The Morning According to Us

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Well, this seems to be going well.

British boxer Peter Buckley will step into the ring tonight for the 300th and very last time. The proud pugilist will walk away from a brutal sport with his mind and body intact, and a deep sense of self-satisfaction despite compiling career stats most any boxing fan would scoff at.

His tale of the tape? A career record of 31 wins, 256 losses, 12 draws, and 88 consecutive fights without a victory dating back to 2003. At first glance, one might think the 39-year-old super-featherweight is the '62 Mets with cauliflower ears, the '72 76ers with swollen hands, the '76 Buccaneers…okay, nothing will ever compare to them, but you get our point, right?

Take a closer look, and you'll find that Peter Buckley is the embodiment of our affinity for sports and love of competition. He's the ultimate underdog. All guts over glory, passion over paycheck. He's Joe the Plumber turned pugilist, real and identifiable (but probably up to date on his tax bill). He fights for the love of the game. Says the man dubbed "The world's worst boxer", "I just love competing…I love boxing. I always give it my all. I never went in half-hearted, and I always tried my best."

This match shouldn't be a 2 AM footnote on ESPNews, but rather promoted as a pay-per-view event with all the proceeds going to Mr. Buckley. Have the ring card girl hold up the number "300", and the crowd gives him a standing ovation, win or lose.

In many ways, his 300 fights is a much more meaningful number than, say, 3,000 hits, isn't it? So, maybe Peter Buckley will bow out with a rare win. After all, we just witnessed a franchise with over 10,000 losses win the World Series.

Elsewhere…

What do you do when you're a hack of a golfer whose sliced drive lands in the wrong hole? Make t-shirts, obviously.

Hey, whatever works: A Chinese man fishes while balancing on a narrow pipe without any bait, and catches four fish in a half hour.

Jerusalem Post to pro soccer coaches: Quit complaining about the pressure your team is under. The season is only a few weeks old.

The Olympics made Beijingers more civil, less prone to spitting. Wow. This picture is epic.

Mayor officially tells Philly fans to not burn down the city. Just so it's on the record.

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