BB 7

One of the best scenes in any martial arts movie is when a skilled fighter shows off just how powerful he is by fighting blindfolded. After all, a true master of hand-to-hand combat should be able to utilize his other senses to defeat his opponent.

But if one blindfolded pugilist is cool, two blindfolded combatants going against each other must be even more awesome, right? Not always, but it does make for plenty of physical comedy, as this video of blindfolded boxing shows.

The video appears to have been shot on a cell phone, which would explain why it looks a bit more like an unreleased Sega CD game from 1993 than what it really is, an actual contest in Digos City in the Philippines which reportedly took place shortly after the end of the Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao prizefight which was held in Las Vegas on May 2.

Grainy visuals notwithstanding, we do at least have a clearer view of the action than the two fighters themselves, who we’ll call Crusher Gray and Kid Red. The video starts us off in the middle of the bout, so there’s no official tale of the tape, but judging from their appearances, we’d say Gray has a bit of a height, weight, and reach advantage.

▼ Another advantage Gray has over Red: shoes

BB 1

But while there may be a footwear discrepancy between the two fighters, they’re both equally blindfolded, and the scrappy Kid Red isn’t backing down from this challenge, so let’s ring the bell and watch the highlights, originally shared by Facebook user Cee Jay.

It quickly becomes apparent that while neither of these guys is lacking in courage, they’re not exactly trained or experienced boxers. One revealing tell is the way Kid Red spends most of the match in a half crouch with his off-hand extended at an awkward angle like he’s trying to copy the mantis kung fu stance of Gen from Street Fighter Alpha 2.

▼ At one point, Gray seems to think he too has slipped into a fighting game and tries throwing a sonic boom, but makes the rookie mistake of forgetting to hold back for two seconds first and fails to produce any spinning energy disc.

BB 2

It turns out a boxing ring can be surprisingly roomy when you and your opponent can’t see each other, as Gray and Red often end up back to back or lined up with one behind the other. As a matter of fact, Kid Red throws almost as many punches at the referee as he does at his intended adversary.

▼ Or is he just so scrappy that he’ll fight everyone who steps into the ring with him, all at the same time?

BB 3

Gray is even more aggressive, as he, for some reason, throws several punches outside the ropes as he searches for Kid Red. One of them ends up being the most solid blow of the night, as he hits a spectator straight in the face at the 2:41 mark.

▼ We also can’t help but notice that this punch is aimed exactly at the height of Red’s groin…

BB 4

Meanwhile, Red delivers the most damaging punch that stays inside the ring with this hook at 2:10.

BB 5

There’s even a heartwarming moment of teamwork when the two boxers set aside their differences at the 2:26 point to simultaneously throw twin haymakers at the invisible monster that’s threatening the unaware crowd of spectators.

BB 6

Unfortunately, the video ends without showing the final decision. Our RocketNews24 boxing judge, however, scored the round 10-9 in favor of Kid Red, due to the more compact fighter landing more blows than his opponent, regardless of who he was punching. We still think Kid Red has a bit of work to do before Pacquiao’s handlers will schedule a fight with him though, and given the obvious fact that Red is a danger to both himself and everyone in and around the ring (with the odd exception of his opponent), we think it’s safest if his next domestic opponent is someone a little less real.

Sources: Kicker Daily News, Facebook/Cee Jay
Images: YouTube (edited by RocketNew24)