JAY R. Palmer was telling a panel of state senators yesterday how X-treme brawling had helped him rise from a nobody to a somebody in Waipahu -- helped him support his family. X-treme fights not
worthy of being a sportHe was one of about a half dozen who testified against a House bill (No. 582) to ban the brutal ring combat.
Standing outside the conference room, Palmer extolled the virtues of X-treme fighting, implying that he is a role model for youngsters in his adopted community.
Better to put this sort of fighting in the ring than leave it on the street, he said.
I'd seen Palmer before. It was on a video of the first Super Brawl held at the Blaisdell Arena. Brawl promoter T. Jay Thompson -- who stated his case yesterday with unmistakable eloquence -- had given that video to me in hopes that it would win me over, or at least educate me.
Well, it didn't win me over, and I told that to Thompson yesterday.
That's because of things I saw. Things like Palmer stomping on the back of opponent Andras Szarka's head as the Hungarian lay face down on the canvas.
Yes, the back of his head.
Szarka rolled over and lay motionless as referee Steve English raised Palmer's arm in victory.
Neither glanced down at Szarka as the crowd roared its approval.
(Oh, yes, Szarka did get up eventually, so no charges could be filed.)
Thompson had told me just last Friday night that kicking a guy who's down is illegal but the ref on the video I saw didn't seem to care about that.
Palmer took angry exception to my recollection of the stomp.
First he said I was mistaken, although it's right there on video, and then he said, "It's not illegal."
"You do what you have to do to win. I'm not out there to kill my opponent or to physically hurt him."
Uh huh.
I remember what Palmer said during a post-fight interview with Thompson in the Super Brawl I video after he'd beaten Haygar Chin of Massachusetts to win the tournament's trophy.
"I tried to put him in an awkward position -- tried to break his jaw, his nose or something -- tried to break something."
But, of course, Palmer insisted my memory was all wrong about that too.
"You're on the wrong video," said an increasingly agitated Palmer. "I'm talking about the Super Brawl I video."
Uh huh.
I drew his words verbatim from the video.
Palmer is only one example of what you get for heroes in this so-called sport. Heroes who are allowed to kick, pummel, elbow, knee, choke or head-butt their opponents into submission.
Check out the cover of the Super Brawl I video and you'll see how Thompson markets a disturbing picture of Palmer, hovering over Szarka, who's flat on his back.
Palmer's arm is cocked high in the air, fist clenched. The Hungarian desperately tries to protect his face before a powerful downward blow is delivered.
Is this sport?
Thompson and Palmer think so. Thompson decries boxing as more dangerous than X-treme fighting.
But Roy Jones Jr. was disqualified Saturday in Atlantic City in a WBC light heavyweight boxing match. For what? For hitting Montell Griffin while he was down.
Injury in boxing and other sports Thompson calls more dangerous than X-treme fighting are incidental.
Injury in Super Brawl is undeniably the marketable intent of the competition.