On November 14, Jamie Fallon and Nazih Kheir squared off in what supposedly was the first professional boxing match for fighters of short stature. The match was in Australia, which in the past has been home to dwarf tossing, now banned in several states in the United States. The fight was originally cancelled because officials feared the match was nothing more than a gimmick, similar to dwarf tossing. But the fighters, their crews, and the promotors insist the fight is legitimate. They've trained hard, over many months, to box, not entertain. And that's what they do. They box; they don't put on a sideshow, unlike outfits in the United States such as the pint-size-brawlers, who objectify and degrade their stature in order to draw an audience, (leading the crowd in chants of "midget, midget, midget . . ." before an event and asking the crowd "who wants to see a midget bleed. Click here for a report written by a university student on campus where a midget wrestling troupe made a recent appearance). In fact, officials are pursuing paperwork to create a professional league specifically for boxers of short stature.
I hope the boxers are successful, and hope the attempt to create a league is successful as well. Whether it be boxing, wrestling, or any other sport, anybody has the right to pursue their interest in the sport, whether the person be short stature or non-short statured.
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