Howard Clark 42 lost his last 51 fights now terminally ill with dementia.

im saying if hes getting ko'd every fight or taking alot of punches no matter what the result the should be moniterd

 

They are, fighters need to pass some of the most stringent medicals in boxing.

Sure, there is always room for improvement, but at the end of the day, the idea of this sport is to ultimately knockout your opponent, thus there will always be injuries and sadly deaths.

The alternatives to the current structure of the sport are limited, except for the obvious, a ban on the sport...

 

They make more money fighting than doing anything else they might be qualified for...despite the occupational hazards.

 

I knew Howard around the time of his world title shot. A really pleasant guy more than willing to chat about his career. Howard was a good fighter but yes, he was allowed to carry on for too long and his current situation is very sad. I saw that pic in the News Of The World, it was a far cry from the man i knew just 10 years earlier....

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2TjilwifhE[/ame]

Nice video of Clarke v Alexander where he dropped him with a body shot in the 1st

 

Its tragic what has happened to Howard Clark but it is not really on holding him up as an example of why journeymen with significant losing records should not be allowed to ply their trade, especially given that possibly the greatest heavyweight of all time is suffering a similar fate.

BTW, anyone who actually saw Peter Buckley fight wouldn't be making the type of comments seen in this thread, the man is a legend.

 

There was a fundraiser held for Howard Clarke last year round this way I believe.

Sure I remember Anthony Farnell being mentioned as being there, not sure who else.

 

I must admit it is a long time since I saw Clarke fight myself, but (and I hate doing this, as paper stats often mean little) looking at it, Clarke was not stopped in any of his last 19 fights, where he meet a lot of top 20 domestic types at 154-168, and indeed gave one or two a scare (decking Dave Walker for example).

Thus I come to the conclusion the bum remark, is similar to say what I thought of Chuck Gardner after he lost to Bruno, despite the evidence showing Gardner clearly was a top 150 world ranked Heavyweight, who generally tested all but the top level fighters.

 

We condone the journeyman way too much in boxing. Guys getting beat up for a living isn't what this should be about. These guys don't even try to win anymore and that's bad.

 

No, it is a job. They have won if they do not get stopped, because it means no suspension and perhaps another pay day a couple of weeks down the line. And anyone who's primary reason for fighting as a pro boxer is not money (from the lowest ranked fighters to the world champs), then he should retire.

 

So people who want to buld a legacy etc. even if they are set for life financially is bad? :huh

 

People need to be protected from themselves. Such an issue needs to be address. In boxing, the longer you survive, the more damage you are taking. I don't want to see quick stoppages or guys not engaging. I'd much rather see guys fighting on their level in exciting fights. Gatti v Ward is better than Gatti getting dominated by DLH and FM.