The Savage World of Slap Fighting

The image that I can’t forget—the one that truly pulls me into the savage, surreal, and ridiculously compelling world of professional slap fighting—is the open hand of heavyweight champion Damien “the Bell” Dibbell smashing into the giant bearded face of Ryan “the King of Kings” Phillips in slow motion. In the moment, I can’t tell whether my horror or pleasure is greater. Phillips’s eyes are closed, all 255 pounds of him anticipating the blow, hoping to endure it so he can return fire. He can’t move to evade the slap. That’s not allowed in this relatively new, super-fast-growing combat sport. Flinching is a foul—spiritually, the greatest foul in slap fighting—and the penalty is that your opponent gets an extra chance to smash you in the face. So you just have to take the blow. Dibbell’s slap takes maybe a second to deliver in real time. Phillips drops—whatever was him, gone at least briefly—and his body crumples to the ground. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [Inside the Savage, Surreal, Booming World of Professional Slap Fighting]( [Inside the Savage, Surreal, Booming World of Professional Slap Fighting]( The image that I can’t forget—the one that truly pulls me into the savage, surreal, and ridiculously compelling world of professional slap fighting—is the open hand of heavyweight champion Damien “the Bell” Dibbell smashing into the giant bearded face of Ryan “the King of Kings” Phillips in slow motion. In the moment, I can’t tell whether my horror or pleasure is greater. Phillips’s eyes are closed, all 255 pounds of him anticipating the blow, hoping to endure it so he can return fire. He can’t move to evade the slap. That’s not allowed in this relatively new, super-fast-growing combat sport. Flinching is a foul—spiritually, the greatest foul in slap fighting—and the penalty is that your opponent gets an extra chance to smash you in the face. So you just have to take the blow. Dibbell’s slap takes maybe a second to deliver in real time. Phillips drops—whatever was him, gone at least briefly—and his body crumples to the ground. [Read More](   [Loewe and On Are Back With the Perfect Summer Sneakers (and More)]( [Loewe and On Are Back With the Perfect Summer Sneakers (and More)]( Could this be the workout gear you need to finally start working out? [Read More]( [The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 (So Far)]( [The 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 (So Far)]( To make sense of an ever-changing world, dip into these titles. [Read More](     [Furiosa Is, At Times, Great. But Do We Need More Mad Max Stories?]( [Furiosa Is, At Times, Great. But Do We Need More Mad Max Stories?]( Fans of Fury Road will immediately make the connection that Furiosa’s new home at Immortan Joe’s Citadel is the same place she escaped from in the previous film. And so the narrative puzzle pieces start snapping into place, forming a larger picture. But whereas Fury Road was essentially constructed as a two-hour high-speed Rube Goldberg chase goosed by some of the hairiest practical stunts ever put on film, Furiosa spends large chunks of time mapping out the franchise’s various players, power struggles, and points on the compass. This is all interesting enough in a map-of-Narnia sort of way, but you can’t help wishing that Miller spent less time on world-building and more on his gonzo demolition-derby mayhem. That said, when the high-speed volleys of action do break out, they’re as awesomely bonkers as you could possibly want. I just wish the portions were bigger. [Read More](   [25 No-Fail White Sneakers Every Man Should Own]( [25 No-Fail White Sneakers Every Man Should Own]( The style is as timeless—and timely—as ever. [Read More]( [What I’ve Learned: Tom Selleck]( [What I’ve Learned: Tom Selleck]( The actor and writer—whose memoir, You Never Know, is out now—spoke to Esquire about Magnum, Blue Bloods, and everything in between. [Read More](     [Kick Summer Off With the 70+ Best Memorial Day Sales]( [Kick Summer Off With the 70+ Best Memorial Day Sales]( Memorial Day weekend is one of the best times of the year to buy, well, a lot of stuff. It's the traditional time for mattress and furniture stores to restock their showrooms. These days, tech brands have gotten in on the start of summer sale season. Last year's televisions and smartphones are on sale, and some are throwing out bundle deals, too. Of course, of course there's outdoor furniture and patio sets for the low. So, all things considered, Memorial Day weekend might be the best shopping weekend of the year. [Read More](   [ESQ SHR Jewelry]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo]( [How satisfied are you with the content of this newsletter?]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice]( | [CA Notice at Collection]( Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779