Safe Side Of The Ropes

By: Andrew Harrison

Jan 15 2008

Category: boxing, boxing comeback, felix trinidad, Past articles, sport

2 Comments

Whispers were reported to have emanated from a rather affluent corner of Sheffield of late; whispers that seemingly won’t disappear. The oldest rumour in modern day boxing once again reared its head and I for one began to feel excitement where there was once only indifference.

A reportedly portly fella, who was once one of the biggest stars in British boxing history, was quoted as saying that his extended sabbatical from the prize ring had grown tiresome and perhaps lasted its course. The featherweight of the 90’s was talking comebacks, and I as a paying customer began to ponder.

It’s all been a bit hushed in Britain since Naseem Hamed somersaulted into obscurity. Even big Audley, the other great and garrulous, fighting self-publicist spawned from this island, had emigrated. The dwindling number of newspaper boxing scribes must have felt like they were angling in the desert when fishing for quotes to illuminate their shrinking column inches. What better timing then for the lead-fisted enigma with a penchant for the theatrical, to once again dramatically take centre stage and boost an industry rather lacking in colour and create the type of noise only he can?

If the rumours carry any weight then, is it at all humanly possible for the Midland’s showman to get back to anything even approaching world class after such a layoff? Here are a few fighters that did, along with the results.

• Johnny Tapia.

Tapia was a rock jawed, speedy and busy junior bantamweight with a ledger of 21-0-1 at the start of the 90’s when a failed drugs test began an enforced exile from boxing lasting 3 ½ years. He returned in 1994 aged 27, and amazingly seemed an enhanced fighter. Although his blistering speed had slowed, his footwork had improved somewhat and his ring smarts had increased.

He managed to compile a ledger of 19-0-1 in his second career bringing him to a crossroads fight with his loathed hometown rival from Albuquerque, the explosive Danny Romero for the IBF title (Tapia held the WBO strap).  Most insiders plumped for Romero, basing their pick on the fact that they pictured the wild and unpredictable but lighter punching Tapia, eventually being unable to resist a punch out with the dynamite fisted Romero. Johnny managed to control his emotion in the event and fought an ordered and disciplined fight to triumph in this tense New Mexico turf war.

This was the biggest fight ever at 115 pounds and helped establish Tapia’s credentials as perhaps the greatest junior bantamweight of all time. Tapia later took the WBA bantamweight title from Nana Konadu in December 1998 before finally tasting defeat with a pair of tight points reverses to Paulie Ayala, the first of which was voted fight of the year by Ring magazine. Tapia eventually moved up to featherweight in 2002 and won the IBF title with a dubious points verdict over the lively Manuel Medina before losing soundly to the premier featherweight at that time, Marco Antonio Barrera in November of that year. Despite defeat, Tapia gained plaudits for his heart and resilience, attributes which helped make him one of the greatest ever warriors of the lighter weights.

• Herol Graham

This seems closer to home. Graham canonised the hands down, Wincobank style idolised and imitated by stable mates Naz, Johnny Nelson and Junior Witter. ‘Bomber’ Graham was one of the more special British talents of all time; slippery with an impregnable defence, it seemed opponents would be better served wielding a scattergun to put a dent in him, yet he twice failed in world title attempts whilst in his pomp.

The term ‘effectively awkward’ was an understatement when used about Herol, yet it was his misfortune he went up against firstly, master 80’s ring mechanic Mike McCallum (Graham lost a points decision) then the murderous puncher Julian Jackson in his first two title tries. The Jackson defeat looked like the end for Graham; after putting a whipping on Jackson for 3 rounds, Herol dancing with his arms by his side, ate a desperation howitzer launched from somewhere back home in The Virgin Islands by ‘The Hawk’. Unconscious before he hit the deck, he was left prostrate in the Spanish ring for a frightening five minutes plus.

After later suffering two defeats 6 months apart, (the first a second defeat by Sumbu Kalambay, the second an ignominious British title loss to Frank Grant in September 1994), Graham walked away, but decided to reverse his decision amidst stern opposition from the BBB of C, 3 years later.The comeback looked ill fated, indeed Herol rather astonishingly admitted to having being knocked out in the gym by a novice middleweight, a certain Howard Eastman. Surprisingly then he displayed remarkable reflexes and utilising the tricky, elusive southpaw style he had mastered, he won 4 fights in a row up at 168 lbs, including two impressive victories over Vinny Pazienza and Chris Johnson.

This earned Herol a third and final title shot at the IBF champion, Charles Brewer. Boxing on the Lennox Lewis- Shannon Briggs card in Atlantic City in March 1998, Graham completely outfoxed Brewer for much of the fight and looked on the verge of victory when downing Brewer twice in round 3. Tiring down the stretch and feeling every one of his 38 years, the fading Graham was stunned in the 10^th round and was halted along the ropes by the referee. 

• Mike Tyson/ Joe Louis/ Muhammad Ali

It is indeed interesting that these three former heavyweight kings all missed great chunks of their prime years for varying reasons. For Louis and Ali it was war; Louis joined the Second World War effort in the early 1940’s, Ali dodged the Vietnam draft in 1967. Louis managed to come back after 4 years and carry on defending his crown just as he left off. Ali came back after 3 years straight into world class and challenged champion Joe Frazier in only his 3^rd fight back from exile. Tyson came back from 4 years in the penitentiary to reclaim two versions of the championship he once held imperiously.Louis and Tyson retained their power, which aided their success; Louis was also able to regularly box in exhibitions for the US military, which kept him relatively sharp. Ali on the other hand had to adapt his style completely in order to restore himself to former glories. It is clear though, that all three fighters came back slower and far easier to hit than they previously had been.To put into context the ambition of their returns, Ali’s first fight back was against Jerry Quarry whilst Louis took on Billy Conn (who had given him one of his toughest fights in a classic). In Mike Tyson’s first bout back he fought Peter McNeeley.

• Felix Trinidad

This example could prove most prophetic. Bone-crunching power? Check. Perennial pound for pound top ten inhabitant? Check. An over reliance on landing power shots causing him to be schooled and handed a first defeat by a veteran, master craftsman? Check. Retired during what is usually regarded as the prime fighting years after a consolation win over European level fighter? Check again. This near 6 foot tall Puerto Rican and the aforementioned 5 foot 3 Yorkshire/Yemeni appear to have more in common than first glance would afford, so is there something to be gleaned from Tito’s recent comeback?

Felix returned on 2^nd October 2004 at middleweight, aged 31 and having shed 30 lbs in weight. He battered the colourful former welterweight king Ricardo Mayorga around Madison Square Garden, registering an 8^th round stoppage victory. The re-emergence of the Puerto Rican idol gave the industry a boost and a much needed financial injection. Team Trinidad and promoter Don King then thought it prudent to push their charge straight into a mega fight. With former foes De la Hoya and Hopkins tied up, they decided to aim for the best of the light middleweights, Winky Wright; it would prove a ruinous decision.

On 14^th May 2005, Trinidad was completely dominated and whitewashed by his consummate southpaw opponent over 12 rounds. Lack of creativity and an inability to adjust his fighting style cost Felix the fight and chipped away at his legendary reputation. It was a bad defeat, emphasising the flaws exposed by Bernard Hopkins in 2001, and leading many to evaluate Tito the fighter as one-dimensional. At 32 years of age he only knew one way to fight, to come forward relentlessly trying to land his patented power shots. The defeat left Trinidad with nowhere to go apart from into retirement once again.

• Eder Jofre

Now this is how it’s done. Jofre is perhaps the most underrated and underexposed fighter of all time. This all-time great from the mean barrios of Sao Paulo, Brazil was, in the early 60’s regarded as pound for pound the best in the game. Rated by experts as the greatest bantamweight of all, this stalking two-fisted stylist had compiled a sparkling record of 47-0-3 by the end of 1964, was the bantamweight champion and had beaten good men like Bernardo Caraballo, Eloy Sanchez and Joe Medel.

A notoriously slow starter this rangy South American was hailed as ‘The Golden Bantam’. A brace of close points defeats handed to him by the greatest fighter ever to hail from Japan, Masahiko ‘Fighting’ Harada, persuaded Jofre to hang up his gloves. True to the most well worn of boxing clichés, the aged ex-champion, down on his luck and fiscally struggling, decided to dust them off some 2 ½ years later and launch a comeback, this time up at featherweight. However this is where the standard, doomed comeback tale takes a happy diversion. Jofre, using his immense experience and ring nouse, built up a tally of 13-0 in his new division.

By  1973 he had managed to manoeuvre himself in line for a title shot. On 5^th May of that year he annexed the WBC featherweight crown from Jose Legra, overcoming a knockdown in round 3 to win at the ripe old age of 37. Jofre followed this eye-opening win with perhaps his defining fight, a 4^th round knockout over fellow hall of fame fighter Vincente Saldivar, pinning his Mexican opponent to the ropes and finishing the bout with a vicious left. He retired with a ledger of 25-0 in his comeback career, boasting an overall slate of 72-2-4. He holds the distinction of never having been stopped.

Can he do it then? Hamed is 31, which is a similar age as Trinidad and Louis were on their return, younger than Jofre (33) and Graham (37) on one hand, yet older than Tapia (27), Tyson and Ali (both 28) were on the other. He is apparently well over his fighting weight, but as Trinidad and others have shown, in this day and age, it is possible to successfully reduce the excess gained after lying idle.

It is though doubtful he could return to the featherweight division, and more likely he would have to enter the lightweight or super featherweight ranks, which are dripping with top class competition. The most successful on this list came back at a steady pace (apart from Ali who lets face it, wrote his own rules). Jofre racked up 13 wins before challenging for a title, Tapia notched up 19 before his mega fight with Danny Romero. It is unlikely Hamed would be afforded this luxury; a 6 fight deal with American TV has been mooted and it is guaranteed that toward the end of that schedule the network would expect a heavy return on their outlay. This would likely involve a dangerous but potentially electrifying match-up with any one of the excellent fighters around 130 lbs such as Barrera, Morales, Marquez, Pacquaio and Chavez.

Naseem can expect to have slowed and will undoubtedly be tagged more than before his lay off, which would perhaps logically, require a shift back to the more elusive and unorthodox style of his youth. This will not be easy though; at the age of 31 he probably is what he is. His tremendous power and steady chin should win him a few bouts, but against the absolute cream an inability to make adjustments would likely end in a Trinidad type disaster.

The majority of comebacks fail, and Hamed will need to do something incredible in order to restore some of his reputation, which must be his aim. The sheer excitement, creative trash talking and chaos that surrounds him will make for great viewing and who knows, a Jofre style comeback could transform the Prince into what he always professed to be.