Sports item, circa 1974: Battling Maxo, B2, heavyweight, accompanied by his manager and handler, arrives in Maynard, Kansas, for a scheduled six-round bout.
Location for the facing of said truth: a small, smoke-filled arena just this side - of the Twilight Zone.In the near-future year of 1974, boxing between human fighters has been abolished and the sport is dominated by fighting robots.
Despite a valiant effort, he is unable to damage Maynard Flash, an opponent of a more advanced model than Maxo, even when he lands an unblocked punch directly to the back of its head.
His potential for tenacity and optimism continues, as always, to outfight, outpoint and outlive any and all changes made by his society, for which three cheers and a unanimous decision rendered from the Twilight Zone.This was the first episode sponsored by Procter & Gamble (alternating sponsorship with American Tobacco), who usually "pitched" Crest toothpaste, Lilt Home Permanent, and Prell shampoo, among their other products.
Serling, in his narration, had predicted that professional boxing would be outlawed within five years of the episode's airing; at the time, the sport was mired in controversy after Emile Griffith killed his opponent Benny Paret in a nationally televised and particularly brutal 1962 match.
Each of the five credited cast members appeared in one other episode — Lee Marvin starred in "The Grave" (October 1961), Joe Mantell starred as "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room" (October 1960), Chuck Hicks had an uncredited bit part as a mover in "Ninety Years Without Slumbering" (December 1963, two months after this episode), Merritt Bohn was billed at the bottom of the cast list in a bit part as a truck driver in Twilight Zone's second episode, "One for the Angels" (October 1959) and Frank London was billed third from the end in a bit part as a driver in ""A Penny for Your Thoughts" (February 1961).