Lucha del Año













Eli Black vs El Fuego, Match 646 (UCW)

Match 646 lives up to its billing as "fight of the year." It may be the best fight I have ever seen. The eventual collision of these two powder kegs has topped my wish list since I first saw Fuego in action last summer. Similar physiques, similar fight styles, similar charisma, though divergent personalities, light up the UCW mat room like an atomic Fourth of July.

Kudos to UCW for keeping it simple. Dolling this match up with a ring, a ref, sideline chatter, foreign objects, outside interference, or long introductory harangues would not have done it justice. There's a purity in the mano-a-mano roughhouse that would have outshone the gawdy accoutrements anyway. In its raw simplicity Fuego vs Black is a work of genius.

These two wrestlers' physical eloquence is not matched anywhere in underground wrestling. Any one element in the mix can stand on its own. I can close my eyes, and the grunts and yelps alone carry the electric zap of ten of most other matches put together. I can turn off the sound, and the tangle of muscle and the glaze on punch-drunk faces tell me all I need to know to keep up with the unfolding action.

Eli is in top form here, alive with youthful fire and steadied by experience and expertise. From the beginning there was no doubt in my mind that Eli would go for Fuego's mask and that Fuego would fight like a raptor to stop him. Fuego amazes me - a live wire who throws himself unreservedly and without restraint into every contest. He seems to bear no malice against anyone, least of all his opponent, giddily enjoying the fight purely for its own sake, its myriad sensations and challenges.


Visit UCW here.

Comments

  1. You're totally right, Joe. This match is stunning, and a great showing for both men. I wish they'd fight each other 100 more times. This was a dream match that outdid my expectations. UCW rocks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm longing until Eli tell how's El Fuego look like!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A little tidbit. El Fuego and Eli black had a Private BJJ match after the recording. If interested I can share what happened.

    ReplyDelete

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