Pugilism.

I cannot say that I am a boxing fan, but I am a fan of boxing, an incongruity that has surprised a few friends. I've never paid to see a live fight, nor have I played part in the pay-per-view scheme. Perhaps if I were to see a live fight, my interest would wane. Yet, I think Norman Mailer's "The Fight" is great piece of journalism, and I have enjoyed a number of Joyce Carol Oates pieces on the sport. The two sports that have captured the imagination of American writers are baseball, of course, and boxing. This piece in the Washington Monthly on women's boxing paints an ugly picture of the sport. Take a look.