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Tim Austin, yes, “The Cincinnati Kid” who used to cradle the bantamweight division with power punching and a charming southpaw stance disappeared at one point and time in his career. Bring out the boxing gloves, because Austin has a fight on his hands come September 3. Rafael Marquez found a way to beat Austin in TKO fashion and that was in 2003. What happened to the boxer-puncher who had a record of 24-0, 22 knockouts until he entered the ring with Marquez, who hails from a distinctive boxing pedigree family? Outside the ring, problems would create reasons for Austin to walk away from the ring. Another factor would be Austin’s sudden loss. Now, it is common knowledge to know that Austin’s solid focus and preparation for the Marquez fight and he accepted the fight with serious concentration. The aftermath is the true meaning of defining a true champion. It takes more than a belt to douse respect and acclaim for a great fighter. Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Muhammad Ali, all had highs and lows, but it is their overall edge of returning with heart inspired ambitions that override any of their set backs.
Austin, is in the middle road of his career and must contemplate his next wave of boxing in either making it or shaking it. Shaking it in the sense; if he does not make a mark in his comeback, he can shake the gloves off his hands, allow his trainer to cut the hand wraps and walk away from the sport with nothing but pride. It takes a lot for any man or woman to enter a ring and a question of courage is one with no value.
“The Cincinnati” Kid has a lot to prove, and the first thing being; how do you conquer the fear of not losing again? Some boxers hold the mental pain of their first loss and refuse to walk back into the light of promise and competitiveness. Bring on the opposition, and Austin will have his hands full in facing Reynaldo Hurtado (36-7, 27KO’s). Hurtado is not a gatekeeper, but he is not a stuntman either.
Some boxers live for this moment, to make a name for themselves by refusing a former champion a chance to enter into the waters of championships and comeback headlines. Austin is thirty-four, and if he had the option of staying conditioned during his off time, his age would not play a major factor in his comeback; nevertheless, if he is just dabbling into boxing because he is bored, he may have a long night ahead of him.
Marquez, the boxer who handed Austin his first and only loss, has fought five times since he defeated Austin and has a match arranged for October 1 against Silence Mabuza. Boxing will continue to go on, it is the nature of boxing that the sport keeps on spinning even when boxers who never won a championship to boxers who hold preeminence over a weight class like Austin used to handle with determination; it’s also a cycle in the nature of boxing that holds life.
If Austin is truly prideful with his approach towards reestablishing his championship hunger, he will make it. You only die when you stop and Austin might have realized that when he stopped boxing for a few years. Now, it is time for him to live.
Contact Shaun Rico LaWhorn at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com
