However, time was when the same was said of the Jerry Springer Show, which has been successfully exported to Britain, and where self-humiliation aired in front of a national audience is seen as mainstream entertainment. For the record, McGregor won all four rounds. But it was a bizarre, almost surreal spectacle, and made a mockery of a sport which hardly needs such sideshows to promote its naturally primeval qualities. This was just revealing life's darkest underbelly. Such contests can be described only as freak shows, and should not be thrust upon us.
Man beating woman, woman beating up man, both are distasteful.
Stateside, promoter Bob Jarvis, of O'Malley Productions, the company who promoted the event, said yesterday they had not expected such worldwide interest. McGregor's original opponent, Hector Morales, pulled out after the pressure on him. Chow and McGregor had even been offered large amounts of money by another promoter to withdraw from the contest. The growth of women in boxing has had perhaps its biggest month yet, in terms of publicity. Mia St John, a licensed fighter and mother of two, is seen cupping her bare breast with a pair of gloves on the cover of Playboy.