End of the Road for Four Great Boxers...

Peace to all,

I haven't been on in a while, so I have some new and old to share.

We are seeing the end of an era in this new boxing era. Between December and January, I viewed four fights on TV that clearly marked the end of great careers. Each of these fighters have special styles that made them shine throughout their careers, but I watched them get old in their last fights.

1. James Toney (Still too heavy)

To see him stumble around the ring v. Peter and try to look cute, as if to say "you can't knock me out" was bad enough, but to hear him actually try to say he thought he won a fight where he only tried in three rounds (being generous) let me know that his time has come. Besides, it takes all of one's listening ability just to understand what he is saying at this point. Unless Freddie Roach wants someone else with his 'shaky' condition on his conscience, he should encourage Toney to hang it up. Oh yeah, I am a 100% James Toney fan since 1990, so don't try to post any 'Toney-hater' comments.

2. Emmanuel Augustus (JuWlt)

I know, I know. I said GREAT fighters. But what I really mean are special fighters. Emmanuel Augustus, for his grit and determination, for his unique fighting styles, for his sportsmanship, and for all he has given to boxing, should be a Hall of Fame automatic. History will tell. But in the mean time, I saw him basically give away 9 rounds of a fight to Kid Diamond. He, like Toney, tried to use cutesy defense, but forgot to throw punches. The most frustrating part of it for me was knowing Augustus and his style, and seeing places where I expected him to pull the trigger on KD, especially since KD campaigns at a lower weight. The other side is a win over KD would have given him exactly what he has been calling for... a big money fight.

Three scenarios fit this fight frightful demonstration from EmmAug:

a. He is finally war torn after 70+ fights. Again, like Toney, he has seen his time in the ring.

b. He just choked like he has in the past against big named prospects/fighters.

c. Having to lose the weight just took too much out of him. He fought similar to Corrales (in Casamayor III), who said he was weakened by the weight loss.

Either way, I will be watching for his last fight some time this year.


3. Will Grigsby (JuFlywt)

The 108 lb division is a grueling division. It gets deeper every year, and even those who are expected to shine (Viloria) can be humbled. The unique part of Will Grigsby's career was simply his race. How many Black boxers do you see below 115, let alone a former 2x world champion? And consistently in the top 10? What I saw last Thursday vs. Solis was the blaring fact that Grigsby can no longer hang with the pack. If he stays in, they will consume him.


4. Teddy Reid (JuMwt)

If you've ever seen a Teddy Reid fight, you know why I call him 'special'. This is the man who comes to the ring with the sole intention of hurting the person he faces. He has wide, looping punches, but all of them have bad intentions. I personally feel he would have gotten further in his career if he only learned to throw to the body, but man was it fun to see all of those thudding KO's!! He just fought Richard Gutierrez last Friday, and he was demolished in four rounds. The first thing I noticed was that he only had enough for half the round, so he would get pummeled in the end part. The 'low-blow' was an obvious ploy (trust me, no one has a delay when they are really hit low) so that he could get some rest or get out of the fight. Either way, to see that in the warrior I have watched on cable for almost ten years signals the end. If you are part of the WBVA, look him up.

I would also add Erik Morales, Johnny Tapia, RJJ, Yory 'Boy' Campas, Fernando Vargas

Thanx Mick

I also forgot 'never made it to "Big Time" McCline