Pryor?s life, from childhood to death, was full of challenges but he deserved to have a few more of them in the ring that he devoted his heart to?
Aaron Pryor died Sunday morning after a prolonged battle with heart disease. I surely do not need to tell you what a great fighter ?The Hawk? was. I had Pryor to beat the great Julio Cesar Chavez in a recent article. That makes him the de facto greatest light welterweight of all time. Maybe the r?sum? makes it difficult to believe. Two wins over Alexis Arguello and one over Antonio Cervantes are his highlights. So much of what made Pryor impressive can only be seen by watching the great man. The ferocity and aggression is almost unmatched with non top pressure. His chin was legendary and Buddy LaRosa remembers a dentist marveling at the jaw structure of Pryor which made it so tough. A pressure style and a brilliant ability to box and move usually do not go hand in hand but Pryor had that ability if so required. He beat Thomas Hearns in an attempt to qualify for the 1976 Olympics but lost in the final to Howard Davis Jr. who was the eventual gold medalist.
Unable to get the fights he wanted, Pryor would retire after the second Arguello fight. When he returned not long after, he claimed to have meant he was resting not retiring. A couple more defenses saw Pryor beat overmatched opponents. However his life was beginning to spiral and he was stripped by the IBF for failing to defend his title. Aaron had fallen into a deep addiction to crack cocaine. He first tried this only a few days after his great win over Arguello. It did not matter that he still had a few bouts left, Pryor would show little interest and even lose his undefeated record. His first arrest came in 1987 but the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. In 1991, he spent three months and 12 days in a prison facility having pled guilty to drug abuse. It did not take Pryor long until he was back on the streets. Depressed and homeless he barely weighed 100 lbs. He held a gun to his head. He held a knife to his stomach and prayed for the courage to thrust in. A few months later he was rushed to hospital. He has bleeding ulcers which he barely survived and has a scar to this day which is two inches wide. Since then he has maintained a clean lifestyle with constant visits to the church.
Aaron is really a what-could-have-been. After, and even prior to, the Arguello bout he had a chance for life changing bouts. Ray ?Boom Boom?Mancini was the first name mentioned. It sounds like a recipe for an incredible fight. Two aggressive fighters who would take the fight to each other with power and a chin. Pryor was the better boxer and would have been the bigger man. It would have made him a load of money and he would have been favorite. The biggest money bouts were around welterweight for most of his career. A bout with Sugar Ray Leonard was agreed but Ray detached his retina and would announce his retirement. He would return from that retirement eventually. Leonard would have been favorite, he is one of the top ten boxers of all time. However, Duran gave him hell in their first fight. Pryor threw more punches and had the ability to box and land his shots. You have to give him every chance. He beat Tommy Hearns in the amateurs and was one of very few men who could likely have stood up to his power. If he could do stand up to the power and get past the jab he could definitely have beaten Hearns. What about Benitez and Duran? Fights that Pryor could have won. His career is one of missed opportunities. He missed the opportunity for the big fight that could have changed his life. Aaron Pryor would have probably given it all for a chance to prove himself in that company. It was not about money for Aaron, he blew it all anyway. It was the respect, about being the best. His life, from childhood to death, was full of challenges but he deserved to have a few more of them in the ring that he devoted his heart to.
