ALinChainz
12-22-2005, 02:47 PM
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist
December 20, 2005
Joe Mesi sure seems like a smart guy. He's articulate, answers questions quickly, and can back up his arguments.
Not the kind of fellow you would think would risk scrambling his brains. ortunately, that's precisely what Mesi plans to do.
The once promising heavyweight wants to get back in the ring and resume a boxing career that seemed ended for good 21 months ago. On Monday, he picked up a victory in a Las Vegas courtroom that could allow him to do just that.
"Christmas came early for me this year," Mesi said.
It did, but there are a lot of people in boxing who think Mesi should be careful before tearing the gift wrap off this present.
Because, while allowing a guy to pursue his chosen profession shouldn't be a bad thing, there's a reason Mesi had to hire a bunch of high-priced lawyers to box once again.
It's called a subdural hematoma, which in layman's terms is blood clots on the surface of the brain. Mesi had at least two of them after his last fight in March 2004, when he had to pull himself off the canvas in the final round to salvage a win over Vassiliy Jirov.
Medical experts aren't exactly sure what causes a fighter to get a subdural hematoma, other than being hit in the head. They can't explain why some fighters take tremendous punishment and never show any ill effect, while others are susceptible.
What they do know is that it can be deadly. Two fighters in Las Vegas, including lightweight champion Leavander Johnson, died this year after suffering bleeding on the brain from fights.
That's why Nevada boxing authorities suspended Mesi's license to box, despite the contention of Mesi and his doctors that his brain had healed and there was no reason not to let him get back to his chosen profession.
"Maybe at the end of the day, it's the commission's job to throw in the towel for you," commissioner Dr. Tony Alamo told Mesi at a June hearing.
That towel got tossed back out of the ring when a judge ruled that Mesi's medical suspension ended when his Nevada boxing license expired. It was a technical win, at best, because Nevada isn't likely to license Mesi again anyway.
To Mesi, though, it was like winning the heavyweight title.
"I'm just so thrilled," Mesi said. "There were some days I woke up thinking how can they stop me and that I never was going to get a chance to fight again. Now I have that chance."
If you're not Joe Mesi or his father, Jack, you have to wonder why the 32-year-old would want the chance at all. You wonder why anyone -- much less a smart, handsome guy like Mesi -- would take the risk of being hit in the head by a guy weighing more than 200 pounds.
And you have to wonder what psychological baggage he'll carry into the ring, when he faces the possibility like any fighter that any punch could be his last.
Mesi says not to worry. He's got doctors -- prominent ones at that -- who say his brain is healed and he's not any more at risk of suffering another subdural hematoma than any other fighter.
"I have no doubt at all," Mesi said. "I would have never wasted my time and effort if I had any doubts. I've been passing all the tests the last year and a half and the doctors say I'm fine."
I, for one, still worry.
Maybe it's because I've been at ringside four different times and watched fighters die. Maybe it's because I've seen the heartache and pain the family of those fighters went through.
Maybe it's because I've talked to different doctors who are experts in the area of brain injuries and even they aren't quite sure why some fighters die.
I'll worry the first time Mesi steps back into the ring, and I'll worry if he eventually fights for the heavyweight title. I'll worry about both Mesi and what could happen to the sport of boxing if a fighter with his stature and medical history happens to die.
Mesi believes that his chance to make millions of dollars was taken unjustly from him by Nevada. He was on the verge of fighting Mike Tyson in front of his home fans in Buffalo, N.Y., and would have been in line to fight for a piece of the heavyweight title.
His road back will be difficult, even if he remains healthy. His hope is that he gets a few fights under his belt, perhaps in Puerto Rico or some state that doesn't regulate the sport seriously, and then try to get licensed in New York for a fight in Buffalo.
A few fights more, and then maybe a heavyweight title fight. Mesi may not be the most talented fighter, but he is undefeated and packs a good punch. And the heavyweight division is lousy, at best.
"It won't be long before everybody is welcoming me," Mesi said.
Perhaps. When Mesi talks you have to listen to what he says.
He is a smart guy, after all.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
AP Story (http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ap-timdahlberg& ;prov=ap&type=lgns)
December 20, 2005
Joe Mesi sure seems like a smart guy. He's articulate, answers questions quickly, and can back up his arguments.
Not the kind of fellow you would think would risk scrambling his brains. ortunately, that's precisely what Mesi plans to do.
The once promising heavyweight wants to get back in the ring and resume a boxing career that seemed ended for good 21 months ago. On Monday, he picked up a victory in a Las Vegas courtroom that could allow him to do just that.
"Christmas came early for me this year," Mesi said.
It did, but there are a lot of people in boxing who think Mesi should be careful before tearing the gift wrap off this present.
Because, while allowing a guy to pursue his chosen profession shouldn't be a bad thing, there's a reason Mesi had to hire a bunch of high-priced lawyers to box once again.
It's called a subdural hematoma, which in layman's terms is blood clots on the surface of the brain. Mesi had at least two of them after his last fight in March 2004, when he had to pull himself off the canvas in the final round to salvage a win over Vassiliy Jirov.
Medical experts aren't exactly sure what causes a fighter to get a subdural hematoma, other than being hit in the head. They can't explain why some fighters take tremendous punishment and never show any ill effect, while others are susceptible.
What they do know is that it can be deadly. Two fighters in Las Vegas, including lightweight champion Leavander Johnson, died this year after suffering bleeding on the brain from fights.
That's why Nevada boxing authorities suspended Mesi's license to box, despite the contention of Mesi and his doctors that his brain had healed and there was no reason not to let him get back to his chosen profession.
"Maybe at the end of the day, it's the commission's job to throw in the towel for you," commissioner Dr. Tony Alamo told Mesi at a June hearing.
That towel got tossed back out of the ring when a judge ruled that Mesi's medical suspension ended when his Nevada boxing license expired. It was a technical win, at best, because Nevada isn't likely to license Mesi again anyway.
To Mesi, though, it was like winning the heavyweight title.
"I'm just so thrilled," Mesi said. "There were some days I woke up thinking how can they stop me and that I never was going to get a chance to fight again. Now I have that chance."
If you're not Joe Mesi or his father, Jack, you have to wonder why the 32-year-old would want the chance at all. You wonder why anyone -- much less a smart, handsome guy like Mesi -- would take the risk of being hit in the head by a guy weighing more than 200 pounds.
And you have to wonder what psychological baggage he'll carry into the ring, when he faces the possibility like any fighter that any punch could be his last.
Mesi says not to worry. He's got doctors -- prominent ones at that -- who say his brain is healed and he's not any more at risk of suffering another subdural hematoma than any other fighter.
"I have no doubt at all," Mesi said. "I would have never wasted my time and effort if I had any doubts. I've been passing all the tests the last year and a half and the doctors say I'm fine."
I, for one, still worry.
Maybe it's because I've been at ringside four different times and watched fighters die. Maybe it's because I've seen the heartache and pain the family of those fighters went through.
Maybe it's because I've talked to different doctors who are experts in the area of brain injuries and even they aren't quite sure why some fighters die.
I'll worry the first time Mesi steps back into the ring, and I'll worry if he eventually fights for the heavyweight title. I'll worry about both Mesi and what could happen to the sport of boxing if a fighter with his stature and medical history happens to die.
Mesi believes that his chance to make millions of dollars was taken unjustly from him by Nevada. He was on the verge of fighting Mike Tyson in front of his home fans in Buffalo, N.Y., and would have been in line to fight for a piece of the heavyweight title.
His road back will be difficult, even if he remains healthy. His hope is that he gets a few fights under his belt, perhaps in Puerto Rico or some state that doesn't regulate the sport seriously, and then try to get licensed in New York for a fight in Buffalo.
A few fights more, and then maybe a heavyweight title fight. Mesi may not be the most talented fighter, but he is undefeated and packs a good punch. And the heavyweight division is lousy, at best.
"It won't be long before everybody is welcoming me," Mesi said.
Perhaps. When Mesi talks you have to listen to what he says.
He is a smart guy, after all.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
AP Story (http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ap-timdahlberg& ;prov=ap&type=lgns)