever enjoyed in a fight film, native New Yorker Ben Younger perfectly captures the weigh-in for Pazs fight against Roger Mayweather 26 years earlier. He gets it. His film gets it.Forget the hackneyed approach to rating a boxing flick. You know the sports fan review where bona fides are based on how valid the in-the-ring action looks. Although it is quite good, it doesnt need to apply here.What Younger and his team were able to do in the opening 10 minutes of Bleed For This impressed me. It drew me in. It revealed enough of the world champion Paz to demand I needed to know it all. And for lead actor Miles Teller, it probably revealed more than he ever thought hed have to as well.Teller, who has a lot of natural born fighter traits to him, was on the scale in nothing but a small swath of animal print. As the real-life Vinny told him during production, Stuff a banana in your undies. From that outrageously entertaining opening round this film goes on to stuff a lot into its power punch.Ive known the real-life characters fairly well for many years now. They are mined from the cross-section of society boxing exposes us to and welcomes in.Vinny Paz grew up in Providence, Rhode Island -- a hard working prideful town that is a character unto itself in the film. The Pazienza family was woven into Vinnys life tighter than the canvas tautly pulled over the local ring mat he called home.His manager, Lou Duva, was captured well by veteran actor Ted Levine. And as for the role of trainer Kevin Rooney, it was a superb job climbing a challenging mountain of portrayal by Aaron Eckhart.I first met the real-life Rooney when I was 15 years old. I was a fan ringside at a local club show and he was in the corner of soon-to-be heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Years later, I was now the boxing expert, still talking the sweet science with Rooney as he was in the later stages of an often interrupted career. Alcohol abuse and this game can take a toll. You play baseball and basketball. You dont play boxing. Eckhart gave us an excellent glimpse of the real Rooney.Bleed For This does what many fight films fail to do. It defines the champion from the inside out. It takes us into his psyche.It doesnt play on underdog themes overcoming impossible odds. It doesnt care if the champ is winning to right some wrong or avenge some injustice. It doesnt try to wow you with a dramatic get-up-off-the-canvas climbs.Yes, its a comeback story. However, its really a story of understanding what it means to be a fighter. To be wired differently from the rest.Heavyweight king of yesteryear Jack Dempsey was wont to say, A champion is someone who gets up even when they cant.That is what Bleed For This captures. And its exactly why it will capture your attention.Red Auerbach Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Boston Celtics Jerseys . Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-bill-russell-celtics-jersey/ . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Bob Cousy Jersey .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Jaylen Brown Celtics Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable.As the noise surrounding Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey’s UFC dominance dims, affording them an opportunity to lick their wounds, two quieter presences have the chance to step into the front line.If McGregor and Rousey are the UFCs star pupils, then Demetrious Johnson is the straight-A student and Jon Jones is the class rebel. Both Johnson and Jones have sat on top of the pound-for-pound rankings before and during the mania surrounding McGregor and Rousey and own the longest active winning streaks in the sport.Jones, whose only loss is a disputed disqualification, has won 12 on the spin (four behind the all-time record held by Anderson Silva) while Johnson has racked up nine in a row. They are a little-and-large combination with personalities that are worlds apart but skill-sets inside the cage that are only rivalled by each other. Jones endured his toughest night in 2013 against Alexander Gustafsson The lanky and languid Jones, nicknamed Bones on account of the height and reach that he maximises so ferociously, has rarely even tasted competitiveness in his remarkable career to date. Perhaps boasting the most stellar CV in the history of MMA, only a bizarrely illegal elbow strike in his 10th fight against Matt Hamill prevents him being unbeaten.Aged 23, Jones became the youngest UFC champion ever and his destruction of Mauricio Shogun Rua ushered in a new era of athleticism and craft in a light-heavyweight division previously crammed with brawlers. Since 2010, he has dispensed with Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort who previously ruled at 205lbs before sweeping past rivals of his own generation. Demetrious Johnson (right) has twice beaten top flyweight rival John Dodson Johnson, meanwhile, was a middling bantamweight in those days. Over a foot shorter and 80lbs lighter than Jones, his Mighty Mouse moniker rang truer at the inauguration of the flyweight division four years ago. Competing at 125lbs (the smallest category), Johnson became the first champion and has outlasted each of the other nine UFC title-holders.Its a pleasure to watch Johnson, flyweight rival Neil Seery told Sky Sports. Hes just so, so good at his job. Hes the pound-for-pound best, I see him as that. Its my pleasure just to be mentioned alongside him. I believe Demetrious is better than Jones because of his movements and his transitions between striking and wrestling - hes the best fighter in the UFC Neil Seery Demetrious has people thinking he can strike - he throws combinations from crazy angles - but hes a phenomenal wrestler. Hes very good in the scrambles and his gas tank is second-to-none. Nobody knows what hes going to do next, and I think thats what sets him apart.I believe Demetrious is better than Jones because of his movements and his transitions between striking and wrestling - hes the best fighter in the UFC. People at two weight classes are trying to fight him because hes so good. Jones most recently defended his world title against Daniel Cormier Yet Johnson is No 2 in the official pound-for-pound listings behind Jones, despite his four-reign title reign making him the only current champion to reign for longer than 15 months.dddddddddddd. Jones continues at the top of the tree despite the self-destructive episodes that resulted in his light-heavyweight championship being stripped from him last year.Jones flashes of instability outside the cage appear to be his only obvious adversity, considering he already owns victories over six of his divisions top 10. At 28, he hasnt fought since January 2015 due to suspension and has missed a year of his athletic prime while he reconstructs his day-to-day life. Those who share his gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, insist a newly-focused and calmer Jones is readying a return that should terrify current champion Daniel Cormier. I think Jones can return even better, I know so. Hes been very focused and dedicated - Ive seen him in the gym non-stop. Alistair Overeem Listen, he did some stupid stuff and it was a wake-up call for him - he took lessons from that and became a better person, Andrei Arlovski told Sky Sports. He is 100 percent a different person now. Im telling you, Ill bet my money he wins and becomes the new light-heavyweight champion.Alistair Overeem added: I think he can return even better, I know so. Hes been very focused and dedicated - Ive seen him in the gym non-stop. Hes determined to make a strong comeback. Both Arlovski and Overeem stress Jones remained a great training partner while he battled personal demons. Johnson will next defend his belt against Henry Cejudo Jones was set to challenge his greatest rival Cormier at UFC 197 for the belt that he only lost in a fight with the law, in a rematch after Bones handily won the first time. Cormiers injury means No 6 contender Ovince Saint Preaux will fight Jones on three weeks notice. Sharing the card, appropriately, is Johnson - the man so tiny he can go unnoticed until the first bell rings and he moves faster than a blink of the eye - who makes his eighth title defence against Olympic gold medal winner Henry Cejudo.Jones and Johnson have separate business to attend to, and their paths are unlikely to cross all evening at UFC 197. But each will know that, despite the colossal size differential between them, they are locked in a fight with each other to become the sports undisputed pound-for-pound No 1. McGregor & Rousey: What now? How will UFC star duo react to defeats?Also See:OSP steps in against JonesMcGregor & Rousey: What now?Danger ahead for UFC championsUFC ' ' '