Boxing

Froch v Groves, 'Unfinished Business'

“I didn't know you were into boxing” said DLL.

There was a time when everyone was into boxing. The big Ali nights, when everyone stopped up to stupid hours to watch the Rumble in the Jungle and the Thriller in Manilla. Even contributing to popular language. 'Rope a Dope'.

Then there were Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Michael Watson, and later Steve Collins slugging it out at middleweight and super-middleweight. Unmissable events, not just nights of boxing. The heavyweights went into the doldrums a bit. Lumbering and slow, and with a small top tier, then a gap, then Frank Bruno, then another gap, leaving poor Frank either bashing up no-hopers or getting a hiding.

Frosch v Groves lit up Wembley, huge screens, fireworks, Groves popped into the arena aboard an open top London bus.

It wasn't the up-and-at-them slugfest the first fight promised. More measured from both. Then, just when he was starting to peg back a few rounds and was looking stronger and stronger, Groves copped a right hook that finished the bout, leaving him on the canvass, reeling. This time there was no doubt whatsoever over the referee stopping the fight.

Frosch was obviously briefed on being a bit more humble. Even seconds before the interviews his corner were frantically whispering in his ear. He tried, but he failed. Groves just promised to learn and come back stronger.

Penny Dreadful

Dr Frankenstein. Dorian Grey. Quasi-vampires with Egyptian hieroglyphic tattoos. An embarrassment of riches in the blood, gore and thrills departments. I'm totally at a loss as to quite what is going on. The only thing for sure is that, while there's no Walking Dead, it'll fill the gap.

The Gothic settings and feel lend atmosphere, and there have been one or two absolutely goosebump moments.

The titles go on just a little bit too long. Other than that...

Qatar and the World Cup

Olympics, winter olympics and World Cups are awarded, not on any fair basis, but through politics, 'hospitality', and getting enough awarding committee votes, by hook or by crook.

Mostly, by crook.

The outcry, a very belated outcry, about Qatar has the targets all wrong.

When the basis of a winning bid is, basically, bribery and corruption, it's sour grapes to complain that someone else has simply out-bribed and out-corrupted you and your bid team.

The problem lies with the method of selection. There is a fair way. Among other fair ways, why not enter all the countries capable and willing to stage the competition into a random number generator, and let it produce a list. New qualifies, back of the queue. No longer able or willing? It passes to the next on the list. No millions spent on hospitality bribery and corruption, no more need to suck up to Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini.