VILLEPINTE, France — The captain was down and now it was up to the flyweight to pick up the flag. He was a slender, short-haired, solid kid named Claro – Alejandro Claro Fiz.

They put Claro in the red corner and there was a Brazilian in the blue. The Brazilian looked older and a bit worse for wear. He had tattoos and a trim mustache, which you don’t often see on a boxer because the hairs get soggy with water and ointment and blood. His name was Michael Douglas da Silva Trinadade, and he was born in Belém in 2000, about the time “Traffic” came out. But the fact was, Michael Douglas was only a few months older than Alejandro Claro Fiz.