The guest contestant for host Peter Sagal on this week's NPR comedy quiz show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! is traveling chef, Anthony Bourdain. I've never been much of a fan of the fellow, finding him overly snarky and self-obsessed, though admire his food journeys around the world and do at least understand his popularity as a lively raconteur.
By the way, at one point he makes a self-deprecating quip that references "Chuck Wepner." As host Peter Sagal notes, he doesn't know who that is but the joke is funny anyway. But for those who would like the know, Wepner was a passable boxer with the nickname, "the Bayonne Bleeder," who very-surprisingly got a heavyweight championship title shot against Muhammed Ali. Equally surprisingly to the boxing world (most especially since he'd never been able to go more than 12 rounds before and everyone expected a blow-out), he almost lasted the entire 15-round fight, only losing in the final 30 seconds of a last round on a TKO, "technical knock out." (He also became only the fourth boxer to ever knock Ali down in a fight -- and the only person to do so when Ali was champion.) And after reading all this, it may not surprise you to learn that he was the inspiration for the movie character, 'Rocky Balboa.'
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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