There are situations where you have achieved so much and it’s hard to walk away. And there are situations where you might have achieved enough but want more. When you have achieved greatness like Ali, you become addicted to the fame. You become addicted to the power it gives you. You become addicted to the success. Then there are situations like with myself where I’ve achieved a lot, but I feel like I could achieve just a little bit more and maybe my name will get a little bit more respect in history. You start to believe that you can summon this out of you if you really, really believe in it because your self-belief is what got you there in the first place. Obviously, it’s not the case. Nature is nature. We all get old, so both situations present a very harsh set of circumstances, a very harsh set of decisions you have to make that will make your head spin. They really will make your head spin because, when you go, you’re never coming back. And the way you felt last year, you can never feel like that again. The way you felt two years ago, you will never feel that again. You’re only getting older and you’re only going to feel less good.
Over the years, I kept writing this-is-the-end columns about Paulie. And I always had to write another. “There’s still a bit of coming to grips with the fact that you’re not going to fight any more,” he told writer Tom Gerbasi. “People think you’re weird that you can’t come to grips with something that to them is so simple. But in reality, it’s not so simple. You want to dream for just a little bit longer. The sun’s coming up, though. It’s almost time to stop dreaming.”
All of us take risks in varying degrees. We don’t eat as well as we should. We don’t exercise enough. We indulge in alcohol or recreational drugs. Paulie exposed himself to the risks inherent in continuing to fight because he craved the high he got from fighting.
“I don’t need the money,” Paulie explained in a piece that aired last year on Showtime before he fought Gabriel Bracero. “I don’t need the fame. But I still need to fight. Even my friends think I’m a little crazy, and maybe I am. I know fighters don’t age gracefully. I know fighters get hurt. But I also know in my heart, I’ve got to fight at least one more time. Why? Love. Not the normal kind. More like a bad girlfriend. She’s broken my heart; she’ll do it again. And I keep coming back for more. My mind knows better; my heart doesn’t. You see, boxing loved me when no one else would. I was a kid from Sicily, a high school dropout. Boxing gave me things I couldn’t imagine. Boxing let me dream. That’s what I want. That’s what I’m fighting for. That chance to dream again.”
But the losses continued to mount, and the purses got smaller. After Malignaggi lost to Eggington, my fear was that, several months from now, Paulie would say, “I can’t end my career on the canvas. I want to go out a winner. All I want is one more fight against a guy who doesn’t pose much of a threat. Then I’ll quit; I promise.”
Part of me is still afraid that will happen. But two days after losing to Eggington, Paulie sent me an e-mail that read, “I will most definitely focus on commentating now. No more coming back.”
Later that day, he officially announced his retirement.
I’m still worried. Paulie is an expert boxing analyst for Showtime and Sky Sports, one of the best in the business. But every blow to the head he took in fights and in sparring had the potential to cause incremental brain damage. That’s boxing’s often-unspoken fear. One doesn’t have to reference Muhammad Ali to make the point. Go to a big fight and there are reminders everywhere. Former fighters, including more than a few world champions, who slur their words and don’t connect their thoughts as well as they once did.
Meanwhile, let’s celebrate what Paulie accomplished. He won thirty-six professional fights and held both the IBF 140-pound and WBA 147-pound titles. So many of today’s fighters talk tough and disappear when it’s time to sign a contract. Paulie didn’t talk tough, but he went in tough. Look at the fighters who beat him before Eggington: Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Juan Diaz, Amir Khan, Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia. Paulie fought all of them when they were in their prime.
So give Paulie credit for his ring skills and heart, his fighting through the pain of a broken orbital bone and multiple broken hands. Smile when you think of his ever-changing hair and sense of style. Appreciate his honesty and self-deprecating sense of humor.
“The good thing,” Paulie told me not long ago, “is that I’m in some historic boxing highlight reels that people will watch forever. The bad thing is that I’m getting knocked out.”
Golovkin–Jacobs: A Bigger “Drama Show” Than Expected
In today’s world, having a belt doesn’t necessarily mean that a fighter is a champion. Gennady Golovkin is a champion.
On March 18, 2017, Gennady Golovkin and Danny Jacobs met in the ring at Madison Square Garden in a middleweight title-unification bout. It was supposed to be an orderly coronation for Golovkin. But fights are unscripted, and this one unfolded in defiance of expectations.
Outside the ring, Golovkin is one of the least-imposing elite fighters imaginable. His face is largely unmarked. His body language is laid-back. He looks like a computer geek with a quiet, placid demeanor. He turned pro after winning a silver medal on behalf of Kazakhstan as a middleweight at the 2004 Athens Olympics, compiled a 36–0 (33 KOs) professional record, and claimed the WBC, WBA, IBF, and IBO 160-pound titles.
In the minds of many, the only thing standing between Golovkin and greatness was the absence of elite opponents on his record. Sergio Martinez, Miguel Cotto, and Canelo Alvarez all steered clear of him when they held one version or another of the middleweight crown.
Whoever Golovkin fights—tall guys, short guys, finesse boxers, big punchers—Gennady says, “No problem.” He delights in giving fans what he calls “big drama show” and came into Madison Square Garden to fight Jacobs riding a string of twenty-three consecutive knockouts.
Jacobs entered the bout with a 32–1 (29 KOs) ledger and was the “regular” (or phony) WBA middleweight champion. He’s a good fighter whose career as a boxer has been defined more by his ring failures than his ring triumphs.
Now twenty-nine, Jacobs amassed a 137-and-7 record as a much-decorated amateur. But he lost twice unexpectedly to Shawn Estrada in the 165-pound division at the trials for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The first time he was matched tough as a pro (against Dmitry Pirog in 2010), he crumbled and was knocked out in the fifth round.
But those losses were overshadowed by Jacobs’s inspirational return from being stricken with cancer to fight again at a world-class level. That chapter of Danny’s life began in 2011, when he felt numbness in his legs and began having difficulty walking. The diagnosis was osteosarcoma: a life-threatening form of bone cancer that had wrapped a tumor around his spine.
Jacobs underwent surgery and returned to the ring after a nineteen-month layoff. For the rest of his life, he’ll have titanium rods in his back. It’s difficult to overstate the magnitude of his accomplishments and courage.
There was mutual respect between the fighters in the build-up to Golovkin-Jacobs.
“He’s a very good guy,” Golovkin said of his opponent. “I’ve watched a couple of his fights. He looks good. He looks strong. And he looks very focused. I think he is the best that I have been up against in my career. I’m very excited to fight Daniel Jacobs. He is world-class and will be a big test for me.”
Jacobs responded in kind, saying, “I’m a fan of the sport. I like to watch Triple-G too. I’ve watched him his whole career. He’s a great fighter. He has power. He cuts the ring off well. His jab is good. He’s not the hardest guy in the world to hit, but he takes a good punch. I’m honored to share the ring with him.”
Golovkin-Jacobs represented a huge opportunity for Jacobs. In boxing, one win or one loss can dramatically alter the trajectory of a fighter’s career. Everything was aligned for Danny to become a star if he beat Golovkin. With that in mind, Jacobs declared, “I want to go and tackle greatness. I want to go into Madison Square Garden and see my family and see my friends and
see everybody there for me. I’m ready for my fans to be in my corner and everyone standing up and cheering when that first bell rings. It’s a big opportunity for me, and I’m looking forward to it. Winning this fight will take everything to the next level.”
But Jacobs wasn’t just an underdog. Many insiders thought that he had virtually no chance. From the day the fight was announced until fight night, Jacobs had to smile through people wishing him luck at the same time they were thinking, “Poor Danny. He has no idea what Gennady will do to him.”
Golovkin’s most notable wins had been against Kell Brook, David Lemieux, Martin Murray, Curtis Stevens, and Matthew Macklin. That’s not Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon, but it’s better than the best that Jacobs could offer (Peter Quillin and Sergio Mora).
Also, there were questions about Jacobs’s ability to take a punch, largely because of his loss to Pirog.
“I’m a far better fighter now than I was then,” Jacobs said of that defeat. “I’m stronger. I’m smarter. I’m a complete 180 from the fighter I was then. Mentally, physically, all across the board in any way you can possibly grow, I’ve grown from that fight. This whole question about my chin; I’m not saying it’s absurd, but it’s a little far-fetched.”
However, Abel Sanchez (who has trained Golovkin for nineteen fights in a row) added fuel to the fire.
“In forty years,” Sanchez proclaimed, “I’ve never had a fighter that hits as hard as Gennady. Jacobs is a sharp puncher with a good right hand. But he won’t go twelve rounds.”
Curtis Stevens and David Lemieux had each been knocked out by Golovkin at Madison Square Garden. Asked what advice he might have for Jacobs, Stevens was marginally encouraging, saying, “Danny’s an excellent boxer. He can win as long as he stays away, but it’s hard to stay away for twelve rounds. We’ve gotta see if his chin holds up. I’m not trying to be mean and I’m not taking anything away from him. But we all know his chin is a little suspect.”
Lemieux was less sanguine. “I have no advice for him,” David responded. “He can do what he wants. I don’t think he’s gonna win.”
Still . . . there’s a long list of fighters who’ve said in the past that they wanted to fight Golovkin but didn’t. They’ve talked the talk but disappeared when given the opportunity to walk the walk. Jacobs genuinely wanted to fight Golovkin. And he was looking forward to the encounter as his coming out party.
“I know this guy has a reputation,” Jacobs said. “He’s the number one guy at the moment. I can’t deny that. You have to give respect where respect is due. But I think I’m the better fighter. I’m bigger; I’m faster. I have power and a good boxing IQ. Whatever he does, I’ll be ready for it. Just because he has A-plus or A-minus power and I have B-plus or B-minus power doesn’t mean both guys can’t go down or both guys can’t get hurt. I have to be careful, but so does he. I know what I’m capable of. I know what I’m good at. It’s all about putting it in sync on fight night. So many people are doubting me. There’s nothing better than fulfilling your dreams and proving all the doubters wrong in the same night.”
Madison Square Garden was buzzing on fight night, with an announced crowd of 19,939. Golovkin was a 6-to-1 betting favorite and 4-to-1 favorite to win by knockout. Gennady is so efficient and methodical in the ring that people tend to forget his fights are unfolding in real time, that he’s flesh and blood, not a machine, and that anything can happen in a prize fight.
Both men fought cautiously at the start. Golovkin was stalking but not as aggressively as he has in recent fights. Jacobs was content to box from the outside.
In round three, Golovkin began to close the gap and dictate the distance between Jacobs and himself. That paid dividends in round four, when Gennady caught Danny against the ropes and landed a jab followed by a straight right hand that put Jacobs on the canvas.
At that point, the assumption among most onlookers was, “Okay; here we go. The fight is over.”
Not . . .
In round five, counterintuitively, Jacobs began fighting effectively as a southpaw, which he did thereafter for long stretches of time. That seemed to slow Golovkin. Then Danny started letting his hands go a bit more.
Golovkin was never able to find his rhythm. He never put punches together in a way that landed more than one effective blow at a time. For much of the night, he looked ordinary. Other times, he looked old.
In round nine, Jacobs appeared to tire a bit. He got sloppy and overreached on several punches, enabling Golovkin to tag him with a solid right uppercut. But otherwise, Gennady failed to capitalize on the few mistakes that Danny made.
The fight seemed to be up for grabs in the final two rounds. The crowd sensed an upset. But it wasn’t to be. The decision could have gone either way, and the judges ruled in Golovkin’s favor by a 115–112, 115–112, 114–113 margin.
Writing for the Independent, Steve Bunce put the night in perspective when he declared, “It is far too simple to dismiss the odd performance of Gennady Golovkin on Saturday night as the start of the end for the fighting maestro. But that is exactly what it looked like at times. Golovkin looked weary, lacked precision, and was too predictable. After nearly 400 amateur fights and 36 in the paid ranks, he might just be, at 34 and after a life devoted to boxing, getting old.”
Then, referencing round four when Golovkin knocked Jacobs down, Bunce added, “Golovkin was expected to finish the fight then, provide his ‘big drama show,’ and end the night for Jacobs. But there was no Golovkin finish. And that was odd for a man who has ruined so many fighters and has never allowed a hurt fighter the time to survive.”
Gennady Golovkin is still a very good fighter. But the aura of invincibility that enveloped him is now gone.
Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko: The Future is Now
By 2017, Wladimir Klitschko, like most aging boxers, had a face that reflected the journey of a veteran fighter.
On April 17, 1860, in Farnsborough County west of London, England’s Tom Sayers and John Heenan from the San Francisco Bay area fought to a bloody forty-two-round draw in what was then called “The Fight of the Century.”
Sayers-Heenan ended in chaos without a winner being declared. Heenan was fighting blind in one eye with the other eye rapidly closing. Sayers was barely able to defend himself. At that point, the ropes on one side of the ring were cut, either to save Sayers from defeat or (if the alternative version is accepted) to prevent the Englishman from being strangled to death by Heenan, who allegedly was pressing Sayers’s neck against the top strand and pushing down with all his might on the Englishman’s head.
On April 29, 2017, England was again at the center of the boxing world. This time, Wladimir Wladimirowitsch Klitschko and Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua did battle at Wembley Stadium in London.
It was a massive event, and boxing’s most anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson fifteen years ago. It was generation versus generation, with the past meeting the future in the present. Two men vying for the right to be called the best heavyweight on the planet on a night that the ninety thousand fans who were in attendance will always remember.
Wladimir Klitschko is a man of intelligence and grace. He won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division as a representative of Ukraine at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and embarked upon a pro career that has spanned more than two decades.
Entering the Joshua fight, Klitschko’s record stood at 64 wins against 4 losses with 53 knockouts and 3 KOs by. His sojourn through the professional ranks began with 24 consecutive victories, all but one by knockout. Then, in 1998, Klitschko fought Ross Puritty, a journeyman from Oklahoma who traveled to Ukraine with 13 losses on his record. Klitschko beat up on Puritty for ten rounds. But in round eleven, Wladimir crumbled from physical and mental exhaustion.
Sixteen Klitschko victories followed that defeat with only one opponent going the distance. In 2000, Wladimir annexed the WBO heavyweight crown with a unanimous-decision triumph over Chris Byrd. But three year
s later, South African Corrie Sanders knocked Klitschko down four times en route to a second-round blowout. In 2004, Wladimir dominated Lamon Brewster early, but once again faded and was unable to come out of his corner after the fifth round.
At that point, Klitschko reconfigured his fighting style under the tutelage of trainer Emanuel Steward, won twenty-two fights in a row, and earned recognition as the dominant heavyweight in the world. At various times, he held the WBA, IBF, and WBO crowns. His nine-year championship reign came to an end on November 28, 2015, when he turned in an embarrassingly lackluster effort en route to a unanimous-decision defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury.
When Klitschko lost to Fury, he was dismissed as a has-been by some and a never-was by others.
Adam Berlin wrote, “Klitschko deserves praise for carrying himself like a champion outside the ring. He is respectful. He is articulate. But inside the ring, Klitschko has never been great. He has fought carefully, relying on his physical attributes to wear his rivals down. He has made leaning on smaller men an art. It’s a rational style. It’s a logical style. It’s a careful style. And while a methodical approach to boxing can lead to success, it never leads to greatness.
“Wladimir Klitschko,” Berlin continued, “was very good during an era when the rest of the heavyweights were less than very good. Most fighters cement their legacy with a win. Klitschko’s legacy is cemented with this loss. In this loss, he didn’t even fight. It wasn’t age. It wasn’t a bad night. It was Wladimir Klitschko being Wladimir Klitschko. That’s who he is. That’s who he’ll always be. That’s how he’ll go down in history.”
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