lpinoy
10-09-2010, 02:19 AM
C/P
By; Dave Carlson
The Fanhouse report lists "neurological issues" as the cited reason for the withdrawal, but this sounds like a very fishy excuse. Dirrell has been ducking his fight with Andre Ward for months now - first saying that they weren't going to fight, and now pulling out right before training camp with a spurious injury report.
As with most excuses, Dirrell's reason is based on something that could potentially be true, and my sincere apologies and best wishes to him and his loved ones if that is the case, but it sounds unusual.
I am no neurologist and am not intending to nor qualified to present any sort of medical opinion, but I am a physiology and neurology student at UCSD and based on my knowledge and articles from various neurological publications, it seems that most neurological deficits from boxing (and yes, there are many) present themselves an average of 16 years after a boxer's career and strongly tend to surface in fighters who fight past the age of 28 and have a history of losing.
Dirrell just turned 27 and has anything but a history of losing. He lost one very physical bout a year ago against Carl Froch, but has had a major fight since then - taking a few hits but altogether putting forth a very dominant performance against Arthur Abraham. Other than those two fights, he has essentially sailed through a resume of journeymen and low-level contenders throughout his career.
Until further reports, best potential explanation for a valid neurological finding at this point in Dirrell's career is that he has a long-standing neurological issue that has just recently been discovered. ApoE4 is a genetic variation related to Alzheimer's that has a strong correlation with more severe brain damage in professional boxers.
A discovery of such a condition, which would be the most likely explanation for "neurological issues" for Dirrell, should spell the end of Dirrell's young boxing career. No fighter should persist in the face of such issues, as Muhammad Ali and Freddie Roach learned after defying the advice of their neurologists by fighting on in the face of Parkinsonism and Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.
So if this is the case, we wish Dirrell well and have him in our thoughts and prayers.
"I Smell a Rat"
Patrick Henry uttered these words over 200 years ago and they seem to ring true throughout boxing today, especially in Dirrell's case. The timing is just too convenient. Everyone knew Dirrell was extremely hesitant to face his friend Andre Ward. The announcement two weeks ago that the fight was actually going to happen was a welcome surprise for boxing fans.
Dirrell and Ward even announced that they weren't going to fight each other a mere month ago. However, we hoped that their better natures had prevailed and they genuinely decided to reward boxing fans with one of the most anticipated matches of the year.
We should have seen this coming. It's disappointing, but should be expected in today's boxing environment.
When Did Top Boxers Become Such Cowards?
It's one of the most frustrating aspects of the modern fighting environment. Blame the promoters, the media, the perception that a loss is a career-ender, but the fact is that so many of the most anticipated fights in boxing are being dodged in order to protect fighters' fragile reputations.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao is the most obvious example, but there are many others.
Nonito Donaire vs. Fernando Montiel would pit two of the top 10 pound for pound fighters against each other, but has failed to materialize for well over a year now.
David Haye is famously dodging the Klitschkos to the point where the limited-but-courageous Amir Khan is now the most well-loved fighter in Britain.
Paul Williams had to exhaust every potential avenue before signing to fight Sergio Martinez again, and it is now one of the two biggest fights remaining in 2010. It should draw tremendous support and excitement from fans.
Great Fights Turn Talented Boxers Into Legends
The perception that a major loss will severely damage a fighter's reputation is faulty, even in today's impatient boxing environment.
Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao, Tomasz Adamek, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, Paul Malignaggi - these are all fighters who saw their profile rise by taking on top opponents and getting mixed results.
Arturo Gatti was a middle-of-the-road talent with some obvious physical restraints, but has been called the most exciting fighter of his generation.
Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales' matchup launched both of them into the limelight.
Joe Frazier isn't famous for beating decent fighters like George Chuvalo and Jerry Quarry impressively. He is famous because he was Muhammad Ali's best opponent and beat him once in three chances. He got knocked out by Foreman twice, but he's still regarded as one of the all-time greats.
Being the losing fighter in a big fight still emblazons your name in the minds of boxing fans - ask Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Glen Johnson, Chris Arreola, Rafael Marquez, Thomas Hearns, Sergio Martinez, or any of a long list of fighters whose most famous fights have been losses. None of them have seen their reputations destroyed just for losing a fight or two.
Andre Dirrell is not a big draw. He may never be. He's just another protected, talented fighter who backed out of a big opportunity for one of the biggest fights in boxing. There are a lot of fighters who would leap at that opportunity, and would gain the respect of boxing fans - win, lose, or draw.
Sergio Martinez, Tomasz Adamek, Timothy Bradley and Andre Ward may be two of the fastest-rising stars in boxing, and it's because of their big performances in fights against dangerous opponents. Dirrell's win against Arthur Abraham showed flashes of that kind of spirit, but apparently it was fleeting.
There's always the chance that Dirrell's neurological issues could be valid, but there is a strong shroud of suspicion given the circumstances. Until then, we'll toss Dirrell into the growing list of fighters who we'd like to see in top-notch matchups, but may never get the chance to cheer for.
By; Dave Carlson
The Fanhouse report lists "neurological issues" as the cited reason for the withdrawal, but this sounds like a very fishy excuse. Dirrell has been ducking his fight with Andre Ward for months now - first saying that they weren't going to fight, and now pulling out right before training camp with a spurious injury report.
As with most excuses, Dirrell's reason is based on something that could potentially be true, and my sincere apologies and best wishes to him and his loved ones if that is the case, but it sounds unusual.
I am no neurologist and am not intending to nor qualified to present any sort of medical opinion, but I am a physiology and neurology student at UCSD and based on my knowledge and articles from various neurological publications, it seems that most neurological deficits from boxing (and yes, there are many) present themselves an average of 16 years after a boxer's career and strongly tend to surface in fighters who fight past the age of 28 and have a history of losing.
Dirrell just turned 27 and has anything but a history of losing. He lost one very physical bout a year ago against Carl Froch, but has had a major fight since then - taking a few hits but altogether putting forth a very dominant performance against Arthur Abraham. Other than those two fights, he has essentially sailed through a resume of journeymen and low-level contenders throughout his career.
Until further reports, best potential explanation for a valid neurological finding at this point in Dirrell's career is that he has a long-standing neurological issue that has just recently been discovered. ApoE4 is a genetic variation related to Alzheimer's that has a strong correlation with more severe brain damage in professional boxers.
A discovery of such a condition, which would be the most likely explanation for "neurological issues" for Dirrell, should spell the end of Dirrell's young boxing career. No fighter should persist in the face of such issues, as Muhammad Ali and Freddie Roach learned after defying the advice of their neurologists by fighting on in the face of Parkinsonism and Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury.
So if this is the case, we wish Dirrell well and have him in our thoughts and prayers.
"I Smell a Rat"
Patrick Henry uttered these words over 200 years ago and they seem to ring true throughout boxing today, especially in Dirrell's case. The timing is just too convenient. Everyone knew Dirrell was extremely hesitant to face his friend Andre Ward. The announcement two weeks ago that the fight was actually going to happen was a welcome surprise for boxing fans.
Dirrell and Ward even announced that they weren't going to fight each other a mere month ago. However, we hoped that their better natures had prevailed and they genuinely decided to reward boxing fans with one of the most anticipated matches of the year.
We should have seen this coming. It's disappointing, but should be expected in today's boxing environment.
When Did Top Boxers Become Such Cowards?
It's one of the most frustrating aspects of the modern fighting environment. Blame the promoters, the media, the perception that a loss is a career-ender, but the fact is that so many of the most anticipated fights in boxing are being dodged in order to protect fighters' fragile reputations.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao is the most obvious example, but there are many others.
Nonito Donaire vs. Fernando Montiel would pit two of the top 10 pound for pound fighters against each other, but has failed to materialize for well over a year now.
David Haye is famously dodging the Klitschkos to the point where the limited-but-courageous Amir Khan is now the most well-loved fighter in Britain.
Paul Williams had to exhaust every potential avenue before signing to fight Sergio Martinez again, and it is now one of the two biggest fights remaining in 2010. It should draw tremendous support and excitement from fans.
Great Fights Turn Talented Boxers Into Legends
The perception that a major loss will severely damage a fighter's reputation is faulty, even in today's impatient boxing environment.
Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao, Tomasz Adamek, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, Paul Malignaggi - these are all fighters who saw their profile rise by taking on top opponents and getting mixed results.
Arturo Gatti was a middle-of-the-road talent with some obvious physical restraints, but has been called the most exciting fighter of his generation.
Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales' matchup launched both of them into the limelight.
Joe Frazier isn't famous for beating decent fighters like George Chuvalo and Jerry Quarry impressively. He is famous because he was Muhammad Ali's best opponent and beat him once in three chances. He got knocked out by Foreman twice, but he's still regarded as one of the all-time greats.
Being the losing fighter in a big fight still emblazons your name in the minds of boxing fans - ask Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Glen Johnson, Chris Arreola, Rafael Marquez, Thomas Hearns, Sergio Martinez, or any of a long list of fighters whose most famous fights have been losses. None of them have seen their reputations destroyed just for losing a fight or two.
Andre Dirrell is not a big draw. He may never be. He's just another protected, talented fighter who backed out of a big opportunity for one of the biggest fights in boxing. There are a lot of fighters who would leap at that opportunity, and would gain the respect of boxing fans - win, lose, or draw.
Sergio Martinez, Tomasz Adamek, Timothy Bradley and Andre Ward may be two of the fastest-rising stars in boxing, and it's because of their big performances in fights against dangerous opponents. Dirrell's win against Arthur Abraham showed flashes of that kind of spirit, but apparently it was fleeting.
There's always the chance that Dirrell's neurological issues could be valid, but there is a strong shroud of suspicion given the circumstances. Until then, we'll toss Dirrell into the growing list of fighters who we'd like to see in top-notch matchups, but may never get the chance to cheer for.