DISAPPOINTING WELTERWEIGHT SHOWDOWN

Hey Doug,

Short and sweet again this week. I had told friends that were once boxing fans that THIS is the fight that might bring them back. Two hard punching unbeaten champs in their prime who don’t like each other.

This will be a FIGHT not a boxing match, ON PRIME TIME NETWORK TV no less!… and for 60 seconds it was. After that, a lot of wild swings, sporadic action and back pedaling. Heck even I had bought into the hype and trash talk. It was a total disappointment. I really expected more from both guys from what I have seen of them. Thurman deserved the decision but I thought he was trying to give it away from his performance the last couple of rounds. This was Thurman’s chance to really shine and create some excitement and he totally blew it.

For my money, Errol Spence out classes them both and will be the last man standing when the dust clears in the welter division…..but that’s just me. – David, Nashville

It’s not just you. I saw a lot of that talk on Twitter in the hours after the Thurman-Garcia bout. Spence has a lot of hardcore fan support, and most of them think the soft-spoken-hard-hitting Texan would wipe out both Thurman and Garcia. I like Spence a lot but I beg to differ. We won’t know the full extent of Spence’s potential until he takes on Kell Brook. We know Spence shines against opponents who can’t hurt him. We don’t know how he’ll cope with a world-class boxer-puncher. Brook, Thurman and Garcia, can hit him back as hard as he’ll try to hit them.

I disagree with your take on Thurman. I don’t think he totally laid an egg against Garcia. Do I think the fight could have been – or SHOULD have been – better than it was? Yes, absolutely. Going into the fight I envisioned a competitive and intense distance match resulting in both welterweights getting busted/lumped up by Round 12. The fight was competitive, but it wasn’t all that intense and both fighters got through the 12 rounds relatively unscathed. The Savage Science it wasn’t. It wasn’t really the Sweet Science, either. It was mainly careful ring generalship with some calculated power punching. I wouldn’t call Thurman-Garcia a snoozer, but it’s definitely not one of those fights you put in the vault – or tell your former boxing-fan friends about.

I had told friends that were once boxing fans that THIS is the fight that might bring them back. All due respect, David, you had NO business doing that. The styles of Thurman and Garcia – and the way both usually fight against quality opposition – should have told you that there was a good chance that the matchup would not deliver sustained action. I’m not saying this after the fact, I did break this down in Friday’s mailbag (up at the top of the column so nobody would miss it!):

“I’m expecting a competitive fight that’s exciting and dramatic in spots. Both Thurman and Garcia tend to let their hands go in powerful bursts. They’re not high-volume punchers. They don’t work non-stop for three minutes of every round, and they’re not known for their pressure. They like to take their time and pick their spots to let their heavy hands go. So while I believe that we are in for a compelling matchup, I think the fireworks will be spaced out throughout the fight.”

Two hard punching unbeaten champs in their prime who don’t like each other. Those facts look good on paper, but it’s the styles and mentalities of the fighters that count in the ring.

This will be a FIGHT not a boxing match, ON PRIME TIME NETWORK TV no less!… and for 60 seconds it was. That opening round was a bit of a tease, wasn’t it?

After that, a lot of wild swings, sporadic action and back pedaling. True. There was some hard punches landed, though.

Heck even I had bought into the hype and trash talk. Well, if you were expected anything resembling Leonard-Hearns I, that’s on you. I didn’t think the fight would come within sniffing distance of Brown-Blocker.

It was a total disappointment. You’re entitled to your opinion but I don’t think it was THAT bad.

INTENSE BUT MINIMAL ACTION

Hi Dougie,

I hope you had a great weekend. I enjoyed the fight. I thought CBS put on a good show. The intensity of the match was palpable even through the TV, however the amount of action was less that I thought would take place.

In the first couple of rounds it looked as if Thurman was looking for the KO. By round 4 it seemed he realized he could easily outbox Garcia and seemed to use a strategy of safely cruising to a decision. That being said Thurman was smooth, relaxed and on point with his defense. Neither fighter was daring to be great.

I had it 116-112 Thurman. It should have been a unanimous decision.

My questions to you are: 1) Was Thurman being technical or was he concerned about Garcia’s power? 2) Where do the two fighters go from here in terms of next opponents?

I watched a live stream of David Haye vs. Tony Bellew. Sloppy stuff from two guys past their prime. The crazy crowd is half the fun.

Yours truly, the somewhat satisfied boxing fan in Miami – Aaron

Nothing compares to the atmosphere of a major arena packed with UK fans. Even if the fight is a letdown – as Carl Frampton’s split nod over Scott Quigg was last February in Manchester – the experience is electric and unforgettable thanks to the ultra-passionate (and mostly piss drunk) boxing fans.

I don’t care if the action was “sloppy” during Haye-Bellew, the drama of Bellew deftly getting through the early rounds, Haye’s obvious injury, his guts to persevere, and the imminent major upset made the fight incredibly compelling.

Photo / Tom Casino-SHOWTIME

Was Thurman being technical or was he concerned about Garcia’s power? Both. Thurmy’s a cerebral cat outside of the ring and a thinker inside of it, especially when he’s facing a world-class opponent. He knew Garcia is a good counter-puncher who can crack AND is in possession of a rock-solid chin.

Where do the two fighters go from here in terms of next opponents? I think Thurman has a WBA mandatory against the WBA’s “regular” titleholder Lamont Peterson. If he can beat the hardnosed veteran, my guess is that he will try to further unify titles against the Brook-Spence winner. I think Garcia will either go after the Shawn Porter-Andre Berto winner or pursue an attractive match against Adrien Broner. There’s a slight possibility that either fighter could get the winner of Pacquiao-Khan (if that fight happens).

In the first couple of rounds it looked as if Thurman was looking for the KO. He probably was. He “chin checked” Garcia in Round 1 and discovered first-hand that the Philly fighter’s beard passes that particular test.

By round 4 it seemed he realized he could easily outbox Garcia and seemed to use a strategy of safely cruising to a decision. Yeah, or maybe he found out that Garcia could take his best shot and could hurt him with return fire.

That being said Thurman was smooth, relaxed and on point with his defense. He’s not the most technically sound boxer, but he understands boxing (how to hit and not get hit) and he’s got the athleticism to allow him to get away with most of his mistakes. He was the better athlete and more versatile boxer on Saturday.

Neither fighter was daring to be great. Nope.

I had it 116-112 Thurman. So did I.

It should have been a unanimous decision. I could see a majority decision. There were a couple swing rounds (Rounds 4 and 5) that I scored for Thurman that could have gone to Garcia.

ONE TIME

Hey Doug my man, will keep this short okay.

Congrats to Keith. He rides a good bicycle. Someone should have told him it wasn’t the damn Tour de France. It was a very good fight, for six rounds. So Thurman is now the Undisputed King at Welter in the PBC stable. He has to find a way to convince ol’ Uncie Al to set him up with Crawford, Pacquiao (if the Pacman beats Khan, which he will easily do) and the Brook/Spence winner to find out who the best in the world is in the division.

I watched the fight with two non-fans. I broke it down for them and we watched the ring entrances and as it was a 50/50 fight. I let them pick who they wanted to bet on. They picked Garcia. I won ten bucks and One Time did not endear any casual fans to his side by taking the last four or so rounds off. I’m sure a lot of hardcore heads are as unimpressed as we were.

Hope you’re well dude! Peace. – Steve, Toronto, Canada

Thurman had his share of detractors before the Shawn Porter fight and  I guess he didn’t do enough during those 12 hard rounds to win them over. He had his share of doubters going into the Garcia showdown and it looks like he’s still got ‘em. Maybe more. My guess is that Thurman will always have a somewhat vocal booing section among hardcore fans (for various reasons and not only based on his ring style – some cats hate on him just because he’s different) and he’ll probably never become the crossover star that some of us thought he could be (and that the PBC obviously hopes he can be). 

Photo by Ed Diller / DiBella Entertainment

But I like Keith. I like his personality and mentality and I’m OK with his ring identity for the time being (I’m not going to be too hard on him for scraping by Porter or for “merely” outpointing Garcia – those two are tough nuts and difficult outings for anybody in the 147-pound division).

I’ve been high on him since he was fighting on the non-televised portion of Golden Boy Promotions undercards. I picked him to be THE RING’s Prospect of the Year in 2012 (the first year that year-end category became my choice) and I’ve believed in him (and his under-the-radar trainer Dan Birmingham) as he’s made his way up the rankings. My guess is that Thurman will assume THE RING’s No. 1 welterweight ranking, supplanting Brook, with the Garcia victory. There will be many fans who dispute his spot at the top, but I think on a good day, he can beat any of the other elite welters.

AN OPTIMIST’S VIEW OF THURMAN-GARCIA

I have to say the overall negativity of the boxing community continues to be exhausting. I was excited for Thurman/Garcia and it delivered. I didn’t expect it to be some legendary classic, rather I expected 2 talented fighters to fight and whatever happened happened.

Thurman was more dominant than I expected, but I fault Garcia for that and the lack of action. Garcia (or his dad) should have seen by round 6 that plan A was failing (sitting back looking to counter) and they needed a Plan B (attack, exchange if you have to, but counter off your engagement)….I don’t fault Thurman for not doing the one thing Garcia wanted, which is attack with reckless abandon. Garcia needed to make him fight, not hope for another judge’s gift and claim victory regardless.

So 2 top welterweights actually fought (isn’t that a top complaint) and 1 showed his superiority (despite one judge translating crowd response to his scorecard)… but instead of actually trying to enjoy it, folks have to knock the fighters, say how poorly they’d fair versus fighters 20-30 years ago, bemoan them not putting on Gatti/Ward IV, or just b***h and moan.

Now here’s my question: You’re a fighter and given 3 options: You can face Fighter A who’s a pushover, Fighter B who’s a faded “name” and matches up well stylistically, or Fighter C who’s a top guy and awkward style match-up. If you decide history matters and you want to make your mark, aren’t you aware that you’ll be knocked no matter what you do? If you’re scintillating vs Fighter A, everybody says “so what he stinks”. If you’re in a back and forth vs Fighter B, everybody says “you’re flawed because you shouldn’t have been touched, much less competitive”. If you’re dominant in a tactical fight, everybody says “you’re boring and guys Sugar Ray Leonard killed would have killed you”. If all your options feel no-win with those shaping history as observers, why aren’t you just taking whatever fight pays the most with the least risk and saying forget history? Isn’t the fact that everybody is an expert, everybody a critic – and it’s always with a negative, grumpy old man bent – aren’t we as much to blame for not seeing better fights? – Mark S.

To an extent, yes. This, sadly, is the era of the geek-purist/social media troll/bitch-and-moan-doom-and-gloom mope fan. Too many hardcore boxing fans believe that being hyper-cynical/critical is a sign of their “superior knowledge.” They are wrong (as they often are with their pre-fight predictions). They just come off as whiny bitches or wanna-be experts/insiders. Others will only tolerate four or five matchups that they deem superfights and are hellbent on s__ting on every other fight that is made (Roman Gonzalez has to fight Naoya Inoue or f__k Chocolatito, Canelo has to fight Golovkin or f__k him; GGG has to fight Andre Ward or f__k him, Ward has to fight Sergey Kovalev or f__k him, etc.). They view themselves as diehards but they come off as casuals because there are other interesting matchups that can be made with those fighters and other standouts. And some so-called hardcore heads (friendless dopes who live on Twitter) are just cretins. They really don’t give a s__t about boxing, they just like to piss people off and they think their vulgarity is amusing.

A reader in the Friday mailbag (Peter from London) asked me if I thought Haye-Bellew was the “mismatch con to line the pockets” of the fighters that many fans had called it, and if I thought it was a “genuine, live contest.”

I told him that it was a live contest with a clear pre-fight favorite (Haye), but whether one gave Bellew a shot or not (and I thought he could last the distance and make it a real fight), we really couldn’t blame him for making the match, which was a huge event in England. The reason was that today’s hardcore fan would s__t on anything Bellew did, so he might as well roll the proverbial dice against Haye and collect as much money as possible.

Had Bellew faced his WBC cruiserweight mandatory, Mairis Briedis, nobody would have given a rat’s ass. Had he tried to unify major belts he would have been dismissed (hardcore fans would have said Oleksandr Usyk would embarrass him and that Murat Gassiev would have knocked him out). If by some miracle Andre Ward decided to step up to cruiserweight to challenge Bellew, they’d say the American would toy with Liverpool man. So if the hardcore set pooh-poohed Bellew’s chances no matter who he fought, why not face a fellow loudmouth UK star and make for a big domestic event that whips up the passions of his loyal Liverpudlians and pays him a big fat grip. And, who knows? If he pulls the upset, he’ll get paid another – bigger and fatter – grip. And, as you say, what happened happened. But instead of giving Bellew and Haye their props, too many fans (the same ones who said Bellew would get iced in one or two rounds) are crapping on Haye’s ability/track record and refusing to give Bellew credit because of the injury the odds favorite suffered during the bout. Some people just like being miserable.

So 2 top welterweights actually fought (isn’t that a top complaint) and 1 showed his superiority (despite one judge translating crowd response to his scorecard)… but instead of actually trying to enjoy it, folks have to knock the fighters, say how poorly they’d fair versus fighters 20-30 years ago, bemoan them not putting on Gatti/Ward IV, or just b***h and moan. Yeah, it’s frustrating. Nobody should have expected a Gatti-Ward fight. I don’t blame folks for saying Thurman and Garcia can’t carry Leonard’s or Hearns’ jock straps because the CBS/Showtime broadcast/commentary was geared so much to comparing the fight to that 1981 classic, but come on folks, who of this era DOES compare to Sugary Ray and The Hitman? The fans who are saying that Spence easily handles Thurman and Garcia are getting on my nerves more than those who say they couldn’t hang with the top 147 pounders of the 1980s and ‘90s.

THURMAN-GARCIA, LUBIN, HAYE-BELLEW

Hi Dougie,

I hope you are well. Will keep it brief this week:

1) the best thing about Thurman-Garcia was the anticipation leading up to the fight, but what a letdown! I thought Keith won a close decision. Danny showed little urgency.  Keith did not act the way a champion is supposed to behave. Running those last two rounds, I have to believe Keith lost fans who wished he showed the same aggression he had vs Shawn Porter.

2) Erickson Lubin displayed the definition of a one hitter quitter! I am excited to see him again and wonder how he will do when he steps up against Jermell Charlo (assuming he beats Hatfield). Was Costa a real test? Looking at Lubin’s opponents, not sure he’s face very stiff opposition , yet.

3) Tony Bellew showed some major balls to fight David Haye. He stood toe to toe and didn’t back down even when a true heavyweight was winging bombs. I hope Haye retires, after his antics during the fight build up I have had my fill of him.

4) can’t wait for Lemieux-Stevens, for as long as that one lasts! Thanks and have a good week. – Rahn

I will, Rahn. Thanks for keeping it brief. I’ll respond to your questions/statements in order:

the best thing about Thurman-Garcia was the anticipation leading up to the fight, but what a letdown! It wasn’t anticipated like a bona-fide superfight and on the level of De La Hoya-Trinidad or Mayweather-Pacquiao and it wasn’t a dud on the level of those two mega-money-makers.

I thought Keith won a close decision. I think most observers saw it that way.

Danny showed little urgency. I thought he showed some urgency late in the fight, but he needed to step it up a lot earlier.

Keith did not act the way a champion is supposed to behave. His boxing version of the “four corners offense” almost bit him in the ass – as it did to De La Hoya back in ’99 – but he still got the nod on two official scorecards, so I’m not going to say he’s not behaving like a champion. Fact is, he’s one of boxing’s few partially unified titleholders. Thurman says his goal is to unify all the belts. If he does that, you’ll have to acknowledge him as THE champ, and his pursuit of that goal should be respected.

Running those last two rounds, I have to believe Keith lost fans who wished he showed the same aggression he had vs Shawn Porter. You might be right, and that is their prerogative.

Erickson Lubin displayed the definition of a one hitter quitter! Is there anything better in boxing?

I am excited to see him again and wonder how he will do when he steps up against Jermell Charlo (assuming he beats Hatfield). You’re not alone. Charlo will be a BIG step up in class for THE RING’s 2016 Prospect of theYear.

Was Costa a real test? Meh, more like an open-book quiz.

Looking at Lubin’s opponents, not sure he’s faced very stiff opposition, yet. You are correct, sir.

Tony Bellew showed some major balls to fight David Haye. I give The Bomber nothing but respect.

He stood toe to toe and didn’t back down even when a true heavyweight was winging bombs. “Winging” is the best way to describe Haye’s punching technique on Saturday. That was an example of when living up to one’s ring nickname was not a good idea. But props to Bellew for keeping his head under heavy fire in the early rounds and sneaking in counter right hands whenever he could.

I hope Haye retires, after his antics during the fight build up I have had my fill of him. I’m sure a lot of people feel this way, but then you’ve got a legion of boobs who believe he was merely “lucky” due to Haye’s Achilles injury and a lot of these fans will want to see The Hayemaker get a shot at revenge if he can recover from this latest injury. Personally, I think Haye should retire and focus on promoting (he’s good at it and I’m sure his good buddy Dick Schaefer could use the help in the UK).

can’t wait for David Lemieux-Curtis Stevens, for as long as that one lasts! You know it! I kind of wish I could be ringside for this one. Their challenges to Golovkin fell short of their shootout expectations due to GGG’s class, but against each other we should get some heavy duty fistic thunder.

YOU WERE RIGHT (ALMOST)

Hi Doug,

Fair play to ya Dougmeister, you were one of the few people who gave Bellew any sort of chance. In the last mailbag I said that I couldn’t see any way Bellew could win – that he didn’t have the power (at HW), skills or defence to beat a guy like Haye. However, you replied that Bellew “wasn’t as crude or one dimensional as people think” and that he could win by “outlasting and outpunching Haye”. This is exactly what happened as (even before Haye injured his foot) The Bomber showcased his skills and ring smarts with excellent defence and counter punching and then gradually wore the bigger man down. This is why you’re a top boxing journalist and I’m not!

Now Bellew is calling out Deontay Wilder and everyone is going to call him a crazy man again. The thing is though, Bellew is an excellent reader of the game and everything he does is calculated. He called out Haye because he saw weaknesses in Haye that nobody else saw and he genuinely believed he could win. Maybe he also sees some flaws Wilder he can take advantage of. People may laugh but Bellew wouldn’t call him out if he didn’t think he could beat the big guy.

Thanks. – Mark

There’s no doubt that Bellew sees tremendous opportunity in Wilder. He sees another big-money event – one that would turn heads in America as well as the UK, a shot at a major heavyweight world title, and (of course) all of the flaws that the hardcore fan Know-It-Alls harp on non-stop.

However, I think Wilder would literally be a taller order for Bellew than Haye. Despite being 31 years old and 38 bouts into his pro career, Wilder is still in his athletic prime. Haye, who is five years older than Wilder and was semi-retired coming into the Bellew bout, is not. And though Wilder has had his share of ring-related injuries, he’s not as fragile (physically speaking) as The Hayemaker.

I think Wilder’s speed, height and modern-heavyweight reach would pose significant problems for Bellew. But I wouldn’t completely count Bellew out if this fight is made (not that I want to see it).

Fair play to ya Dougmeister, you were one of the few people who gave Bellew any sort of chance. Thanks, but don’t kiss my half-breed booty too much. I get ‘em wrong just as much as I get ‘em right (or close to correct, in this case), and it’s rare that I’ll totally dismiss ANY world-class fighter who happens to be a be big odds/media underdog. I know that boxing is the sport of underdogs and upsets. This is something that overly negative fans who piss on Golovkin-Jacobs and Canelo-Chavez Jr. should keep in mind.

In the last mailbag I said that I couldn’t see any way Bellew could win – that he didn’t have the power (at HW), skills or defence to beat a guy like Haye. I think the mistake that you and many other fans made was assuming that Haye was the same heavyweight he was five years ago. He’d had many false starts, injuries and surgeries prior to his comeback last year, and his two tune-up bouts were against no-hopers, so he had some questions marks coming into Saturday’s big grudge match. Given those X-factors, I saw a potentially vulnerable heavyweight if the fight progressed into the middle rounds. Obviously, Bellew and his team saw the same thing.

However, you replied that Bellew “wasn’t as crude or one dimensional as people think” and that he could win by “outlasting and outpunching Haye”. Hey man, I don’t judge fighters on their body type or their technical sharpness. You can be a pudgy sucker and be able to box your ass off, and technique is not the same thing as “skill” or “ring generalship.” There are boxers in the International Boxing Hall of Fame who sometimes looked downright clumsy (from Zivic to Zaragoza) but sure as hell knew their way around the ring. Like Bellew, and his recently retired countryman Carl Froch, these rugged awkward cats were durable and extremely willful.

This is exactly what happened as (even before Haye injured his foot) The Bomber showcased his skills and ring smarts with excellent defence and counter punching and then gradually wore the bigger man down. Although I had the bout even after four rounds, I thought Bellew maintained a razor-sharp focus and did a good job of ducking/slipping Haye’s sweeping power shots and countering with short accurate crosses. Once Haye ruptured his Achilles tendon it was only a matter of time. But my hat is off to Haye. He’s one of the toughest competitors I’ve ever seen fighting through all of that pain and lasting into the 11^th round.

This is why you’re a top boxing journalist and I’m not! LOL. Thank you. But they don’t pay me to accurately predict fights. I’m just a geek behind a laptop, editing and posting website content, churning out the mailbag column and trying to write and do deadline reports whenever time permits.

WHAT A WEEKEND!

Hi Dougie,

What a weekend! The Thurman-Garcia fight turned out exactly as I expected. I don’t know what the judge who voted for Garcia was watching but at least the right man won.

How do you see Thurman doing against Kell Brook, Errol Spence and Pacquiao? I give him even money against Brook (depending on whether there is any residual damage from the GGG fight) an edge over Spence (depending on how he does against Brook) but I don’t think he is busy enough to beat Pacquiao.

Who would have known that Thurman-Garcia would be completely overshadowed by the Haye-Bellew clash? Now that was drama!

I was one of those who viewed this as a super sized Canelo-Khan but boy did Bellew prove me wrong! For some reason I never really rated Bellew until he beat Makabu, maybe it was his loud mouth personality that rubbed me wrong. Well, if he can back it up like he did on Saturday, he can talk all the trash he wants. Haye’s injury shouldn’t detract from Bellew’s brilliant game plan that he stuck to (staying out of trouble early and waiting for Haye to tire before comin on).

I think Haye showed incredible heart but he is done, his body clearly can’t take it anymore. What do you think?

Where will Bellew go now? He has the classic cruiserweight dilemma in that he can make more money losing against top heavies than he can defending his world title at cruiserweight. Do you think he can parlay this win into a title shot against Anthony Joshua? I don’t think Bellew has enough of a punch at heavyweight, took to long to finish a hobbled Haye who could barely stand. I hope he goes back down to cruiserweight and tries to unify. Your thoughts?

Mythical matchup: Bruno vs Haye

Regards. – Droeks Malan, South Africa

I think Haye at his best at heavyweight could outpoint Bruno if he fought cautious, power-pot-shot-on-the-fly type fight (which he probably would after trying to chin check the bigger man in the opening round). My hunch is that Haye’s pre-fight talk and antics would allow him to get into Bruno’s head by the time the two were in the ring (but I admit that I’m a bit biased thanks to Frank’s implosions vs. Mike Tyson). I think Bruno’s busy jab would have troubled Haye but the Hayemaker’s confidence, speed and awkward-angle attacks would have flustered the beloved UK sports figure.

Regarding what Bellew does next, I seriously doubt he challenges AJ (or the Joshua-Klitschko winner). Anthony and Wladdy are just too big and too fundamentally sound for him to have much of a shot, if any. I think he will try to cash out against Wilder or wait around for Haye to heal up and see if the public will buy a rematch.

How do you see Thurman doing against Kell Brook, Errol Spence and Pacquiao? I view those as winnable fights for Keith. Brook and Pac are toss-up bouts and I’d slightly favor him over Spence.

I give him even money against Brook (depending on whether there is any residual damage from the GGG fight) an edge over Spence (depending on how he does against Brook) but I don’t think he is busy enough to beat Pacquiao. I think Thurman’s speed and mobility would give the Filipino hero fits.

Who would have known that Thurman-Garcia would be completely overshadowed by the Haye-Bellew clash? Larry Merchant was spot on when he called boxing the Theater of the Unexpected.

I was one of those who viewed this as a super sized Canelo-Khan but boy did Bellew prove me wrong! That wasn’t a bad analogy but Bellew had only been stopped once and Haye had not been competing on the world-class level as Canelo had coming into the fight.

For some reason I never really rated Bellew until he beat Makabu, maybe it was his loud mouth personality that rubbed me wrong. That’s fair.

Well, if he can back it up like he did on Saturday, he can talk all the trash he wants. Hell yeah, like James Toney with a Scouse accent.

Haye’s injury shouldn’t detract from Bellew’s brilliant game plan that he stuck to (staying out of trouble early and waiting for Haye to tire before comin on). I agree, but if social media is any indication, you and I are in the minority with this opinion.

I think Haye showed incredible heart but he is done, his body clearly can’t take it anymore. What do you think? I agree, but Haye has the right to try to come back if he wants. And despite the considerable money he’s made and the many business ventures waiting for him outside of the ring, my guess is that he loves wild, crazy and unpredictable world of boxing too much to retire at 36.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer and on Periscope (and Coach Schwartz’s Periscope, where, occasionally, you can see Dougie skip rope and answer boxing trivia at SMC’s track):

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