The Real Contender

I spend a lot of time at Peter's apartment on the Upper East Side, and this Friday was no exception. After recovering from my grueling criminal law final, I hopped on the 6 train and made my way up to his humble abode. As is standard, once I got there, we immediately ordered pizza and delved into some video gaming -- hockey followed by EA Sport's Fight Night, a boxing game.

The latter is no ordinary boxing game. It's intuitive controls and incredibly lifelike graphics provide an unparalleled virtual boxing experience. Up until this point, though, my virtual boxing experience has been an unmitigated disaster -- I've never beaten Peter straight-up in the 30 or so times we've battled it out. Sure, I've managed to win when he was a featherweight (120 lbs) and I was Lennox Lewis (240 lbs), but that is neither a testament to my skill nor a feat I am particularly proud of. This Friday, however, that all changed.

It was an epic boute from its inception, with me as Evander Holyfield and him as Roy Jones Jr., the star of the game. For the first four rounds or so, neither of us managed to do any real damage, spending most of our time anticipating the attacks of our opponent with well-executed dodge manuevers rather than exchanging blows. Then, in the 5th round, the inevitable happened -- Peter knocked me down not once, but twice. Because the fight had been so evenly-matched up until this point, his emerging superiority rocked me to the core, thoroughly jettisoning all of my confidence. The third and final knockdown seemed to be nothing more than a foregone conclusion.

Reeling from the damage he had inflicted, I spent the next few rounds simply avoiding him, throwing infrequent punches whenever I wasn't backing away from his fists. As the bout wore on, our stamina decreased, and both fighters grew tired and lethargic. My survival turned out to be Peter's Achilles heel. Each time the bell rang to signal the start of another round, Peter's fighting style became more and more careless.

Then, in the 8th round, I managed the impossible. One or two blows from being knocked out myself, I sent Roy Jones Jr. to the canvas with a deft right hook. This being Peter's first trip to the mat thus far, however, the knockdown was nothing more than a mere annoyance and he managed to get up with relative ease. But with that single knockdown, the heretofore invincible fighter had allowed his mortality to surface, if just for a moment.

The 10th round had both of us desperate for the knockout that would bring the fight to a close and the agony to an end (plus, the pizza had arrived, and I was really, really hungry). Eshewing defense for offense, we pummelled each other mercilessly. But this was to be my moment of glory, not Peter's. As Roy Jones leaned forward to throw an uppercut, I reacted with astonishing speed and sent Evander's fist sailing through the air before Peter's tired fighter could resume his defensive position. Temporarily unconscious, Roy Jones crumpled to the mat and, lacking the energy to get back up, succumbed to gravity. If memory serves me, at that exact moment time stood still.

And with that, Peter, like Mike Tyson before him and some other fighters whom I know nothing about, had been dealt his first bona fide defeat. Only time will tell how he takes it, and whether he can overcome the descent from godhood. A true fighter always makes a comeback, so I expect to face the challenge of a lifetime the next time I encounter Peter in the virtual ring. Until that next fight, though, I can rightfully claim the title of champion -- I just hope he invites the champion back to his apartment.