The first epigraph, from Levine's poem "They Feed They Lion," is a meditation on the brutality of boxing and the way it transforms the human body. The poem portrays boxing as a kind of ritual sacrifice, in which the boxer's body is broken and battered in order to satisfy the bloodlust of the crowd. This image of the boxer as a sacrificial victim is echoed in Oates's own discussion of boxing, in which she describes the sport as "a form of cultural ritual, a sacrificial blood rite, in which the young men offer their bodies to be brutalized and broken."
The second epigraph, from Duchamp's "The Green Box," is a more playful and ironic meditation on the body and its representation. Duchamp's work often explores the tension between the ideal body and the imperfect reality of the human form, and his epigraph suggests that the "perfect body" is a myth. This idea is echoed in Oates's discussion of boxing, in which she argues that the sport's emphasis on the perfect male body is ultimately destructive and unrealistic.
By placing these two epigraphs at the beginning of her essay, Oates signals to the reader that she will be exploring the complex relationship between violence, masculinity, and the human body. The epigraphs provide a framework for understanding Oates's argument and help to set the tone for her discussion of boxing.