Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) is the time of year when boxers lick their wounds, celebrate with a few loyal friends and dream of being back in the gym. While there are a few shopping days left, there's really only one weekend of boxing remaining before the sweet science is history for 2010. I'm not big on the "year in review" thing but I'm sure something will bite me in the butt next week and get me writing about matches we saw and matches we missed during 2010. As for this week, results and my thoughts on those fighters (modern day) who fought way past their prime.
Ridiculous Results
UFC 124
The not so ridiculous results begins with Georges St. Pierre beating Kosheck for 5 rounds. The fight was never in doubt as St. Pierre remains the pre-adultry Tiger Woods (if ever there was a thing) of MMA... I picked correctly knowing that someone with unnatural curly blond hair could never win a big match.
In the undercard, I was disappointed in the "big sexy" as his Internet Savvy did nothing for him as he lost consciousness in the first round. Too much staring at a monitor and not enough training.
Upcoming Matches to Follow:
Tavoris Cloud vs. Fulgencio Zuniga, Light heavyweight - 12/17 Miami, FL
Another match up that would be worth watching if George Foreman and Emmanuel Steward were the announcers.
Steve Forbes vs. Roberto Valenzuela, Welterweight - 12/17 Hammond, IN
A former world champion who's been kicked in the teeth lately is fighting a dude with 55 wins and 55 losses. I can't imagine Roberto's trainer saying much more than, "hey, this will get you over 500."
And...the dumbest fight I've seen since Hopkins vs. Jones Jr. is:
Hopkins vs. Pascal, Light Heavyweight - 12/18 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
The 200 year old Hopkins is going for his 100th world title as he takes on a French Canadian fighter whose last KO was two years ago over a bum with narcolepsy. The WBC and IBO Light Heavyweight titles are on the line and if Hopkins doesn't fall asleep or break a hip, I'm sure one of the 10 people watching this fight will...fall asleep.
Oh yeah, it's in Canada because there's an age and bone density limit for boxers in the US.
Dingbat of the week:
The Hopkins/Pascal Promoter - whatever promoter thought this was a good idea is just a dingbat. While most of us old guys marvel at Hopkins' ability to walk without a cane, we sure as hell don't want to see him fight.
Bernard Hopkins - Look BERNARD, the longer you fight, the longer we have to put up with the stuttering mental midget that resides in Evander Holyfield's body. We all know why Evander fights - yes, child support for a full 53 man roster but why do you continue to make us wish for the days when you only held onto your opponent 25 times a round instead of the 52 of today? Let's just hope you wear the gimp mask. Do it for the kiddies nard dog.
Serious Article of the Week
Past their Prime
All too often boxers, fighters and 80s sitcom stars continue well past their prime. Unlike television though, boxers who continue past their prime suffer long term damage that makes it's nearly impossible to enjoy watching them take said damage. In all seriousness, boxing is a sport that is all too often very damaging to the participants. Unlike most major professional sports, coaches, trainers and medical staff are not always qualified. Boxers are encouraged to push through pain, injuries and fight when they are not ready or when they are overweight. This leads to irrevocable damage that is often irreversible. Most fighters are paid in peanuts (low end tickets) and are forced to train under grueling, substandard conditions. For those that are fortunate enough to make it through the lean years and make it to a somewhat decent payday, they still face the thought of being a tailor made opponent for some rising star.
With that in mind, here are my top modern fighters that fought well past their prime (the positioning is really interchangeable):
5. Roy Jones Jr.- For years we watched the magical grace, speed and bravado of one of the greatest light heavyweight fighters of our time. At first I hated everything about Jones but as his career progressed, I began to understand the method to his madness. Regardless, I always thought that his defense was atrocious and that one day he'd get caught. After being asked if he had any excuses, Tarver turned out Jones' lights in round 2 of their second fight. Jones was never the same, suffering a horrifying 9th round nap in his next fight against an aging Glen Johnson. Extending his career well past his prime, Roy was once again put to pasture by closing his eyes in round 1 against a relative unknown. The fight against the Nard Dog was an embarrassment to the sport.
61 fights, 404 rounds, 21 years
4. Mike Tyson - There's not a person on the planet that doesn't know the name Mike Tyson. Whether by his appearance on the movie The Hangover or the greatness that made him the youngest heavyweight champion ever, Mike Tyson is a required name in the history of history. His early career was ferocious until Buster Douglas fought out of his mind in Tokyo to take the unified title and his invincibility away from him. Tyson then became the golden goose for every con man in the game until his losses and tirades became embarrassing. Prison made him a changed man and helped him to unleash his inner idiot as he threatened, stomped, cried and explained his way to a WWE stint. A sad story, he persists finding new ways to reinvent himself.
58 fights, 217 rounds, 20 years
3. Roberto Duran - He was a nightmare to face at lightweight and was a bad dream fighting at 170 pounds.Once known for his rousing win against Sugar Ray Leonard, he became the greatest quitter of all time refusing to get off his stool after the eighth in the rematch with a phrase that gringos around the world utter, "no mas." One can argue that after that fight, he was never the same. He went on to lose against every big name in the 80s and 90s. Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, Pazienza, Camacho and the knockout loss to William Joppy put a dark cloud over what was otherwise a stellar career. The shining moment after the Leonard loss was winning the middleweight title against Iran Barkley only to lose it again 10 months later.
119 fights, 822 rounds, 33 years
2. Muhammad Ali - 550 rounds and 21 years of combat summarized the self proclaimed "greatest" career. He fought everyone in the book and became a giant killer. You either loved him or hated him but in the end, we all begged someone in the arena to stop the beating he took from Larry Holmes. While he was never truly knocked out, he took so much damage that it's been suggested he suffered Parkinson's disease from repeated shots to the head. While he was forced to take 3 of his best year's off between 1967 and 1970, the aging process stops for no one.
61 fights, 550 rounds, 21 years
1. Julio Cesar Chavez - Chavez embodies everything great about the Mexican people. He was strong, tough, fast and enduring. After 115 fights with over 630 rounds boxed in a career that spanned over 25 years, I'm surprised that the man can still breathe. Of course, by the time he ran into Oscar DeLaHoya in 1996, he was already a shot fighter. Their second fight was nothing more than a bloodbath as Chavez began bleeding early while Kostya Tszyu nearly killed him in their fight a few years later. Promoter Bob Arum attempted to showcase a series of farewell fights but there's no senior's game in boxing. It's doubtful that we'll ever see a fighter quite like him. His style and strength in the ring is something that will never be forgotten.
115 fights, 630 rounds, 25 years
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