johnnymk
01-22-2005, 06:52 AM
01/16/2005
On a night when millions of Americans watched a tsunami benefit on NBC television stations, a few hundred people packed into a New Castle bar to watch Tonya Harding - more infamous than famous - box a Newark man.
"America's Bad Girl," as Harding was introduced, was met with a mix of boos and cheers when she entered the ring. She won by TKO in the second round after Mark Mason, a 5-foot-2, 125-pound former figure skater, complained that his eyes were tearing up.
Spectators shouted derogatory comments toward Harding, including one man who yelled for Mason to "kick her in the knee." For much of the match, Mason, who was selected from a pool of 100 people, flailed at Harding, who has gained a considerable amount of weight since her days as an Olympic skater.
The fight was over so fast that the crowd started jeering.
Mason later said he was overwhelmed in the ring.
"She got me with a couple of punches I didn't expect," said Mason, who had never boxed before. "It goes to show that you need to know what you're doing in there."
New Castle resident Tina Cumpston, 25, said Mason was obviously overmatched.
"He was like 100 pounds lighter than her," she said.
Cumpston was among the spectators who paid $20 each to watch the fight at Gators on West Basin Road. There were three undercard bouts fought in a miniature ring for three one-minute rounds. One fight featured an Elvis look-alike fighting a Howard Stern look-alike. For the record, Howard won and left Elvis all shook up.
Dave Krotee, 44, came from Baltimore to watch the dust-up. As he waited for the main event, he held a single ice skate in his hand.
"I brought the pens and, hopefully, she'll sign it," he said. "This is a wild scene."
Harding gained notoriety in 1994 when skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee a month before the Olympics. Harding pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution and was eventually banned from competition for life by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
Since then, Harding has kept herself in the public eye in unglamorous news reports. In 2000, she was sentenced to three days in jail for assaulting her former boyfriend and throwing a hubcap. And in 2002, her arrest for drinking and driving led to even more late-night jokes about her.
That same year, Harding fought and beat Paula Jones in a Fox-televised celebrity boxing match and has been boxing ever since. She is 3-3 in professional bouts.
After Saturday night's fight, fans waited in line to buy $10 Polaroids of themselves with Harding. Tressa Sharp, of Middletown, walked away smiling with her Harding-signed photo. When asked why she and her friends came to the event, she said, "Because we have no lives."
On a night when millions of Americans watched a tsunami benefit on NBC television stations, a few hundred people packed into a New Castle bar to watch Tonya Harding - more infamous than famous - box a Newark man.
"America's Bad Girl," as Harding was introduced, was met with a mix of boos and cheers when she entered the ring. She won by TKO in the second round after Mark Mason, a 5-foot-2, 125-pound former figure skater, complained that his eyes were tearing up.
Spectators shouted derogatory comments toward Harding, including one man who yelled for Mason to "kick her in the knee." For much of the match, Mason, who was selected from a pool of 100 people, flailed at Harding, who has gained a considerable amount of weight since her days as an Olympic skater.
The fight was over so fast that the crowd started jeering.
Mason later said he was overwhelmed in the ring.
"She got me with a couple of punches I didn't expect," said Mason, who had never boxed before. "It goes to show that you need to know what you're doing in there."
New Castle resident Tina Cumpston, 25, said Mason was obviously overmatched.
"He was like 100 pounds lighter than her," she said.
Cumpston was among the spectators who paid $20 each to watch the fight at Gators on West Basin Road. There were three undercard bouts fought in a miniature ring for three one-minute rounds. One fight featured an Elvis look-alike fighting a Howard Stern look-alike. For the record, Howard won and left Elvis all shook up.
Dave Krotee, 44, came from Baltimore to watch the dust-up. As he waited for the main event, he held a single ice skate in his hand.
"I brought the pens and, hopefully, she'll sign it," he said. "This is a wild scene."
Harding gained notoriety in 1994 when skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee a month before the Olympics. Harding pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution and was eventually banned from competition for life by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
Since then, Harding has kept herself in the public eye in unglamorous news reports. In 2000, she was sentenced to three days in jail for assaulting her former boyfriend and throwing a hubcap. And in 2002, her arrest for drinking and driving led to even more late-night jokes about her.
That same year, Harding fought and beat Paula Jones in a Fox-televised celebrity boxing match and has been boxing ever since. She is 3-3 in professional bouts.
After Saturday night's fight, fans waited in line to buy $10 Polaroids of themselves with Harding. Tressa Sharp, of Middletown, walked away smiling with her Harding-signed photo. When asked why she and her friends came to the event, she said, "Because we have no lives."