Float Like a Butterfly in Key West

Professional boxers have earned a special type of respect. While we tend to avoid physical confrontations at all costs, they willingly walk into a roped-off square and order a can of whoop-ass. Yes, there’s a referee to make sure things don’t get too ugly, but we’re more comfortable outside the ring. Which is why we’ll be at tonight’s Fight Night in the Keys, watching comfortably from the sidelines.

You might think it weird for professional fisticuffs to be going down in one of the nation’s most idyllic places, but Key West has been the site of this type of action since the days of Ernest Hemingway. Rationalize your witnessing the gore as taking part in history; plus the bouts are going to be on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights! The gates at Mallory Square open at 6 p.m., and the pounding begins at 7. General admission starts at $35, and VIP passes cost $165, which includes entrance to parties and a prefight reception.
Fri., Jan. 18, 6 p.m., 2008