By Matt Yoder on

Friday featured the continuation of the epic feud between ESPN's Keith Olbermann and WFAN Radio in New York featuring the sports pope himself Mike Francesa.  The entire week long battle has been the stuff of legend.  Ali-Frazier could only make it through three fights.  Yankees-Red Sox could only dream of this kind of intensity.  The history of Celtics-Lakers looks a November game between the Bobcats and Wizards in comparison to Francesa v Olbermann.  And Ohio State-Michigan?  Forget about it.

Unfortunately for fight fans, it may have been the last round for now.  After Olbermann's astonishing rant Thursday night on his ESPN2 show, a caller asked Mike Francesa for his thoughts on the "clown."  Francesa put up an effective defense, refusing to engage in full but still getting in a few crunching body blows (audio via EliIsElite)…

Throughout Friday, Olbermann was facing fire from much of #MongoNation and defending himself from fans of Francesa on all sides…

Olbermann took a couple nastier shots directly at Francesa and WFAN that were hidden in dreaded Twitlongers.  One that went below the belt involving Mike Francesa's anatomy and pea shooters and one insulting the entirety of WFAN listeners, as if the numbers weren't stacked enough against him as it is already.

Currently, this looks like the final exchange for now.  Olbermann skipped Francesa and WFAN entirely in last night's Worst Persons segment, although he did call out Damon Bruce's horrific rant against women in sport and the KNBR station for their silence.  Are Francesa and Olbermann coming to a truce?  Of course not!  Sadly, we've met the greatest enemy of the media fight – the weekend.

The final round ultimately fell short in the fireworks department as Francesa displayed a skillful defense that shut down Olbermann's offense.  It ends for now much like I thought it would yesterday, with Francesa swatting Olbermann's attacks away like he was nothing more than a pesky gnat that would dare to enter the pope's breathing space.  It's a brilliant strategy in a fight that's about egos the size of Everest.  Francesa gets to put Olbermann down and talk about how big of a deal he is all in one stroke.  In Francesa's mind, he's the bigger personality with the bigger show and the bigger audience and the bigger throne on which to look down upon the unwashed masses.  Although KO took a few more shots in social media to get the last word in, he elected not to continue the fight on ESPN2 and retreat to a defensive position for now.

The final round goes to Francesa and WFAN 10-9 in what will long be remembered as one of the most memorable battles in the history of sports media.  No, one of the most memorable battles in the history of all of sports.  No, that's not enough for Olbermann and Francesa.  One of the most memorable battles in the history of the human race and all other alien races put together.  There, that's better.

After 5 rounds we go to the scorecards, and the winner is…

Mike Francesa and WFAN with a 49-47 victory over Keith Olbermann.

(Mike, pssst, wake up so you can get your hand raised.)

Earlier:

Round 4 – Things get nasty between Francesa and Olbermann

Round 3 – Francesa fires back at Olbermann

Round 2 – Carton v Olbermann II

Round 1 – Olbermann blasts Boomer & Carton

 

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