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When Greg Brady fought Danny Partridge
David Cassidy weighs in on the bout.
It was a dream bout. Pure polyester pugilism. A sensational '70s smackdown. Greg Brady vs. Danny Partridge. Williams vs. Bonaduce.
Celebrity boxing is a phenomenon that recurs every few years. But back in 2002, all eyes were on two former family sitcom stars. Back then, Celebrity Boxing was a primetime network television series that lasted for two episodes on FOX. Among its famous participants was a sitcom sibling showdown, as former child stars Barry Williams and Danny Bonaduce squared up in the show's first episode.
Anybody who watched TV in the Seventies was probably at least fleetingly familiar with The Brady Bunch and its network neighbor The Partridge Family. Both shows featured prodigious young stars with fresh faces and musical talents. Naturally, they'd be pitted against each other in conversation and debate for decades to come. The similarities were apparent, but their boxing prowess was not!
Fast forward nearly thirty years and both shows have existed in suspended animation as reruns. If anything The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family grew in popularity after they stopped making new episodes. With its actors still associated with the show, few opportunities were passed up to capitalize on those past successes. When Celebrity Boxing came a-knocking, both Williams and Bonaduce answered the call.
It's hard to relate to former child stars and their decisions. For context, David Cassidy — Bonaduce's sitcom brother on The Partridge Family— provided some insight into the bout.
"First of all, what is he doing boxing? He's not a boxer," Cassidy said of Bonaduce in an interview with the Morristown, New Jersey Daily Record.
"If Barry Williams goes beyond two rounds, he'll kill him, because Danny chain smokes. Although, I'm not sure he's going to survive a minute and a half with Danny.
"I think it's very sad. I really do. It's like: What next? What kind of cheap entertainment is this? It's a freak show! I love to watch boxing if it's done by guys like Sugar Ray Leonard — guys who are brilliant and extraordinarily gifted and schooled. But Danny Bonaduce and Barry Williams? They're going to look like fools up there! Why would you do something like that? Plus Barry Williams might get hurt."
Cassidy first heard of the fight two weeks prior to the bell. At the time, Bonaduce was opening for Cassidy at a nightclub.
"He told me he was going to box somebody; at that point, they hadn't chosen who," said Cassidy. "But of course, they would choose someone from The Brady Bunch. You know? 'Hey here's a great hook.'
"And, as I have said to Danny — I would never say this to the press without saying it to his face — 'You will do anything to, A: Be in the media, B; Get arrested so that you can get news coverage or C: Get arrested so that I can bail you out.'"
So, with his insider understanding of the fight and its contestants, who did David Cassidy favor to win?
"Oh, Danny Bonaduce will kick anybody's ***," said Cassidy. "I mean he's an ex-karate guy. I mean, he's my friend more than anything else. but if he's serious about it — he's a tough little bugger. I wouldn't mess with him."
Cassidy was right! Danny Bonaduce won the bout, knocking Williams down five times before Williams' manager threw in the towel in the second round.
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On a side note, I have seen those ambulance chasing commercials for Camp Lejune so many times, I'm beginning to think I served in the Marines, was stationed there, and am due some dollars. I'm impressionable.
Jimmy JJ Walker prolly takes any gig he is offered, maybe they can put him in the commercial on the golf course with Frank Thomas & Doug Flutie getting their manliness back! 😄😄😄