1 Corinthians 15:32

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die (KJV)

Then: Look at that! the biblical version of "Eat, drink, and be merry." And the Corinthians heard it first. Corinthians also had an advantage of an overland rumor express. They probably knew whether Paul's reference to fighting with beasts was an actual event or a metaphor. Some commentators call the reference an agon, a figurative hellenistic device in which an image substitutes for and describes a speaker's moralistic intent (Collins & Harrington, p.557).

Now: Others read the sentence as another instance of Paul's continued defense against those who believe his leadership is lacking. Since the New Living Testament translation uses a phrase "those people of Ephesus" after the words "wild beasts," Baker (p. 228) pictures Paul's suffering as being physical, emotional and spiritual. At any rate, it is part of the build up to another interim reason to know that resurrection is as actual and real as the creation.

Extra Source: First Corinthians by Raymond F. Collins and Daniel J. Harrington (Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, c1999) http://books.google.com/books?id=c4VXq9fKoRwC&dq=Sacra+Pagina+and+1st+Corinthians&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=NqEJS7XzEITklAeejdiEBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CDUQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 1 Corinthians (William Baker), 2 Corinthians (Ralph Martin & Carl Toney), ed. by Philip Comfort. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, c2006.