By Wes Moore
24.09 - This weekend saw a couple of interesting heavyweight bouts but the results left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I enjoyed seeing Terrible Tim one more time on television but isn't it clear that he's earned his gold watch in the division. Earlier in the weekend in a non-televised bout Bert Cooper succumbed to Darroll Wilson in what was said to be an action fight but can't the same thing be said for Cooper as for Witherspoon. These men are still dangerous and game but I always get a little nervous when one of these advanced fighters steps in the ring. Heck, the same verdict can almost be passed on the two victors of this weekend- Lou Savarese and Wilson. The question is: When do you tell a quality veteran that it's time to go? The answer: I don't.
It was like a time machine took me back when Witherspoon landed the giant right hand in round one but I still feared the worst. As soon as the shot landed, I thought that if Savarese didn't go down that Tim would undoubtedly get whipped. As the rounds moved on it was obvious that the Terrible One was bound for defeat. The slow attrition of Tim's defense led me to a conclusion about him and many other fighters from his era. It can be said that they are stubborn in their old age.
The fighters that I speak of do not quit on their stools; you must stop them or force the third man in the ring to stop them. They come from a time when a poor performance could cost a fighter his purse for a fight and thus they fought on. I fear that many of these type fighters are taking a serious gamble every time they step in the ring and just don't get the message that the mainstream boxing media wants to send. DON'T FIGHT PAST YOUR PRIME, YOU'RE NOT TWENTY-FIVE ANYMORE, NO ONE WANTS TO SEE YOU GET HURT, ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT. It appears that some of the former heavyweight contenders are getting the message from very energetic messengers like Lou Savarese and Wlademir Klitschko.
Please don't misunderstand me. I am a Witherspoon fan, a Mercer fan, a Holyfield fan, a Tubbs fan, a Tyson fan, and a Ruddock fan. I don't want to tell anyone when to hang it up or how it should end for him as a fighter. I'm not going to go the road of others and preach about how they should have managed their money more carefully so they wouldn't have to fight today. Those are immaterial arguments that are no one's business but the fighter himself. It shouldn't be up to the media or the fans to decide when someone should step aside.
I will continue to watch the fights that appeal to me without passing judgement. I will root for Evander Holyfield to unify the title since this is his dream. I won't refer to "Iron" Mike Tyson as "Tin Mike." I won't tell Michael Moorer to rethink his comeback nor will I tell Razor Ruddock, Tony Tubbs, or Mike Evans. I will hope that "Terrible" Tim lands that big right one more time. I won't tell any of you when to go but I do worry about your lives after the sport. You can reach me at largedog@bellsouth.net and until next time watch out for the upper cut behind the jab.
