When Will Another Four Kings Ever Return?

In the mail today I received an advanced copy of George Kimball’s forthcoming book Four Kings. The book profiles the four great middleweights of what the book’s subtitle refers to as “The Last Great Era of Boxing”: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, and Duran. No first names are needed.

I’m usually the first person to dismiss and be angered by baby boomer claims that athletes were different then and that their era of sports was the best. The glorious eighties. Problem is that when I am confronted with their challenge of “well then, whose a great middleweight now?” I can only stammer back with Kelly Pavlik.

I’m not saying The Ghost isn’t as talented as those luminaries but what evidence do I have? I guess Jermain Taylor but his fight two Saturday’s ago against Gary Lockett was so appalling and such a mismatch that I didn’t blog about it. It wasn’t exactly news.

Pavlik’s biggest excuse is that he’s only 26 and still has time. What’s Joe Calzaghe’s excuse? He’s spent his whole career running from the top competition, sequestering himself in the Welsh countryside. Talks continue to fester about him fighting 39-year-old Roy Jones, Jr. and skipping out on Pavlik. “It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that (Pavlik and I) will face each other, but I think Jones is the right fight for me at the moment.” Calzaghe told reporters.

What he’s telling boxing and his fans is that he doesn’t and never has cared about them or the greater context of his sport.

And that’s his priority. It’s his body that he’s putting on the line and his career he has to look after. Is that fair to us as fans? Does it really matter?

All we can hope for is that another talented set of fighters come again and choose to fight each other in their primes. Is that such a crazy concept?

Photo Source: Newscom.com