Which make it all the more impressive that an overblown lightweight,Duran put him on his ass and beat him for a title after he clocked Hearns.

And Tommy’s a bit punch drunk himself. I really hope he doesn’t risk more serious damage by getting back in the ring, especially since he’s probably a heavyweight at this point.

Tommy’s finances are no doubt a mess. If he’s flat busted and that the reason, that’s just the same old awful Boxing story. Since there will no doubt be a bunch of “reform” meetings in the wake of the Margarito ban, how about they do what they should have done a long time ago and write a mandatory retirement fund contribution into every sanctioned bout -non-taxable income (or, rather, pre-taxed) that comes directly out of the purse and cannot be touched until retirement. That way I won’t have to see a 50-something brain-dead Kelly Pavlik or Rafael Marquez hobble into a ring like Jerry Quarry and get their asses kicked just to pay the interest on their tax debts.

The thing with Foreman is that he was perhaps the biggest hitter in all of boxing outside of Earnie Shavers and that is what let him last so long even at such a old age. He had one punch knockout power even in his 40s.

It’s his life, heart and brain, but we’ve got a social responsibility to protect people from themselves. We have seat belt laws, even though nobody will be hurt except yourself if you don’t wear a seat-belt. We don’t let people prone to heart-attacks sky-dive. Dr.s are required to tell the authorities if a patient is seriously considering suicide, etc.

Likewise, a senior-citizen fighter, who’s taken a phenomenal amount of brain trauma in his life, only serves to get hurt worse by continuing to fight. He’s the only that can be hurt, and we owe him the duty to protect him, regardless of his own irrational perspective.

I think it’s an interesting dimension within world-class fighters. For their whole careers, they defied logic. They took other men’s best punches, and won again and again. Why should it be any different today? To subscribe and follow through on that perspective takes a tremendous amount of faith.

But, for Tommy Hearns, that is over, and his slurred speech tells the story despite his protests.

I’m going to guess he wouldn’t pass a pre-fight exam in any territory that gives a crap about fighter health. It’s Oscar Larios’ life, too, but he’s banned in the U.S. for a reason.

Then Roy Jones will get in his Black Lotus and drive real fast listening to “There’s no easy way out…”