Former heavyweight contender, former world heavyweight title challenger “Fast” Eddie Chambers returned to the ring last night, this at age 40 and after almost seven years out of action. Showing he still has some speed and some pop, the slick and gifted boxer from Pittsburgh who made his mark back in the mid-2000s, stopped an overweight and outclassed Corey Williams in the third round in Nashville, Tennessee.
Chambers dropped his man in the second round, this with a shot to Williams’ ample midriff. Then, after wobbling the 305 pounder in the third, Chambers, who looked pretty good at 226 pounds, scored another knockdown to end the fight. Time was 1:10.
Chambers is now 43-5(24). Williams falls to 6-14-2(4).
Going into last night’s fight, no one knew what to expect, nor did anyone have any idea how far Chambers’ unexpected comeback might go. Seven years is a lifetime in the sport of boxing and Chambers, who was reliant on his reflexes and speed when he was fighting, will likely need some months and a number of fights to fully rid himself of the rust he will obviously have picked up during the long layoff. Having said that, Chambers looked pretty sharp last night (albeit against a limited, out of shape opponent).
Chambers, a good guy who always was easy to root for, can hopefully do something here. Chambers actually boxed as a cruiserweight shortly before his apparent permanent retirement, with “Fast” Eddie dropping a decision in a fight with Thabiso Mchunu. It seems the comeback fights Chambers has will be at heavyweight, although some fans have suggested Chambers should try his hand at bridgerweight.
Let’s see how far Chambers can go in this, to repeat, wholly unexpected ring return. Good luck to him. People are often quick to ask why a fighter of advanced years is coming back, with the cynics instantly thinking the fighter is broke and this is why he is returning to the ring. Let’s hope this is not the case here.
How soon will it be before Chambers boxes the second fight of his comeback?