But watching films of the machine in sparring matches against lesser human champions, I felt myself choking up at its heroic effort, the size of the undertaking, the centuries of accumulating groundwork, hope and ingenuity that have gone into this next step in the long human drama.
By the time Mr. Wiseman and his terrific cameraman, John Davey, hit the gym three years ago, it was known for welcoming women alongside men, an equal-opportunity reputation reflected by some of the fighters trained by Mr. Lord, including Jesús Chávez (also known as El Matador) and a lesser-known champion, the female junior flyweight Anissa Zamarron (the Assassin).
But there are countless lesser known champions against malaria deaths like Sheikh Conteh in Sierra Leone, Bishop Dinis Sengulane in Mozambique, Bishop Sunday Onuoha in Nigeria who are leading faith communities in national campaigns against the disease.
There are also the lesser-known champions of culture, like Lucille Nance, whose penchant for collecting historical art, in particular 18th-century Rococo, is presented in the exhibition "Collecting Art History: Taste on the Southern Plains".
Jamie's programmes and, perhaps to a lesser extent Great British Bake Off, champion the pleasure of simple home cooking and, particularly in the case of Jamie – though less so with a stopwatch running – present cooking as convivial, restful and unfettered.
Bengt Forsberg, a pianist and Ms. von Otter's regular accompanist, likes to champion lesser-known, underperformed composers.
The lesser measures that Dr. Emanuel champions — computerized and standardized billing — won't do the job.
The Nigerian striker joined the Turkish champions from lesser lights Kardemir Karabukspor in a move which saw US$10m change hands.
It is up to scientists and naturalists to continue to champion these lesser-known groups to ensure that public appreciation of their importance continues to grow and to guarantee their conservation protection in the future.
JoAnne Kloppenburg, a lesser-known challenger championed by liberals, seemed, at least briefly, to have won the election, which by then had turned into a referendum on Mr. Walker.
Ms. Obama is now a beacon of modernity, championing lesser-known American designers in a most single-minded manner.
