TTMFT
There’s a name I haven’t heard of in a while. I saw him fight live in Oahu
I was at Dave’s first documented fights starting at HOOKnSHOOT. I was 15 years old and remember seeing him at the event motel (yes, motel) jumping rope outside mid-afternoon before he competed. I knew one of the guys who had come with him from Minnesota so was pulling for him that night. Had a good time following his career based on that one brief moment.
^This is awesome. The life of a prize fighter is a hard one. There is something about these quiet, private struggles that make it all the more admirable.
Superbrawl?
That weekend changed and shaped my whole life. The next year I was 16 (math!) and saw Russ Paxson vs. Jason Canales, who was coming with the Lion’s Den crew. In hindsight his record was ass but when his guys showed up in the yellow Lion’s Den gear it was still a big deal. Russ was a local kid and busted Jason in the face with a knee in a Pancrase rules match. Blood spattered on the front of my shoes as we were in our normal front row seats. Up until that point I had zero fear or concern about competing when I was old enough but I remember how much I underestimated the reality of what I was seeing until I had blood sprayed on my shoes.
Rotr