Larry Neal
UNCLE RUFUS RAPS ON THE SQUARED CIRCLE
Once I saw a prize fighter box–
ing a yokel. The fighter was swift
and amazingly scientific. His body
was one violent flow of rapid
rhythmic action. He hit the yokel
a hundred times while the yokel
held up his arms in stunned sur–
prise. But suddenly the yokel, roll–
ing about in the gale of boxing
gloves, struck one blow and
knocked science, speed and foot–
work as cold as a well-diggers pos–
terior. The smart money hit the
canvas. The long shot got the nod.
The yokel had simply stepped in–
side ot his opponent's sense of
time.
.••
-RALPH ELLISON,
Invisible Man
Sporting events, like beauty contests, horse shows, public as–
sassinations -
all
forms . of spectacle - have implicit within them a
distinct metaphysical character, said Uncle Rufus while lighting his
cigar. We had been talking about the Ali-Frazier fight. He had once
been a boxer. Then later he became a singer and dancer in a minstrel
show. Needless to say, Uncle Rufus is a most fascinating gentleman.
Following our discussion, I discovered that he was one of the prime
sources for Melvin B. Tolson's extremely muscular masterpiece entitled
