The Fight of the Century

by Joseph Bocchicchio

Frankie Berdalino was a tough kid with the strength of a teenage Hercules. While the rest of us struggled to gain a pound and where lifting weights got us nowhere, Frankie walked the streets of the old neighborhood like a colossus. So we found it funny when Sean Dames called Berdalino out. Dames was a stick figure of a kid with more freckles than stars, a blast of red hair and a cowlick that would not die. 

Who knows now what it was about. We were kids a long time ago before guns were everywhere and  knives were carried but rarely used. It was a summer night. We were playing the dozens, ranking each other out. Fluorescent lights from the pizza place windows were a new thing and they cast us in shadows that were sharper and darker than before. Somebody said this and somebody said that. We stopped laughing. Frankie didn’t want to fight below his weight but Sean kept ranking. Finally Frankie said “fuck it, lets go.”

We crossed the street to the school yard, some 15 of us. Not a gang but we looked the part. The school yard kept the cops out. No way to drive into it and fenced in so it had to be by foot with running and climbing  to boot. 

Berdalino and Dames squared off in the dark side of the schoolyard while we formed a circle around them. Thinking back, I am surprised at how quiet we were.  Nobody rooted for nobody.  It was between Frankie and Sean, no jumping in. Berdalino tried once more to call it off but Dames wasn’t having it. He said “if you’re so sure you can take me, then fight by my rules.”

Frankie said “ok.”  Dames said ”ok then we box, we only box, nothing else.” Frankie said “ok.”

Some nights last forever. They grow in memory and meaning.  At the time it was just another night, just another fight. They went at it but it was a different fight. Dames had form. His footwork was studied. He knew how to hit, he knew when and where. Berdalino lumbered. He thought he was fighting but he was clueless. He was wide open and flatfooted. When he punched it was late and lost in the air. When he blocked, that was late, too. He got hit…  a lot. He took body punches that surprised him and left his head open. Dames set him up. He hit Frankie in the mid-section,crumpled him and as Frankie’s head lowered, Sean followed up  and met his jaw with an uppercut. It was over. Frankie went down. Dames backed off. We were silent. Frankie got up. “Fair fight”, he said, “fair fight”,  as he walked away.