It's like Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing a padded muscle-shirt.

There are some things in this world I will just never understand. Like math. I'll never get it. It must be a case of me not activating the right side of my brain. Or the left side. Hell, I don't know which side it is. Would you like to know another thing I will never understand?

Cheating.

It just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe I like the idea of falling asleep with a clear conscious too much. But I really think I would rather lose at something than the alternative of cheating to win. Am I alone in this?

Last night, "Sugar" Shane Mosley challenged for Antonio Margarito's welterweight title. And it was a thrilling fight. Mosley, with his new trainer Naazim Richardson, put together a perfect gameplan to disrupt the potential destruction of the "Tijuana Tornado." Mosley used ring smarts and accurate flurries to dumbfound Margarito. Then, in the ninth round, Mosley floored Margarito. The fight was stopped shortly thereafter by referee Raul Caiz. It was a tremendous performance by a 37-year-old aging legend who, by many believers, is well past his prime. But it was vintage Mosley: quick feet, surprising power, accurate punching, technical boxing. Mosley had big leads on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the fight being stopped. But perhaps the biggest storyline of the night happened before the fight ever started...

Margarito had to have his hands rewrapped prior to the fight because his original wraps were deemed unacceptable by fight officials. His wraps were said to have a "plaster-like substance" on them. What? Margarito? Using plaster of paris on his hand wraps? I just do not understand this! This is like Dolly Parton wearing a Wonderbra. Or finding out Usain Bolt has rocket packs in his shoes. Or that Tiger Woods has started using a flag-finding golf ball. The point is, What's the point? Why cheat when you have a natural advantage anyway? Margarito already has sledgehammers for hands. We've seen it in the past. He's the only man to defeat Kermit Cintron (which he did, twice, both by knockout) and the previously undefeated Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto.

So hearing all this, do all of Margarito's past wins now need to be put under a microscope? Do the sanctioning bodies of boxing need to question their title fights in which Margarito prevailed victorious?

I hate it for Mosley. He has thrust himself to the top of the welterweight division for the first time since 2001. And he did so in a thrilling fashion. He also did so fairly. Congratulations to "Sugar" Shane Mosley.

I'm not upset about all this because I picked Margarito to win. I really thought he would. But I also thought he would do so fairly. I now hope this doesn't give boxing a similar black eye to the one that Barry Bonds' alleged steroid use gave to baseball.

Boxing doesn't need this. Nobody does.

Who likes cheaters anyway?

I love the game "word association." Don't you?

Everyone know how this game works? Someone says a word or term or shows a picture, and you say the very first thing that pops into your mind. Easy enough. I'll roll through a few. If someone shows me a picture of the Chicago Cubs logo, I'd say: Loser. If someone shows me a picture of Ryan Leaf, I'd say: Bust. See how it works? I'll keep going... Michael Jordan? Champion.
Pacman Jones? Idiot.
Vince Young? Overrated.
Muhammad Ali? Greatest.
Lance Armstrong? Heart.
Mike Singletary? "Can't do it!"
Ray Lewis? Passion.
Utah's football team? True national champions.
Zab Judah? Waste of talent.
Erin Andrews? Mmm... hot.
Tiger Woods? Intense.
But here's one that stumps me: Tony Dungy. For those of you who happen to make your dwelling under a rock, Dungy is (was... whatever, we'll get to that) the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. And today, 12 January, 2009, he announced his retirement. And the reason his name makes me balk while playing "word association" is for no other reason than I have too many terms come to mind. Words like honor, respect, kindness, loyalty, champion, legacy, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Thesauruses are printed and reprinted because of men like Tony Dungy. And it isn't just his accomplishments which impress me. They are, however, quite staggering... He coached 13 seasons in the NFL, six with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the final seven with the Colts. Over that span, he compiled a record of 139 wins and 69 losses. I'll do the math real quick: that means he won 70 more games than he lost! And in this era of the NFL, which prides itself on what it calls "parity," that's nothing short of remarkable. But beyond that, he is the first and only black head coach to win a Super Bowl, which he did with the Colts in 2006. He only had one losing season out of his 13 at the helm of the two franchises, and won division titles six of those years. And it isn't the fact that he had a .759 winning percentage with the Colts, the third highest percentage with one team in NFL history. Nor is it his six consecutive 12-win seasons or his 10 consecutive playoff appearances, which are both (ahem) NFL records. It's the way he treated everyone around him that made Tony Dungy different. The care and respect he had for each one of his players. I read his autobiography, "Quiet Strength," and in it he explains that the most disappointed he's ever been in a player was when one of his players in Tampa skipped out on a speaking engagement to a group of local kids. Dungy and his Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in 2006 to win the Super Bowl. The star linebacker for the Bears and one of the premier talents in the NFL is Brian Urlacher. Upon hearing the news of Dungy's retirement, Urlacher said, "I think he's one of the best and most respected coaches of all-time, and a great man on top of all the football achievements." Herm Edwards, current head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and a close friend of Dungy, also added, "The League will miss him but obviously never forget him, because of what he's done and the standards he set. Not only for coaches, but especially for black coaches. He's a guy that won a Super Bowl. I think he always looks back at the guys before him that gave him the opportunity. And now he has set up a standard for other guys to follow him." That's the legacy of Tuny Dungy. He will be sorely missed by fellow coaches, players, and thousands upon thousands of fans. At his press conference today, Jim Irsay, owner of the Colts, and Bill Polian, president of the Colts organization, both cried. When does that ever happen in pro sports?? Polian called Dungy "a mentor, a role model, and a cherished friend." Tony Dungy has always carried himself with a level of dignity that is unparalleled in pro sports. He is also a nightmare for people playing "word association." He may have retired, but I will always refer to him as Coach Dungy. May God bless him. I wish the absolute best for Coach Dungy and his family as they begin the next chapter of their lives.