Photo by EPA/Maxim Shipenkov
Just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory. Well time slips away, and leaves you with nothing, mister, but boring stories of glory days. – Bruce Springsteen
James Toney fought last week, if you didn’t know. He didn’t do well. He lost a wide decision to a guy named Charles Ellis, who sports a record of 9-3-1. Toney is 46 years old, and he weighs roughly 475 pounds. Also, he sounds like this.
He has dreams of fighting Wladimir Klitschko, which if ever came true, would end with Toney being medevaced out of the arena. Still, it’s those dreams that keep him going, a solid decade after he lost all relevancy as a prize fighter.
In his prime, he was a defensive marvel who could make an opponent miss wildly and then drill him in the head with a couple of counter shots before he knew what happened. He’s a first ballot lock for the hall of fame. But the hall won’t be calling anytime soon, because he won’t stop fighting.
This week, Roy Jones Jr., 12 years removed from his greatest feat–moving up 25 pounds to easily take a Heavyweight belt away from poor John Ruiz–will be fighting Billy Bailey, whose record stands at a glistening 12-19. Jones is also 46 years old, and he also has big dreams, dreams that include an eventual Cruiserweight championship bout against Marco Huck.
Huck would split Jones in half if anyone were psychotic enough to let him enter a ring against Huck, but that won’t stop Roy from calling him out. And it doesn’t appear that Jones will be hanging up the gloves anytime soon. The guy is now scheduling fights like parents schedule doctor appointments for newborns–he’s covered for the year.
Antonio Tarver is also fighting this week, and although his fight is a bit more glamorous than both Jones and Toney’s–he’s fighting Steve Cunningham at Heavyweight on Spike TV as part of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions–it doesn’t change the fact that he is another 46 year old trying to remain viable in a young man’s sport.
Tarver shocked the world over a decade ago by icing Jones with one punch. But although he remained a recognizable name, he failed to capitalize on his meteoric rise. He split fights with Glen Johnson (who is also 46, and is also fighting this weekend. Jesus Christ.) and lost horribly to Bernard Hopkins. After a couple of uninspired losses to Chad Dawson, Tarver jumped to the Heavyweights.
He continues to press on for the same reasons the other guys have–for another shot at glory. Glory is what compels athletes to keep going, long after fans and writers have turned their backs. This isn’t exclusive to boxing. The sports world is littered with older, faded veterans clinging to hope. Except in other sports, if you’re no longer deemed good enough, the sport simply moves on. Players get traded. Some are asked to retire. Some are just released with a pat on the back and a “thanks for the memories, but…”
Boxers don’t have to worry about getting waived, especially if they can still draw a crowd. They can press on, usually to dwindling fan support, dwindling money and often times, dwindling respect. It is hard to watch James Toney lose a fight to a guy who wouldn’t have lasted 60 seconds with him in his prime and then try to complete a coherent sentence. And even though Roy Jones has won his last seven fights, they’ve been more like exhibitions. Club fighters jump at the chance to share a ring with a living legend, even if it’s to eat left hooks for a few rounds.
For Tarver, by far the least shopworn of the three, he may actually have a legitimate chance at scoring another major fight–perhaps against Deontay Wilder. The Heavyweight division is still awful, and Tarver remains popular. If he beats Cunningham this weekend, he’s right in the mix, especially with Haymon’s power behind him. But he’s beaten mediocre competition. Stepping into the ring with Wilder, or god forbid Klitschko, would not end well for him. The rest of us know that. He does not.
While we could argue that money has forced many of these faded warriors into continuing their careers–most guys aren’t lucky enough to score commentator jobs, or promotional deals, or coaching spots–none of them are complaining about having to enter the ring.
And if it’s their choice, who are we to stop them? Honestly, Jones looks happier now than he did when he was destroying everything in his path. But there’s something depressing about once-great fighters throwing away legacy for longevity. Toney losing to Ellis doesn’t take away the wins over Michael Nunn or Vassiliy Jirov, but it does make you realize just how long it’s been since he was great.
I wonder if these guys will look back in a decade and be glad they forged on when everybody told them it was time to stop. Hopefully, they’ll be coherent enough to think about the old times. Certainly, these men aren’t the only ones to fight well into the night, and they won’t be the last. Who knows if guys like Marquez and Pacquiao, or even Mayweather will follow them down the road of journeyman, and long-faded champions?
Perhaps in 20 years, Canelo Alvarez will still be throwing fists in a desperate fight to regain his youth, or relive the glory days.
Thanks for the memories, but…
