Amanda: No way, Mike. I hate boxing! I don't understand why people enjoy watching two grown men beat the living daylights out of each other. Aren't we supposed to be living in a more civilized world now? Are we barbarians? Does violence ever solve anything?
Mike: Now that you put it that way, I'm not sure what to think. All I know is that there's something moving about watching two guys struggling against each other with every last ounce of strength-fighting through the pain and the fatigue, getting back up once they've been knocked down.
Amanda: But it's so horrible to watch! Why can't they struggle against each other with their minds instead of just using their brute strength?
Mike: Maybe you'd like this new sport called "chessboxing," then. Competitors alternate between four-minute rounds of chess and three-minute rounds of boxing. Whoever gets a knockout or a checkmate first wins-it's the ultimate combination of brain and brawn!
Amanda: That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of ... yet it's also strangely brilliant.
Mike: I know. I've already decided to start training-I want to represent Taiwan if this ever becomes an Olympic sport!
