Columnist Ron Kantowski: Las Vegas loves a good fight

Thursday, May 2, 2002 | 9:54 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's insider notes column appears Tuesday and his Page One column appears Thursday. He can be reached at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

During a 15-day period that ended last Saturday, there were eight live boxing cards in and around Las Vegas.

This weekend, K-1 USA, one of a plethora of martial arts fighting sports, invades the Mirage.

Next weekend, local police officers and firefighters will join a bunch of Butterbean Esch wanna-bes in slugging it out at a Toughman Championship Series event at the Orleans.

And it has been just a few weeks since the Ultimate Fighting Championship, another in a plethora of martial arts fighting sports, staged a card at the MGM Grand.

One thing is for certain: Riding your mo-ped into Laughlin on River Run weekend isn't the only way to get your butt kicked around here.

If there's three things red-blooded America can't get enough of, it's Pam Anderson's breasts and fisticuffs. And based on what has been happening around here, I'm not sure I've got them in the right order.

It's almost as if the Strip has been turned into a gigantic testosterone experiment.

So far, the results have been mixed.

"Fair, not great," is the way Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, described box office business for the non-traditional pugilistic offerings.

Ratner has been approached by so many fighting organizations for sanctioning approval that the next time two drunks get into an argument at a bar, he half expects to hear from them before they "take it outside."

A self-described boxing man, Ratner refuses to include that sport in any discussion about martial arts and other fighting hybrids. But that's not to say he doesn't appreciate the skills of the fighters, or the public's fascination with what they do.

"A lot of people love mixed martial arts," he said. "There are karate studios all over town, and there's a lot of interest in judo, karate and what have you. There's always a fascination when you mix some of the concepts, who the toughest guy is gonna be.

"As always, the market will determine (which martial arts shows) will survive when there's an overabundance."

Each of the fighting sports has a glossy press kit that explains why it rules supreme, but the Las Vegas-based UFC also has something more important when it comes to long-term viability -- impressive gate receipts.

Ratner said the last UFC show here had a live gate of $899,000. "That did better than the Mayfield-Castillo fight," he said, referencing rising boxing star Floyd Mayweather's HBO-televised championship bout with Jose Luis Castillo at the MGM on April 20.

And Ratner said those who don't consider mixed martial arts a real sport should consider this: One of the UFC fighters at the MGM even tested positive for steroids.

Like Ratner, my interest in fighting begins and ends with boxing, although if somebody is getting the best of notorious goon Tie Domi in a hockey fight, I might sneak a peek. But with the exception of buying a bottle of Hai Karate after shave as a youngster, the closest I've come to martial arts is sitting through a Steven Seagal movie, which really wasn't as bad as I expected.

Admitting that to a martial arts enthusiast is probably one more way to get your butt kicked.