Punch drunk ex-fighters

Smaller gloves was one reason for a lot of those old timers not having the same long term damage as more modern fighters.

 

Roberto Duran and Julio Cesar Chavez have had brain scans and always come back normal.

 

Pretty sure CTE can only be found in an autopsy

 

James Toney, sadly. Seems like he mumbles up his words and it’s almost impossible to know what he’s saying nowadays.

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Jermaine Taylor, while his speech was fine, had a lot of outside the ring issues later in his career that were almost certainly caused by CTE. He just seemed like a completely different guy, especially from around the Soliman fight into his retirement. Seemed like there wasn't much impulse control, and some really erratic behavior. Lots of legal problems around that time.

 

Great post. I believe it to be 100 per cent correct.

 

Excellent point about other symptoms such as mood swings.

I remember watching one of the Boxings Best episodes on Joe Louis. Barry Tompkins hosted and Billy Conn guested. Okay, we know Billy was branded as a hit headed Irishman.

But seriously, while Tompkins was speaking, Billy appeared to drift off only, appearing to be disconcerted by his own thoughts only to come back into focus again - and snappily so.

I always wondered if that was a symptom of boxing - or perhaps just a symptom of his Irish ancestry-

Ibeabuchi is another fighter whose erratic behaviours have been attributed (by some people) to blows to the head.

I know it could make for a possible disingenuous legal defence or mere excuse for behaviours simply borne out of substantive character.

However, he was reportedly experiencing severe headaches after his blow for blow match against David Tua.

 

I second @KasimirKid - fantastic post. And very true, punch drunk isn’t the nicest of terms.

 

I recalled the issue vaguely but read up on it to refresh.

If 100% true, Willard might’ve been seen to be party pooper and disproportionally aggressive toward Houdini, but still, the reports do seem at odds with his laid back character otherwise.

Maybe that was simply it - Jess didn’t necessarily like the limelight and didn’t like being singled out - akin to being singled out at a theatre restaurant - been there, done that, such a joy.

 

That’s a very fair consideration - including the possibility that some didn’t punch to their full potential for fear of hand damage. Old Fitz destroyed his hands trying to take Jeffries head off.

 

Thanks for your deeper insight Chris.

It’s great to have confirmation that Terry’s thinking etc. is at least fine.

Perhaps his keeping super fit and positive otherwise might arrest or delay any further erosions. Terry seems a very good man.

Just had a thought - I wonder how his brother Orlin is travelling?

 

I wrote about this before in another thread. Well before the Internet age, my father told me about Carl "Bobo" Olson and how he was super "punch drunk" after his boxing career was over and he needed someone to watch over him all the time for many years. From my time watching boxing, Wilfred "El Radar" Benitez is one of the boxers who really breaks my heart with their condition after boxing.

 

Overlooked line from Balboa in the original Rocky movie:

‘It’s a racket where you’re almost guaranteed to end up a bum.’

 

Both the Quarry brothers.

 

Outstanding post