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37 years ago, Muhammad Ali, arguably the biggest sports star of all time, entered the boxing ring for the last time as a competitor against Trevor Berbick.
It was sad to see "The Greatest" fight to survive against an opponent that he would have known for years. One year, Ali had been spared the terrible blows inflicted by Larry Holmes during a league game and was already showing signs of vocal stuttering and trembling hands that would be part of the rest of his life.
These two fights should never have been allowed. The battle of Holmes in particular is considered a tragedy in the sport of boxing. The two fights took place because the promoters thought that Ali's name would still attract and that he had no other way to earn that money. But there was a feeling of sadness in watching them that I will never forget.
There is a big difference when a baseball or basketball player – or even a football player – comes out and competes well beyond its peak. They may be more aggressive or slower on the ground, causing some sadness for anyone who has followed their career. But ball sports are very different from combat sports.
In theory, there is a reason why combat sports are regulated. Almost no one wants to be retired when large sums of money are thrown away for one more fight. And there's a reason why it's really not a good thing to fight in midlife. Like all the rules, there are exceptions, but for every Bernard Hopkins who has been successful in his last forty years, there will be hundreds of much younger people who will no longer have the reflexes or the lightening. endurance needed to compete in such a ruthless profession.
Chuck Liddell's battle with Tito Ortiz on Saturday night was actually worst the end of Ali's career.
Admittedly, there is no evidence of the hidden signs of neurological damage, nor any evidence that Liddell was full of thyroid medications, as Ali was in the battle of Holmes for his body to look presentable and deceives the public into believing that he was better fit than he had been in years. Ali was beaten with drugs, which only made his condition worse.
He always survived the 10th round with Holmes, although "survive" is a sad choice of words. He also covered the 10-round distance with Berbick, even though it was clear very quickly that he was left with nothing and that he was going to become a punching bag.
But with Liddell, watching the à la carte pay-per-view channel at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., It was predictable that the fight would take place hours before it started. It was already clear when Liddell got out of the car that brought him to the arena and he came out like an old man whose hips seemed to have pulled.
If advertisers talk about how you keep your power, this is really not the case for a person who is almost 49 years old, especially since injuries hurt the explosive force. Eliminatory power comes from speed, which also disappears well before that moment.
Oscar De La Hoya, acting as promoter, went on to try to sell the idea that the legendary Liddell, the first true MMA superstar created by television, was back and that his age was than a number. Yet De La Hoya is three years younger than Liddell and he knew enough to stop fighting 10 years ago, when he could no longer physically perform to the required level. Ali was 10 years younger than Liddell when he fought Holmes.
Your power comes from your legs and hips. Liddell had neither one nor the other. It was scary to see him hitting pads in clips before the fight. You had to be gullible – or pretend really really hard – that something was not really bad. The idea that he was making sandbags, the word being cast to explain how slow he was and how weak he was. None of this really made sense.
But just seeing him walking with his family, the result of the fight was obvious before it started. This fight did not take a turn to become sad. The first minute you could see Liddell's unsteady feet and his slow movements; really, before the first punch was even thrownit was clear that a career performance was unfolding.
In hindsight, the fight was a mistake. Liddell could not move. Even when he was connecting, he had none of his powers touted because his body had betrayed him for a long time. He had much discussed during the preparation of the meeting and looked physically, and the fans had in memory the memory of a fighter who was a dazzling artist in the cage and the worst idiot in television commercials . But his movement was so weak that he had to know that all his discussions were only a bluff to try to promote ticket sales and pay-per-view purchases.
Somehow, Liddell has managed to give his body a more than presentable appearance considering his age. I'm just looking at it. he looked as good, maybe better than in his golden age. But as with Ali in the end, it was an illusion.
How a man who could not move was allowed to fight is a difficult question to solve.
Andy Foster, who heads the California Sports Commission that authorized him, said Liddell had successfully pbaded all the recommended tests for fighters over 40 years old defined by the Ringside Medical Association ( ARP), including MRA and MRI tests. brain, electrocardiogram, cardiac tests, neurological tests and an eye exam.
And that's fine. But the system as defined by the ARP has failed significantly in this case. Rather than lingering over a story that can not be changed, learn from this fight.
For any fighter of this age who enters combat, there should be some form of agility test. A man who can not move and whose hips have been touched at this point should not be allowed to fight, even if his body is in good condition and his brain and eyes feel good.
Quite frankly, anyone over the age of 45 should prove that you are fit to fight.
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