Articles of 2005
Boxing Calls Russell Crowe Stupid
The Australian actor Russell Crowe, best known for his intellectual heft and work with the needy, has taken some time from his busy schedule to enlighten us about boxing.
Crowe, with his eye on the Academy Awards, is promoting Cinderella Man, the Ron Howard film in which he portrayed former heavyweight champion of the world James J. Braddock.
It’s common knowledge that Cinderella Man tanked at the box office, not because it was about boxing – look no further than last year’s Million Dollar Baby for proof of that – but because of the flabby direction and Crowe’s maudlin performance.
Perhaps that explains Crowe’s disdain for the manly art.
According to the actor, boxing is nothing more than “Two guys in the ring, with shorts on. We’re going to put on some gloves and bash each other’s heads, okay? It’s stupid.” Just in case we didn’t get it the first time, Crowe added, “Fundamentally, I think boxing is something stupid, you know?”
Russell Crowe may not know much about boxing, but he does know a thing or two about stupidity. In 2002 he pinned a producer of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts to a wall during an altercation. Last year he picked a fight with the bodyguard assigned to protect him during the filming of Cinderella Man. And a few months ago the Aussie hothead, in a fit of pique, threw his cell phone at a porter named Nestor Estrada in a New York hotel, because the actor couldn’t reach his wife in Australia.
Crowe later paid Estrada $10,000 and is due to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court next month to face assault charges.
Perhaps we should be relieved that Crowe is using his soapbox to attack boxing instead of shilling for the Church of Scientology, but Crowe’s inability to see the redemptive quality of boxing, especially after starring in a film about Jim Braddock, is, for want of a better work, stupid.
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Ekow Essuman Upsets Josh Taylor and Moses Itauma Blasts Out Mike Balogun in Glasgow
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Newspaperman/Playwright/Author Bobby Cassidy Jr Commemorates His Fighting Father
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
A Night of Mismatches Turns Topsy-Turvy at Mandalay Bay; Resendiz Shocks Plant
-
Featured Articles1 week ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 330: Matchroom in New York plus the Latest on Canelo-Crawford
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
In a Tribute Wedded to Memorial Day, Boxing Writer David Avila Pays Homage to Absent Friends
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Vinny Paz is Going into the Boxing Hall of Fame; Hey, Why Not Roger Mayweather?
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Remembering the Under-Appreciated “Body Snatcher” Mike McCallum, a Consummate Pro
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 228: Viva Las Vegas, Back in the Boxing Spotlight