The Literary Life

Jose Canseco

WRITERS HAVE long been entranced by boxing, what Joyce Carol Oates once called " America's tragic theater." So entranced that many have gone from writing about it to slipping on a pair of gloves and entering the squared circle. Hemingway taught—or at least tried to teach—Ezra Pound to box. George Plimpton fought Archie Moore. Norman Mailer gave light heavyweight champ Jose Torres writing lessons in exchange for boxing lessons. And now Jose Canseco, author of two steroid expos�s, will become the latest scribe to climb into the ring. He recently issued a challenge: $5,000 to any comer, and he got a taker in Vai Sikahema (right).

The retired NFL return man is now a Philadelphia sportscaster. At 5'9" and 190 pounds, Sikahema, 45, will be at a distinct size disadvantage against the 6'4", 240-ish Canseco, but Sikahema has experience on his side. A former Golden Gloves boxer, he decisioned a local deejay in a bout in January on the undercard of a Danny Bonaduce fight. And judging by his NFL TD celebration—in which he shadowboxed the goalpost—he has no problem roughing up an immobile object. His fight against the 43-year-old Canseco (who's hoping the purse will help him get out of debt) will take place at a minor league baseball stadium in Atlantic City on July 12. The prebout hype was to begin on Tuesday with a press conference at a Philly Chrysler dealership.

Sikahema isn't the only one eager to fight Canseco. "I figured, What the heck, I'll pound his face for five G's," former Bruins enforcer Lyndon Byers told the Boston Herald. But the 6'1" 200-pounder was passed over. "[ Canseco] makes me puke," Byers said. "The guy single-handedly ruined baseball, now he won't even fight someone his own size."