Total-Boxing Blog

Every boxer enters the fight game in the hope to leave behind a lasting legacy when all is said and done, and they hang up their gloves for that final time. However, many do not know when to call it a day; something we see time and time again. Unfortunately the unwillingness to quit their beloved sport often damages a fighter’s career and tragically, can cause complications to their long term health.

Erik Morales: Comeback?

Erik Morales has recently decided to return to the ring after 2 and a half years out of the game. Yet at 33 years of age, he is far from the oldest campaigner around, and some might not question his desire to enter the ring a few more times. Unfortunately, Erik is just 1 of many fighters who come out of retirement in the hope to taste glory once again. Most fail.

When a boxer does come out of retirement, they are usually competing in weight divisions higher than when they first left the sport – testament to the shape they needed to be in to be successful first time round. The lure of being announced the world champion in-front of 15,000 screaming fans must be a hallucinogenic antidote for the gruelling and tedious workout regime and lifestyle required in order to compete at the highest level.

In the last few months, we all pondered whether Ricky Hatton should hang ‘em up, or continue fighting. When questioned on this himself, he admitted to feeling the kind of hunger I spoke of in the previous paragraph. But can this hunger be the undoing of many a great boxers’ legacy and even health?

Further to those who come out of retire, are those that just stay in the game for too long. For financial reasons or in blind delusion, we have seen once great competitors in the ring reduced to a shadow of their former self, slumped in the corner of the ring with a distant and lost look on their face as they taste defeat.

Many say Ali went on too long, and thus suffered defeat against Holmes and Berbick – 2 men he would have breezed past in his pomp. There is also a case that his parkinsons condition is maybe a result of the extra years he unnecessarily spent in the ring.

In more recent times we have seen the likes of De La Hoya beaten up at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones demolished inside a round by Danny Green and Marco Antonio Barerra stopped by young Amir Khan. Just last weekend Mexican warrior Jose Luis Castillo was humiliated by Alfonso Gomez signalling the end of his career. Gomez also ended the career of the tragic Arturo Gatti in 2007.

Gatti’s final fight against Gomez defines what this article is all about. As Gatti took a beating in the ring, the camera panned to his wife in the front few rows in attendance. She was in tears, and trying to clamber over the security barrier, begging the referee to stop the onslaught and potential health damage being sustained. Her screams and pained look was haunting, and it is these kinds of beatings that will haunt a fighters career forever.

These are all examples where once great fighters have lost fights they maybe should never have been in. Some fight on for the glory while some do so for the financial rewards. Boxing is a tough sport, but it also pays generously at the highest level. Many boxers become millionaires, and live a lavish lifestyle, in many cases making the most of their rise from the slums of inner city life.

Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Hector Commacho, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Azumah Nelson and Jeff Fenech are just some of the more high profile names who have fought in their 40’s and 50’s in some cases due to financial struggles. It is a sorry case that they have all blown their wealth, and have no other option but to step through the ropes to earn some cash in the only trade that they know.

How do we know when a fighter is finished? Many times it isn’t until a devastating loss. A fighter can’t be denied a license based on age either. They should have a right to fight on if they so wish. Bernard Hopkins is a perfect example where age is no barrier. At 45 he is still performing exceptionally at the very top level. His style has allowed him to fight on, effectively, for so long.

Bernard Hopkins: Active at 45

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Erik Morales and Ricky Hatton. While both are much younger than Bernard, they are very old and shop worn in boxing terms. Their fighting styles have resulted in them being in many brutal fights, each of which takes its toll on the body.

Fighters will no doubt think they still have what it takes to compete as they get older, and we will always see them fighting on beyond their means, but maybe more could be done by their families, friends, critics and fans to dissuade them. Barry McGuigan is just one former boxer who quit at the right time, with his health in check and also shows concern for some fighters continuing to fight. He recently wrote about his concerns about Frans Botha fighting Holyfield and also Roy Jones, who is set to fight Bernard Hopkins in a rematch which should have happened 16 years ago.

McGuigan is just one man who people feel left the sport at the right time. Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe and Rocky Marciano are 3 others who all quit while they were on top. They are all healthy, have their legacies secured and have lived or are living a good life etched out from  their wealth made from the fight game.

No one can stop a boxer competing. Its what they know and love best of all. But they need to understand better their limitations as they age and that they are just mere mortals after all. The strain these fighters put on their family was perfectly demonstrable at ringside during the Gomez/Gatti fight as mentioned earlier. Boxer’s are also responsible for their own actions. If they choose to squander their money, climbing back in the ring isn’t always the answer. Is that feeling of glory really worth putting your family through all that pain. Furthermore is it worth the long term health risks? I think the answer is no. And the sooner that boxers understand this, the better.

OK so the long running debacle between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio has come to a bit of a stand still. So, while the accusations of ducking and cheating have died down, its time to take a hard look just where we are with drug testing in our beloved sport.

For many years now, drug cheats and boxing have gone hand in hand. Though maybe it would be unfair to say cheating occurs to a greater extent in boxing than in other sports.

There will always be cheats in sport, but technology in science improves and it is no different with drugs. They become more advanced and easier to hide. Testing technology needs to move along with this and measures need to be taken to eradicate the cheats.

Where boxing suffers, as a sport, is the way in which it tests boxers for drugs. Sure the boxing commissions may have rules they adhere to involving drug tests and most boxers abide by these rules. But it lacks somewhat compared to other sports in terms of in-depth testing. It is no secret that the boxing bigwigs have been seen to turn somewhat of a blind eye to drug cheats over the years.

Victor Conte, the man who provided illegal drugs to disgraced athlete Marion Jones now works with boxers and believes drugs are rife within boxing.

“Testing that is being utilised in boxing is virtually worthless,” Conte told the BBC.

“I don’t think a genuine effort is being made to establish an effective (anti-doping) programme.”

Floyd Mayweather’s demands for Olympic style drug testing may just be a ploy to stop the fight from going ahead, or it could be a genuine attempt by him to get the controllers to seriously take a look at their drug testing policies. Just because there are policies in place, does not mean they are watertight. There is always room for improvement.

Alot of people are slamming Floyd, who say he thinks he is bigger than the sport. This is besides the point. The truth is, we don’t know what his reasons are for his demands, nor do we know what Manny’s reasons are for not going ahead with the tests. But this spanner in the works should give the governing bodies and authorities food for thought either way.

While in other sports, the substance users only cheat themselves and fellow competitors, in boxing it could have fatal consequences. Boxing is dangerous enough without the possibility that someone gives themselves an unfair advantage in this already brutal sport.

Drug testing in boxing must seriously be looked at now to remove any chance of a tragic catalyst, resulting in a review of the methods used to deter drug cheats.

For as long as two men have exchanged blows in the squared circle, adhering to Queensberry Rules, the build up to boxing bouts has always been a focal point. It is in the build up to a fight that the participants try to outwit, intimidate or even respect their opponent, and try to gain a psychological advantage before a single punch has been thrown.

The build up is not only about mind games between the boxers themselves. It can be a frenzy of media interest and suspense between fans about just what the outcome might be. Intrigue fills us all, and endless debate heats up as fans try to fathom out exactly what game plan their preferred boxer should adhere to, in order to win.

Never the less, in more recent years the build up to fights have been about smack talk. Muhammad Ali is regarded as the creator of smack talk in the post war era of modern boxing. Ali could talk the talk, and talk he did, outwitting his foe prior to the fight. His tactics? To get under their skin so they try too hard to knock him out. Thus allowing Ali, the slickster, to pick off his opponent as he tires.

Over the years the pre-fight talk has hit headlines. Opponents clash via the media, exchanging verbal blows. They even do it in the media press conference. It is a frequent occurrence that a press conference ends up in a mass brawl. Suited men can be seen falling over each other as they try to separate each fighters’ entourage.

As time moves on, so do trends, and so too, does technology. Boxing got broadcast across the world via television, first in black and white and then in colour. Ali started the trend of smack talk and having dozens of people in his entourage. And the internet and social networking allows people to reach out to a mass audience of anyone who will listen.

The 24/7 series has become a regular feature of the build up to “super-fights” and is just another opportunity to sell fights and generate interest some more.

Smack talk doesn’t just stop after a fight of course. Boxers are always gunning after someone next, and they use the post fight interview to call people out. This is where social media could play a big part in the future of boxing.

In the last year, Twitter has become a word and concept that we are all too familiar with. The social networking website where you have 180 characters to let your friends, or “followers” know what you are up to.

Businesses saw it as a way to get a message across to masses of customers, celebrities see it as a chance to plug their latest single, album, film or TV appearance. And sports stars have used it as an opportunity to rant and shame themselves, getting into trouble in the process.

In the last few days, it has become more apparent as to how boxers could use this internet phenomenon. Boxers may have been using twitter for months, updating fans on training camps and stated who they would like to fight. But just the other day, two entered into a war of words. (That is assuming each profile is genuinely each boxers’ genuine Twitter account).

Since his split from Frank Warren, Amir Khan has been much talked about recently, with lots of speculation about his next opponent. Paulie Mallignaggi was one touted as a possible foe for the WBA light welterweight champion. Things were said via Twitter with each man blaming the other for the fight not going ahead.

Whatever the outcome of that debacle, we may have witnessed a common future occurrence. Fighters calling each other out, having sly diggs and exchanging a war of words via social networking. After all, when they are at home they are left to their own devices, without any promoters keeping an eye over them.

We all know that promoters are very protective of their fighters, and we also know that fighters have ego’s and pride. It could just so happen that a fighter gets himself into a corner by rising to a challenge from an opponent who his promoter would not choose!

It just might be, that promoters have written in their contracts that a boxer is not to interact via the internet with any prospective opponents, but can that really stop them?

Twitter, Facebook and the next big social thing online could be the latest thing that captures the imagination of boxing enthusiasts and may be a tool to make or break future match ups!

News has filtered through today that Amir Khan has left promoter Frank Warren and signed with Oscar De La Hoya’s Goldenboy Promotions, one of the leading boxing promotions based in the United States. Khan, the WBA Light Welterweight Champion has been promoted by Frank Warren since turning professional in 2005, who has since led him to Commonwealth and World Titles.

Amir Khan and Frank Warren

These turn of events shows some spirit and hunger on the part of Khan, but also it shows of a lack of loyalty to a man who has saved Khan’s reputation after his 1 minute demolision at the hands of Briedis Prescott in 2008.

After all, Warren has put all, or at least the majority of his focus on Amir since turning professional in 2005 leaving the likes of Kevin Mitchell, Nathan Cleverly and Kel Brook in the shadows. Frank, the leading promoter in the UK, saw Amir as a future star and the darling of the nation following his fantastic Silver Medal at the Olympics in Athens at just 17 years of age. From the word go, Amir was plying his trade on national television in 4 rounders against the kind of no hopers you expect a top prospect to face early in his career.

Warren continued to showcase Khan on national television gaining him a Commonwealth title along the way, despite the mediocre opposition he was put against. As is always the case in boxing, tv channels pulled out of offering big contracts to show Khan’s fights, and Warren landed a deal with Sky for Pay Per View events, even at this early stage in Khan career. Despite, in his first pay per view showing, being knocked out in under a minute, Frank Warrren continued to get Khan on Pay Per View shows, regaining his confidence and reputation as a top boxing prospect.

Yet despite so much, and even getting Khan the WBA light welterweight title, Frank Warren finds himself getting ditched. Something he must be getting used to since the likes of Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe did the same thing, although much later on in their careers. Warren is notoriously outspoken about fighters not on his payroll and you do wonder how much of a kick in the teeth this is for Sports Network, the company behind Frank Warrens empire. If true to tradition, Warren will express his dismay and feeling of betrayal by Amir.

Khan is probably the second most popular boxer in the country after Ricky Hatton, and he will have been Franks treasured cash cow. But many people will applaud Amir for breaking away and leaving behind Warrens cautious approach to match making. Amir has stated many times he wants to fight the best out there, and he must have known deep down that with Frank Warren overseeing things, that was never going to happen.

Leaving Warren and heading stateside, Khan will get some much needed exposure over the pond, and will no doubt be matched against tough opposition, as that is what Golden Boy Promotions is all about. Amir has left Warren early in his career, something Joe Calzaghe may well have wished he had done. Calzaghe’s talent is undisputed, but his achievements in the ring are questioned because of the cautious management of Warren. Many feel Calzaghe never went after the big american names when he should have done, and instead took on Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins a good half a decade too late. Amir Khan, can avoid such accusations.

There is no doubting that Frank Warren is a shroud business man and we must remember thats what he is first and foremost. Match making is an important part of his job, and he needs his fighters to win to generate the most money he can both for the boxer and himself. Warren can however take somewhat limited boxers to heights they should only dream of, but there is always a common belief that he also holds back the boxers with the most promise.

Amir Khan may well go on to face the best opponents, and he might even lose to a few, but his hunger to maximise his legacy will never be questioned nor being accussed of ducking the best. Having the courage to ditch Frank and go stateside early on in his career is worthy of applaud, but it is yet to be seen whether he really can mix it with the big boys and live up to his own opinions of his potential greatness.

As we roll into a New Decade, there is only 1 fight on the mind of most fight fans! Since the turn of the century, there have been 2 men who can claim they are up there amongst the all time best pound for pound boxers. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have began a fued over blood testing which has ingited an impending lawsuit by Team Pacman against the Mayweathers and Goldenboy. Tongues have wagged and people have been quick to jump to conclusions. Is Pacquiao a drug cheat? Is Mayweather ducking the challenge?

What this sorry mess has done, is jeapordise one of the biggest fights in boxing history, to rival the Rumble in the Jungle, the Thriller in Manilla, Hagler vs Hearns and Tyson vs Holyfield. However it has also brought to light something that has, for years, had people turning a blind eye to! Drugs have always been involved in sport, for someone to gain an unfair advantage over an opponent. Boxing is no different, but then again boxing is a lethal sport without the added advantage someone make gain by using drugs.

Innocent until proven otherwise is definately the case here. Supporters of both camps make accussations and excuses against the other. Whether this is a huge publicity stunt or not, it should make the boxing authorities think about amending rules on drugs test to eliminate and cheats. Mayweather may have accidently opened up the gates to a reveiw here, and it can only be for the better.

Should the sport act now on amending testing to try and catch the drug cheats, or will we have to wait for someones untimely death due to injuries suffered in the ring at the hands of a “juiced” boxer? Are current tests sufficient enough to catch the most advanced performance enhancing drugs? And does blood testing have its disadvantages and have an affect on a boxers’ performance and condition in the ring?

There are many factors to consider and questions to be answered here. But this observer is always welcome of a review of how things are done, especially if it will eliminate any cheats in this already dangerous sport.