Had, say, somebody like Donnie Fleeman defeated Cassius Clay back in the tender year of 1961, here’s guessing the trunks he wore that night at Miami’s Municipal Auditorium would carry not only historical significance, but a hefty dollar tag. It didn’t happen, of course. The pride of Midlothian lasted only 6 rounds with the then 19-year-old Clay, losing the exchanges through a glaring discrepancy of speed. It was Fleeman’s last fight, and he ultimately became a footnote in the monolithic career of the Muhammad Ali.
Artemij Sitenkov had better luck than Fleeman. The night he arrived in Dublin to fight a still soft-faced Conor McGregor, he didn’t know he’d be smudging the record of a burgeoning icon.