Mickey Rourke may have been away from the boxing ring for 20 years but you wouldn't have known it when he knocked out his 29-year-old opponent, Elliot Seymour, yesterday in Moscow, Russia. Luzhniki Stadium was the location where former Golden Gloves winner, Seymour, didn't seem to even try to get a good punch or two in before Rourke was declared the champ.
While the match itself is being called fixed by many, mainly because it looked like Seymour allowed Rourke to win, it doesn't take away from all of the hard work that the actor has put in. Rourke has lost 35 pounds while training and really does appear to be in incredible shape for a 62-year-old man. He also told Russian television that getting back in the ring has had a therapeutic effect on him as well.
"I've got some things going on in my life so that (boxing has) sort of saved me from myself. And for a man like me, it's better to live in fear than go on in shame," said Rourke. His dressing room backstage also appeared to show that Rourke has traded in his fast living for a more spiritual existence, as it was filled with candles and photos of saints and his recently deceased dog.
This match with Seymour wasn't a one-shot kind of thing for Rourke either. He has four more boxing matches scheduled in Russia and seems to really want to revive his boxing career through a series of exhibitions. Did you catch the match between Rourke and Seymour? Do you think that it was fixed to boost Rourke's confidence and allow him a triumphant return? Or do you think that Seymour was simply not at his best yesterday and Rourke won fair and square? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
