I have not done one of these in a while. Not that there have not been fighters who have exhibited diminished skills, but with the roster of impressive comebacks lately, I have been hesitating to dole out advice. Demarcus Corley once seemed like a guaranteed no-hoper, hanging on in order to feed his enormous family, but lately he has gotten close, been robbed, and showed he still has something left in the tank. Brian Viloria would have made this list, had he lost to Giovanni Segura as most predicted. Eric Morel has been inching close to it for years. The following three, however, are not so lucky, and enough is finally enough.
Joel Casamayor - He has made my list before, but now the gaps in effectiveness have finally shown their classic symptoms. He is getting stopped, even by fighters who do not typically do so at the championship level (Marquez, Bradley). In between, he is now struggling to beat journeyman. Add to that, his advancing age, and you have a recipe for a timely exit. Actually, his loss to Robert Guerrero would have been a more timely exit, but when your first three losses are very close affairs, and you are still pulling off upsets well into your mid-late 30's, it can be hard to convince someone they didn't just have a bad night. You've had several now, Joel... time to move on.
Christy Martin - Her career longevity is unheard of in women's boxing, as most leave to model, act, etc. This is a woman who was peaking over 15 years ago. Her recent troubles with being shot and stabbed, made her comeback last year inspirational, but she's been finished for a long time. The fact that she lost to then 9-9 Dakota Stone isn't what told me that. Martin was winning when she broke her arm. It's the fact that she's suffering injuries like this, and had struggled to beat the same Stone when she was two years younger. You're a pioneer in women's boxing, Christy. Don't end up a pioneer in women's boxing brain damage sufferers.
Angel Hernandez - Wow, quite a slip. Hernandez was never a world beater, but was once a legit contender, who beat the likes of JC Candelo, and gave Kassim Ouma fits nearly 10 years ago. It seems he wants to quit, but gets drawn back in. This may be for money or pride reasons, but he is clearly not prepared as if he cares anymore. Demetrius Andrade stopped him in two last weekend, and while many are saying the former Olymnpian put on a great performance, i cannot say for sure that was the case. Hernandez looked so bad, that he should never step into a ring again. He threw nothing but wide, looping arm punches, that made him look like a novice. It would be embarrassing if that were the case. It's scary because it is not. He used to be pretty good.
Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com
FIGHTERS WHO SHOULD HANG 'EM UP
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