Had a great time at the fight last night and I gotta give credit to Khan's British fans for turning up in numbers and making the atmosphere very entertaining. Without them, I imagine the venue would've been pretty dead considering how lopsided the fight ended up being. The Brits in my section certainly weren't the brightest boxing fans though. Before the final undercard, they were cheering wildly as Victor Ortiz entered the ring and singing loudly, "There's only one Amir Kha-an! Only one..." (pretty amusing how they've adapted the Hatton Wonderland cheer) It wasn't until Nate stepped into the ring that I heard all the confused mumbling such as, "Wot?!!! Who the hell is that?" I guess the Mexican entrance music didn't provide a clue that the guy they were cheering wasn't Amir... Perhaps too much drink. On the other hand, Paulie's fans just might be the most deluded fans in all of boxing. There was much discussion going on prior to their bout with many of Malignaggi's fans insisting that Paulie was going to knock Amir out and that the visitors would be crying afterwards. One guy even snapped a photo of some of Khan's fans before the fight started saying he wanted a before and after pic to capture the difference! The energy level was amped up due to the ceaseless cheering and banter of the visitors. The Brits definitely made the crowd lively but friendly with no sense of tensions ever getting heated. On another note, this was the first live fight I've attended and it was interesting to compare what the fights looked like on the televised broadcast. In particular, during the Ortiz/Campbell bout, I told a Campbell fan sitting behind me that the judges might have just given Nate his first round after the 6th ended. Ortiz didn't seem quite as busy that round and Nate landed two huge right hands in the round that literally sprayed sweat 5 feet off Vic's head. Both shots looked like a sparkling geyser in the lights. However, in the broadcast, neither of those punches looked as dramatic, and Ortiz looked to have done enough work to take the round comfortably. When I heard the scorecards, I figured the one judge that gave Campbell a round must have given him the 6th. This really opened my eyes to how much your vantage point can change the impression of how a fight gets scored.
Also, watching on tv, i saw lots of security all going to one area, and lots of fans, standing up to have a look - What was that about?
I don't know what fight you were at, but there were about 4 or 5 different fights that happened between Khan's Pakistani fans and Paulie's Italian fans. I was to busy watching the fights in the crowd to pay attention to the main event!
The Brits in my section were all caucasian and looked like Saturday was the first time their skin had ever been exposed to sunlight. Never seen such red-faced people before.:shock: There were a few fights that broke out in other sections. There was also some guy in a sportcoat being forcefully escorted out that drew a lot of attention. I had no interest in the brawls that occurred elsewhere in the theater. Everyone where I was sitting got along fine. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those fights were between local Malignaggi fans. I've never seen so many juiced up dudes in ridiculously tight tee shirts before. It was like visiting the primate house at the zoo.
Paulie had the Italian fans and American fans. Khan had British fans and pakastani fans. I like the British fans. The Brits in my section where drunk as hell and extra lively. For those that don't know right across the hudsun in paterson nj there is a large portion of the city called silk city. Alot of middle eastern people and afgans persions pakastanis and alot people from places that end with"Stan". They where deep as hell and rowdy and starting ****. Always fights in the crowd at the garden. I love it.
FYI. The loud mouth blonde from the weigh in video was there mouthin off till security tossed her ass on 34th.
