By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
March 1, 2002
Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe are doing it. So are Tonya Harding and Barry Williams. And come to think of it, Danny Bonaduce and Long Island Lolita Amy Fisher are doing it, too.
Hey now, get your minds out of the gutter. We’re talking about that other contact sport– boxing.
Will Smith’s Oscar-nominated “Ali” may have given Hollywood a taste for pugilism, but the heavy hitters are coming out in droves to score a knockout of their own.
First up is Crowe, who portrays real-life Depression-era boxer James Braddock in “Cinderella Man.”
“Although the fighting part is fascinating, this is truly a story about a man trying to survive,” says Crowe, who is skilled in verbal sparring with the press. “It’s more about his heart than his fists.”
His ex-girlfriend Ryan is less wussy about her love of the sport.
“More girls like boxing than I ever believed,” Ryan says.
A boxing aficionado, she portrays the manager of a boxing champ in “Against the Ropes.” The fit actress says she enjoys attending boxing matches as well as boxing in the gym for a workout. And she offers this tip to novice boxers: “You have to remember to tuck in your thumb when you hit.”
Not a bad tip, according to Manolo Martinez, general manager at Chicago’s Crunch Fitness, where Smith did some training prior to shooting “Ali.”.
“You have to be careful,” says Martinez. “Boxing is not a sport where you just get in the ring and expect to look like Ali. You will get hurt if you don’t train, but once you do, it’s one of the best workouts out there. It’s intense, because it’s a full body workout. You’re running around and swinging your arms constantly. Two minutes in a ring is like running a mile.”
We suspect ratings, rather than promoting any boxing workouts, are on Fox’s agenda. The network that brought us “Temptation Island” and “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?” will air “Celebrity Boxing” on March 13.
The first to pair off will be Harding and Fisher in a bout billed as “the battle of the bad girls.” Will the feisty former figure skater attempt to take out her competition with a swift club to the knee? Will the Long Island Lolita fight back back with a grating accent? Probably not. But it’s likely this may just be a catfight (or should we say “girlfight”) with extra big gloves.
Also scheduled to fight on the special are former teen idols Barry Williams (a k a Greg Brady) and Danny Bonaduce, who last was seen pummeling Donny Osmond in another celebrity boxing match right here in Chicago.
So what’s with the fascination with boxing?
Ryan sums it up with three words: “It’s really empowering.”
Contributing: Cindy Pearlman
