2007 has been quite a sad year for boxing – now hold on, before I get called out as another one of the ?another black eye for boxing? crowd, it?s not the boxing game itself that is sad; rather, it?s the farewells of some of the biggest names of the last ten years which brings melancholy to my heart as of late.
It started like a promising year for all of these warriors, but now they have all fallen one by one like dominoes, the first being one of my all-time favorites in Arturo Gatti.
?Thunder? extended his nine lives more times than anyone can count, and while some ignorant critics called him an overrated punching bag, those in the know fully appreciated his underrated skills (as his boxing displays against Tracy Harris Patterson and others showed), his countless thrilling battles and a great intangible – his tremendous heart, something which led him to two world titles. But after a couple of final stoppage losses he was finally forced to call it a day.
The man fought like thunder though, and more importantly, he never quit when many others would have under circumstances which Gatti saw his way through. I still say that the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey should have a plaque which also reads ?The House that Gatti Built.?
Then came three-time world champion Diego ?Chico? Corrales, another never say quit fighter, whose fiery disposition inside the ring was in stark contrast to his calm and humble attitude outside of it. And who could ever forget his classic first battle against Jose Luis Castillo, a fight which garnered world wide fame for him. This warrior saw his career cut short after slamming his motorcycle into a car in Las Vegas.
Then it was Erik Morales? turn to exit.
?El Terrible? fought with his heart on his sleeve, leaving it all in the ring battle after battle. For all intents and purposes, the Tijuana warrior saw his career come to an end at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in their rubber match, but despite being a hall of fame first ballot lock, Morales continued to fight, and he should have been officially the first Mexican national to capture the elusive fourth world title in a fourth weight class, but he fell short via a controversial decision to WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, showing that too many hard battles had finally taken their toll.
And last Saturday, it was Morales? nemesis, Marco Antonio Barrera?s time to go.
?The Baby Faced Assassin?, a fighter from a well to do family who put a law career on the side to concentrate on winning five world titles. Along the way he turned from a face first pressure fighter in thrilling battles against the likes of Kennedy McKinney, Junior Jones and Morales I into a masterful boxer, which was epitomized by his dismantling of then unbeaten Nassem Hamed.
Those boxing skills allowed the Mexico City native to win a few more titles before finally falling prey to Juan Manuel Marquez and – once more – Manny Pacquiao.
It was a bittersweet end in my eyes, as I usually mosey on down to shoot Barrera at the post-fight press conference, but in this one final bout, I just sat in a corner, fixing the photos that needed to be sent out on deadline.
Hearing Barrera retire was a bit more than I could take.
And we?re only in October. There are still a couple more months to go in the year, and hopefully that won?t spell the end for Evander Holyfield, who should retire if and when he beats or loses to Sultan Ibragamov this Saturday night. And finally, Fernando Vargas has already stated that he will call it quits after his final bout against Ricardo Mayorga next month.
Like I said, it?s been a great, but sad, year for boxing.
