A long-standing rivalry between two Brazilian politicians, known for their exchanges of provocations, accusations, and allegations, culminated in a boxing match. Social media was flooded with videos produced by both parties with no resolution until they agreed on the best solution: to head to the boxing ring on a Sunday morning. They arranged with the venue to hold a nonstop match until one raised a white flag in surrender. Notably, neither had ever practiced boxing.
The match featured Simão Peixoto, the mayor of "Borba," located 150 kilometers from Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas state in northern Brazil, against former city council member Irineu Alves da Silva, known as "Merico." In the video that "Al Arabiya" shared, Merico wore a black cloth on his right foot as a means of identification in the ring against his 39-year-old rival.
The news of the match spread throughout the town and surrounding areas a week in advance, leading to bets among residents, who filled a sports club hosting the event for a fee and with 10% of the wagers placed on the winner. The bout lasted two minutes, during which Peixoto knocked Merico down with a punch that wasn’t a knockout since the former council member managed to recover quickly, but only for a few seconds, as Peixoto emerged victorious.
After the match, the mayor stated that the true winners were peace and harmony, and that a portion of what ended as a friendship following their hug after the bout would go to a municipal fund that invests in and promotes sports, as reported by local media. Peixoto also encouraged anyone with a political rivalry to resolve it through a boxing match or other means.
