El Gavilan
12-13-2003, 02:42 PM
Last night, I sat and watched the Roy Jones Jr. training documentary on ESPN. I have always appreciated Jones? tremendous skill set, and was intrigued to see just exactly what was going on behind the scenes prior to the Ruiz fight. What we got were fragments, snippets, and an incomplete view of Jones? sparring and preparation prior to his victory earlier this year. Some of the interaction between Jones and Shilstone was interesting, and I liked some of the sparring excerpts, but somehow I was expecting something a bit more raw, old school, and authentic. I should?ve known better. I forgot.
Jones is probably the best businessman in boxing history, and he plays his cards about as well as any athlete in any sport. He doesn?t give you a deep look into his soul or intellect. Rather, he crafts an exterior image based on egocentrism. He does it his way, and it?s your own fault if the kid from the country dupes you over and over again. As should?ve been expected, Jones failed to tell us that he was about to face off against a Top 10-15 contender who got knocked about as goofy against Tua as Tommy Morrison did against Ray Mercer ----but worse and much, much quicker. What he forgot to say is that Michael Spinks, Billy Conn, Archie Moore, Stanley Ketchel, Bob Fitszimmons, and Bob Foster, to name a few, went after REAL champions, not today?s version of Ron Stander. Then again, Ron Stander knocked out Earnie Shavers.
At any rate, Jones? claim to the heavyweight throne is synthetic, plastic, and contrived. He must have forgot about that, and most importantly, the long string of fighters who attempted going after the real champ instead of something different.
Mickey Walker was the antithesis of the stereotypical narcissistic athlete carving out high yield at low risk. Perhaps it was only inevitable that this man of colorful and free spirited character was born of Irish extraction in New Jersey, and that combustible combination of genetics and rearing created a penchant for pugilism the world really hasn?t seen since his retirement nearly 70 years ago.
You see, Mickey Walker was the real thing and then some. In the 1980s, well before he bit off a piece of Holyfield?s ear, Mike Tyson once described old time fighters as ?authentically tough.? Mickey Walker was authentically tough. In fact, early in life and as a fighter, if you told him he had a little Van Gogh in him, he?d probably rip your ear off with his famous left hook, not his teeth, because he thought you were challenging his manhood in one way or another. Later in life, after his career was over and he became an accomplished painter, he would?ve graciously thanked you.
During his boxing career, Walker took no prisoners, including himself, and was probably never really interested in carving out an image. For the most part, people married 7 times, involved in street brawls, and a bootlegger?s dream like Walker aren?t necessarily interested in public opinion or documentaries about themselves. Instead, he was just trying to fight as much as he could against the best available opposition. Size, shape, record, promoter, manager, venue, network, and sanctioning body just didn?t matter all that much.
When I look at a picture of Walker, the first thing that comes to my mind isn?t his nickname, ?The Toy Bulldog.? Instead, the first word that comes to my mind is ?Pug.? He looks like the prototypical ?Pug? we were once conditioned to think about when someone describes a professional boxer. It?s really not a surprise. It is said that Walker fought opponents in every weight class from featherweight to heavyweight. His true, mature weight was welterweight, yet past his prime with the combination of ailing reflexes, too much nightlife, and outside the ring wars adding flab to his waistline, he sought out and fought the two best heavyweights of the day: Jack Sharkey and Max Schmeling. He drew with Sharkey, and fought to the bitter end with his famous left hook although totally outgunned by Schmeling over 8 brutal rounds. No fear. No quarter. Only the best on less-than-equal footing. Bloody and helpless, he cursed at Doc Kearns when Kearns asked the ref to stop it. He didn?t lose to other ranked heavyweights: Paolino Uzcudun, King Levinsky, K.O. Christner. He split some bouts with another ranked heavyweight, Johnny Risko.
Prior to his attempt at annexing the heavyweight crown, Walker fought just about everybody of note. He fought an epic 15 rounder with Greb, and fought him again on the street that night. After defeating Greb?s conqueror, Tiger Flowers, he held the middleweight title for about 5 years. He lost a decision to Tommy Loughran in an attempt to win the light heavyweight crown while he was middleweight champion. No stones unturned.
In history, great contributors to their chosen profession are often not appreciated until long after they?re gone. Mickey Walker was beyond that. The middleweight division went into wildly dysfunctional disarray immediately after he departed for bigger game. It just wasn?t the same for a long time. Gorilla Jones? Ben Jeby? Vince Dundee? Marcel Thil? Teddy Yarosz? There was only one Mickey Walker. In 1955, Walker was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Greb, Tunney, and Benny Leonard. Not surprisingly, Walker had the most votes. They didn?t forget. There hasn't been anyone like him since.
Tonight, I'll have a few drinks in his honor and think about his legacy as I watch Don King's card on PPV.
[ December 13, 2003, 04:50 PM: Message edited by: El Gavilan ]
Jones is probably the best businessman in boxing history, and he plays his cards about as well as any athlete in any sport. He doesn?t give you a deep look into his soul or intellect. Rather, he crafts an exterior image based on egocentrism. He does it his way, and it?s your own fault if the kid from the country dupes you over and over again. As should?ve been expected, Jones failed to tell us that he was about to face off against a Top 10-15 contender who got knocked about as goofy against Tua as Tommy Morrison did against Ray Mercer ----but worse and much, much quicker. What he forgot to say is that Michael Spinks, Billy Conn, Archie Moore, Stanley Ketchel, Bob Fitszimmons, and Bob Foster, to name a few, went after REAL champions, not today?s version of Ron Stander. Then again, Ron Stander knocked out Earnie Shavers.
At any rate, Jones? claim to the heavyweight throne is synthetic, plastic, and contrived. He must have forgot about that, and most importantly, the long string of fighters who attempted going after the real champ instead of something different.
Mickey Walker was the antithesis of the stereotypical narcissistic athlete carving out high yield at low risk. Perhaps it was only inevitable that this man of colorful and free spirited character was born of Irish extraction in New Jersey, and that combustible combination of genetics and rearing created a penchant for pugilism the world really hasn?t seen since his retirement nearly 70 years ago.
You see, Mickey Walker was the real thing and then some. In the 1980s, well before he bit off a piece of Holyfield?s ear, Mike Tyson once described old time fighters as ?authentically tough.? Mickey Walker was authentically tough. In fact, early in life and as a fighter, if you told him he had a little Van Gogh in him, he?d probably rip your ear off with his famous left hook, not his teeth, because he thought you were challenging his manhood in one way or another. Later in life, after his career was over and he became an accomplished painter, he would?ve graciously thanked you.
During his boxing career, Walker took no prisoners, including himself, and was probably never really interested in carving out an image. For the most part, people married 7 times, involved in street brawls, and a bootlegger?s dream like Walker aren?t necessarily interested in public opinion or documentaries about themselves. Instead, he was just trying to fight as much as he could against the best available opposition. Size, shape, record, promoter, manager, venue, network, and sanctioning body just didn?t matter all that much.
When I look at a picture of Walker, the first thing that comes to my mind isn?t his nickname, ?The Toy Bulldog.? Instead, the first word that comes to my mind is ?Pug.? He looks like the prototypical ?Pug? we were once conditioned to think about when someone describes a professional boxer. It?s really not a surprise. It is said that Walker fought opponents in every weight class from featherweight to heavyweight. His true, mature weight was welterweight, yet past his prime with the combination of ailing reflexes, too much nightlife, and outside the ring wars adding flab to his waistline, he sought out and fought the two best heavyweights of the day: Jack Sharkey and Max Schmeling. He drew with Sharkey, and fought to the bitter end with his famous left hook although totally outgunned by Schmeling over 8 brutal rounds. No fear. No quarter. Only the best on less-than-equal footing. Bloody and helpless, he cursed at Doc Kearns when Kearns asked the ref to stop it. He didn?t lose to other ranked heavyweights: Paolino Uzcudun, King Levinsky, K.O. Christner. He split some bouts with another ranked heavyweight, Johnny Risko.
Prior to his attempt at annexing the heavyweight crown, Walker fought just about everybody of note. He fought an epic 15 rounder with Greb, and fought him again on the street that night. After defeating Greb?s conqueror, Tiger Flowers, he held the middleweight title for about 5 years. He lost a decision to Tommy Loughran in an attempt to win the light heavyweight crown while he was middleweight champion. No stones unturned.
In history, great contributors to their chosen profession are often not appreciated until long after they?re gone. Mickey Walker was beyond that. The middleweight division went into wildly dysfunctional disarray immediately after he departed for bigger game. It just wasn?t the same for a long time. Gorilla Jones? Ben Jeby? Vince Dundee? Marcel Thil? Teddy Yarosz? There was only one Mickey Walker. In 1955, Walker was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Greb, Tunney, and Benny Leonard. Not surprisingly, Walker had the most votes. They didn?t forget. There hasn't been anyone like him since.
Tonight, I'll have a few drinks in his honor and think about his legacy as I watch Don King's card on PPV.
[ December 13, 2003, 04:50 PM: Message edited by: El Gavilan ]