All the World’s a Stage

Abstract

One of the most obvious things about the Bruno/Tyson world heavyweight boxing match in 1989 was the theatricality of the whole affair. With a fanfare of trumpets and a flourishing of spotlights, the two protagonists made their entrances into the arena, paraded round the ring and stared at each other as the script required them to do. We even had Tyson in the black shorts of the bad guy and Bruno in the gold lamé-collared dressing-gown of the gentleman. They knew what was expected of them and had rehearsed, at least in imagination, how they would behave.