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Chisora vs. Price & When It's Time To Call It Quits

Eventually, quitting isn't quitting. It isn't giving up or meeting your end. At some point, quitting is beginning something else.

Unfortunately, for so many, finding that new beginning can be a difficult task. When you have done something for so long, just the routine itself can be difficult to release, regardless of signs suggesting it might be time.

With sport -- and in particular with sports as potentially dangerous as boxing -- knowing when you no longer have it or when reasonable options are no longer there should be considered most important.

Going on for longer than makes sense can dramatically impact your quality of life. Yet, on the other side of the coin, I find it hard to tell another person what they can or can't do with their life.

Regardless, I do find myself hopeful that the loser between Dereck Chisora-David Price later this month might be ready to search for that new beginning.

Over the course of their respective careers, both men have hit decent highs and met some rather low lows. While neither man has exactly reached the top of the sport, both have made a decent bit of money and had their moments of success. However, they have certainly had their setbacks.

With Price, the issues began in February of 2013 when the Liverpudlian faced veteran American Tony Thompson in his first major step up in class. Expected to continue his winning ways as well as his string of consecutive knockouts, Price was badly dropped with a right hand in the second round. While able to beat the count, he was finished and the fight was correctly halted.

Later in the same year, Price was again stopped by Thompson when his conditioning (likely due to nerves) seemed to fail him the second go-round.

Over the course of his career since the pair of Thompson losses, Price has gone 8-3 with 1 no contest. While not a great ledger, it's made worse by the fact that he has been stopped in every loss he's suffered.

Even in the no contest with Erkan Teper in July of 2015, Price was dropped badly and counted out. Teper later tested positive for a banned substance and the result was changed soon thereafter.

While a decent showing in a losing effort against Alexander Povetkin in early 2018 and a win over Dave Allen back in July have been solid, he's certainly not the world-beater many believed him to be early in his career.

Chisora's supporters, to a lesser degree, had thought big things were in a young Dereck's future as well. However, he just hasn't been able to put it all together all at once.

Dereck has certainly had some decent nights and showings, but Chisora has lost nearly 25% of his pro outings with a record of 31-9. He's been stopped 3 times and his once-sturdy chin has seemed to weaken over the years.

Decent wins over the likes of Malik Scott, Kevin Johnson and Carlos Takam in 2013, 2014 and 2018, respectively, are unfortunately overshadowed by losses at the hands of Tyson Fury in 2011 and 2014, Kubrat Pulev in 2016 and Dillian Whyte in both 2016 and 2018.

And losses to Robert Helenius in December of 2011 and Vitali Klitschko in February of the following year.

You can see the point I'm trying to make.

Now, while little is officially on the line, much could potentially hang in the balance for both men when they face off on the 26th in London's O2 Arena. Realistically, any hope either man has of capturing world honors could hang in the balance when both these behemeths step into the squared circle.

Usually, in fights where you have two combatants with so much to lose, there's typically one that needs it a little more. Here, however, both equally need a decent win over a name to stay relevant and to stay at or even near the top of the Heavyweight division. A loss is almost certainly a perfect period at the end of that fighter's sentence in most fan's minds.

Of course, boxing has a rich history of fighters continuing to chase peaks they likely never will regain. Far too often, fans watch as once-great boxers face and lose to inferior fighters they once would have handled with relative ease. They can usually handle themselves, but they are shells of their previous best.

The real problem is when you have fighters that might not have ever been the very best in their respective divisions in their primes. Now you have boxers that tend to drop off even further, fighters that might be responding to punches in a much less-than-optimal manner. Now, you begin to run additional risks in the prizefighting game on top of the usual chances you inherently take.

In my humble opinion, both Price and Chisora find themselves in positions quite similar to those just described.

Price has chin issues. This is clear. While he hasn't taken the most punishment ever seen by a boxer, it's primarily because a single shot can at times be his undoing. Still, when he is able to withstand a few shots, his stamina seems to derail him, opening him up to a more prolonged beating.

Price certainly has skills and has tremendous heart. Nonetheless, at times, the latter of those two attributes can work against you in the fight game.

With Chisora, he can still take a decent whack, but that does seem to be diminishing as well. A man who once went 12 lopsided rounds with Vitali Klitschko in a losing effort, was knocked out with a single shot by Whyte in their second of two encounters.

Troubling for Chisora is he never quite developed the skills to stay away from action fights and has found himself in a handful of potentially life-altering affairs. In many ways, he's even more at risk than Price if he's to carry on beyond a potential defeat.

Regardless of who risks more, it would seem apparent to me that both are dangerously close to being pugilists that risk more than the average fighter every time they lace up a pair of gloves. Nothing to be ashamed of. Both have thrilled, have fought their hearts out and have continued to try when most would have given up.

Still, as I stress again, sometimes it's not giving up.

Towards the end of a fighter's career, much like in his toughest fights, the boxer will almost never know exactly when to call it quits. It will be up to those around him, those that know him most, those in his corner. It will be up to those that care most for them to save the fighters from themselves.

So barring an incredibly dull fight where virtually nothing happens and neither man accepts anymore real pinishment, let's hope for two things.

First, that the defeated fighter will perhaps see the writing tin the wall. Second, that the winning fighter will take that final shot at the top shelf and know when his time is done as well.

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Who do you think wins Chisora-Price? Agree or disagree with my take? Let me know at @JayCalderon_JOB on Twitter.

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