Jack Bedell
Just One Round
I’m always good for a round or two, and my kids know it. Last night, my son walked in with his laptop open and YouTube already fired up. He wanted to know the best single round of boxing I ever saw. Everything in my heart wanted to tell him the 14th round of Ali-Frazier III, but I knew I couldn’t live that pain again so told him to load up the first round of Hagler-Hearns. From the opening bell, Hagler was coming forward, just gunning. Hearns had a clear choice between fighting the fight he knew he had to fight to win and fighting the fight Hagler was coming to get. I told my son life doesn’t always put the choice of doing what we need to do on the table, so we watched three minutes of Hearns setting his feet and throwing hands with a bigger, stronger champ who didn’t know a single thing about backing up. No need to say how that would end up for Hearns in a couple of rounds, but as my old man would tell us both if he could, there’s never any shame in going toe to toe in the ring, even if it means a short night the other cat’s way.
Jack B. Bedell is Professor of English and Coordinator of Creative Writing at Southeastern Louisiana University where he also edits Louisiana Literature and directs the Louisiana Literature Press. Jack’s work has appeared in HAD, Heavy Feather, Pidgeonholes, The Shore, Moist, Okay Donkey, EcoTheo, The Hopper, Terrain, and other journals. His work has also been selected for inclusion in Best Microfiction and Best Spiritual Literature. His latest collection is Against the Woods’ Dark Trunks (Mercer University Press, 2022). He served as Louisiana Poet Laureate 2017-2019.
