Serena Williams is another fading legend who called time on her career earlier this month, but both are playing tennis and the latter days of a player's career are hard to watch, but not nearly like what Boxing fans have to endure.
I hate the Muhammad Ali-Larry Holmes fight and have never taken the time to sit down and watch that in full as the faded 'Greatest of All Time' was badly advised to take the fight against a much younger and fresher Champion.
Last weekend was not that level of one-sided beating that should never be allowed to be seen again, but Gennady Golovkin is clearly a long way down the other side of the mountain after reaching his peak level. He was not really competitive against Canelo Alvarez as the trilogy between these two came to a conclusion and, much like Ali, I think his toughness will end up working against him if he decides to continue his career much longer.
Retirement is a personal decision and Gennady Golovkin may still feel he has something to offer at the Middleweight limit where he is still holding Belts to be called a World Champion, but the Kazakhstan future Hall of Famer has nothing left to prove. He should have had a win over Canelo on his resume, but you cannot go back and fix that now and I am not sure there is much point carrying on rather than finishing off as a World Champion as Golovkin can if he calls time on his career now.
A fight against Erislandy Lara has been touted and I do think that is one where Gennady Golovkin will have a real chance to go out with a win against another veteran, while unlikely to ship the kind of punishment that the likes of Jermall Charlo could dish out.
I just don't want Golovkin to go on too long now- he is set from a financial perspective and there is nothing much for him to prove, while unlike legends from most other sports, Father Time in Boxing can have long-term consequences for fighters that no fan of the sport would want to see.
There is a big weekend of fights coming up, although at a level below the very elite in the Division, Shakur Stevenson apart.
The two cards in the United Kingdom look exciting, although it is a shame they are being run on the same night, while Shakur Stevenson will end his Super Featherweight time on Friday in the United States.
Last week saw the Picks go 1-2 and earn a very slight profit, but I am still looking for a better win-loss ratio to end the 2022 year of Boxing selections.
Shakur Stevenson vs Robson Conceicao
Losing World Titles on the scale is never ideal, but Shakur Stevenson has long felt his time at the Super Featherweight limit was coming to a close.
In an ideal world he would have become Undisputed at 130 pounds before moving up into the loaded Lightweight Division, but the American was not quite able to get the other World Champions into the ring.
However, the win over Oscar Valdez has meant most consider Stevenson as the man in this Division and there will be a lot of interest in him as he moves alongside the likes of Devin Haney, Vasyl Lomachenko, Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz.
There are some big fights ahead, but Shakur Stevenson cannot overlook Robson Conceicao even after losing his Belts on the scale. People will question how much he has drained himself to try and even make the 130 pound limit, while a defeat here will knock some of the superstar shine that has begun to build on Shakur Stevenson so this is a massive fight for him, even now.
I do think he will be too slick and clever for Robson Conceicao who is a solid fighter, but one who lacks the punch power that may be needed to try and take Shakur Stevenson out of his comfort zone.
The Brazilian was pretty handily beaten on the cards by Oscar Valdez in his sole professional loss, but he has a decent amateur background and Robson Conceicao may feel he has nothing to lose by taking this fight to Shakur Stevenson.
My concern is that the Robson Conceicao could lose interest in trying to win the fight if he has not been able to make a dent early and even Shakur Stevenson has admitted that his bouts can be a little 'boring' when he coasts towards the finish. I do think he has been advised to turn on the style when in control and he has made a more concerted effort to try and get rid of opponents without going to the cards and my feeling is that he will be approaching this one in the same way.
His natural size advantage may come into play now he has decided not to shift the remaining pounds to get into the 130 limit, although Robson Conceicao looks a pretty durable character. Taking nothing away from the Challenger, Shakur Stevenson may just have enough sharpness to find a way to get this done late on and I do think a small interest is warranted on that happening.
Since the win over Jeremia Nakathila, when Shakur Stevenson was critical of his own performance, the American has pushed ahead and stopped Jamel Herring and almost managed to d the same against a very tough Oscar Valdez. I expect Stevenson to sit on his punches in the second half of this one when it feels it is firmly under control and he may show enough for the referee to step in and call off the assault before the move into the Lightweight Division.
There are some decent prospects on the undercard of this Friday night offering, but the most exciting has to be Keyshawn Davis.
At 23 years old, Davis looks like he could become a major star with the expectation he will fill out and move up the Divisions from the 135 pound limit he is currently operating within.
The comparison has been made with Terence Crawford and Keyshawn Davis is trained under the same umbrella. There is much to like about the way he goes about his 'business' in the ring and a lethal finisher could steal the show on Friday.
Four of his five wins have come inside the distance and he won't have to look too hard to find veteran Omar Tienda Bahena who at 34 years old is looking for a career defining upset. The Mexican has only been Stopped once before, and he has won seven in a row, but Bahena has not really faced this level of opponent and that should show up here.
Keyshawn Davis should have been out in July, but instead has had five months between fights due to an illness. He has spoken about getting one more bout in before the end of the year and then stepping up his level of opponent in the coming twelve months, and I think Davis can keep that plan in place by making sure this fight is over before the halfway mark.
You can never dismiss the toughness of a Mexican, but Keyshawn Davis hits very hard for the weight and standing in front of him could be a very bad mistake.
Maxi Hughes vs Kid Galahad
The Matchroom card on DAZN was expected to be topped by Leigh Wood vs Mauricio Lara in what looked like being a barnstormer of a fight, but injury to Wood has postponed that bout to another date.
Instead Maxi Hughes vs Kid Galahad has been promoted into the main event spot and the IBO World Lightweight Title is on the line. The IBO trinket is perhaps not the main draw of the fight, but Kid Galahad is coming up in weight and the winner of this one may earn themselves a strong IBF Ranking by the end of the contest.
The last time we saw Galahad was ten months ago when he was blitzed by Kiko Martinez having seemingly been in complete control of that fight. A huge punch put him down hard at the end of the Fifth Round, and Kid Galahad was clearly not right coming out for the Sixth Round as he was Stopped after a further six seconds.
Moving up two weights is going to be a challenge for Kid Galahad, but the expectation is that he will be stronger for the extra pounds he can carry and he is the favourite against Maxi Hughes.
All credit has to be given to Maxi Hughes who has won six in a row since his defeat to Liam Walsh in 2019 and being an underdog is not something that will bother a boxer who is overachieving to get to this stage of his career. Most would have expected his career to be over after that defeat in 2019, but Hughes has upset the odds a number of times to produce the six wins in a row and he will feel he is the naturally bigger fighter in the ring.
I expect Hughes to try and impose that on Kid Galahad, but I do think the latter is the better boxer.
He should be better having looked drained to make Super Featherweight, while Galahad has shown enough in his career to think he was just caught with an almost perfect punch from a hard hitting Kiko Martinez. Maxi Hughes has not really shown he has that same power with just five stoppages in his career and I think Kid Galahad can make a big statement of his intent in this Division on Saturday.
This is a crossroads fight for Kid Galahad, but he is only a couple of fights removed from breaking down Jezza Dickens and I think he can do something similar in this one. Maxi Hughes has been stopped twice before and I believe a slick Galahad can begin to sit on his punches in the second half of this Title fight and he looks a big price to earn a stoppage victory.
There is a deep undercard to back up the main event and there are a couple of fights of interest when it comes to the Boxing Picks.
First up is Hannah Rankin's defence of her World Title against Terri Harper who is coming up a couple of weight classes as she looks to become a two weight World Champion.
Her Knock Out defeat to Alycia Baumgardner was a real eye-opener, and I do think this is a considerable rise in weight, although it has not always been a big issue in the women's side of the sport.
Terri Harper is fortunate to also have been given a Draw when facing Natasha Jonas and now has to face a confident Hannah Rankin who has been in with the likes of Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall. The defeats to arguably the two best pound for pound boxers on this side of the sport are nothing to be overly concerned about and Hannah Rankin is experienced and confident at the weight.
The Scot has recovered from the loss to Marshall to win three in a row and I do think the layers are underestimating her chances of winning this bout too. I simply am not that high on Terri Harper and I do think the comfort of fighting at the Light Middleweight limit gives Rankin enough of an edge to earn the upset.
She did earn a Stoppage in her last fight and the way Terri Harper was hurt at the lower weights has to be a major concern, so I think a small interest on the Champion to hold onto her Titles is the play at a big price.
Joe Joyce vs Joseph Parker
Take away Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury and there are a host of Heavyweight contenders jockeying to position themselves as the next contender for World Title honours.
Ring Magazine has Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker Ranked in their current top six and the Interim WBO World Title will be on the line when they choose to meet on Saturday.
Joe Joyce is unbeaten, but at 37 years old it does feel like time is very much not on his side.
At 30 years old Joseph Parker is a former World Champion who gave up his Title in passive style when losing to Anthony Joshua in 2018. He suffered another defeat later in the same year when going down to a Unanimous Decision defeat to Dillian Whyte in what was a back and forth battle, but Parker has reinvented himself under the guidance of Andy Lee and has won six in a row.
The last two have been wins over Dereck Chisora after partnering with Lee and I do think there is something left in the tank. However, Joseph Parker is going to have to find a way to stop the Juggernaut and this has proven too difficult for fourteen other men of which thirteen have not made it to the final bell.
Sometimes you can watch Joe Joyce and believe he is going to struggle when he steps up his level of competition- he ships plenty of punches, but the chin has been unbreakable so far, although in this one Joe Joyce is going to have to deal with speed as well as some pop.
I think early on Joseph Parker is going to be a real threat, but he is unlikely to deter Joe Joyce from coming forward and the big question for the New Zealander is how he can handle the older fighter if his own power has not stopped the Juggernaut continuing to push forward. It broke down Daniel Dubois, although Joyce's performance against Christian Hammer was less impressive back in July.
Shaking off the ring rust is important and I do think Joe Joyce is going to make Parker work a lot more than most Heavyweights are used to doing.
As impressive as Joseph Parker was in his win over Dereck Chisora in December, I do think there are some questions for him to answer- he was once in the same boat as Joe Joyce as being able to rely on a solid chin, but in more recent times those defences have been breached by both Chisora and Dillian Whyte who have been able to put Parker down.
Assuming Joe Joyce's chin is able to stand up to Joseph Parker's early power and speed, I do think the British fighter can wear down someone who is comfortable fighting in Manchester. Joe Joyce may even be the one with fewer support on the night, but I don't think that will bother him and he can do what he has become famous for and that is to break down his opponent who perhaps loses some faith when their own punches are not having the desired effect.
Joseph Parker is a tough Kiwi and stopping him will be far from easy, but this is a chance for Joe Joyce to really make a statement and a small interest on a second half stoppage for the unbeaten boxer at a big price looks the play.
This card is being put together by Queensberry and Boxxer and that has enabled them to have a decent undercard for the main event in Manchester.
Arguably the biggest name on the undercard is Amanda Serrano who has dropped back down to Featherweight as she returns to the ring for the first time since losing narrowly to Katie Taylor at Lightweight.
Both of those boxers have spoken about a rematch, but for now Amanda Serrano looks to Unify the Featherweight Division. She is taking on an unbeaten Sarah Mahfoud, but this is a big step up for the Danish fighter who has never fought outside of her own country.
Amanda Serrano hits plenty hard and she forces Stoppages early in fights, even in the two minute Round setting, and I do think she bounces back from her loss to Katie Taylor with a stylish performance in front of the British fans.
Clamour will only increase for a rematch with Taylor with an impressive win and I do think Amanda Serrano can earn that with an early night.
Mark Heffron will have a relative homecoming as the new British Super Middleweight and Commonwealth Middleweight Champion following a hugely impressive win over Lennox Clarke in July.
He is facing a rugged Argentinian, but I think the match up is one that gives Heffron a chance to just show off his new found form at this weight and secure an early win.
There is a very good fight at the Welterweight limit as the British and Commonwealth Belts are on the line and it is one which could go back and forth between Ekow Essuman and Samuel Antwi.
Both have shown a solid level, but Essuman looks to be peaking at 33 years old and can find a stoppage in this one as 'The Engine' wears down a tough opponent.
MY PICKS: Shakur Stevenson to Win Between 7-12 @ 4.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Keyshawn Davis to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Kid Galahad to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.50 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Hannah Rankin to Win @ 4.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Joe Joyce to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Amanda Serrano to Win Between 1-5 @ 4.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Mark Heffron to Win Between 1-4 @ 2.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Ekow Essuman to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 3.75 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Boxing 2022: 29-49, + 13.91 Units (140 Units Staked, + 9.94% Yield)
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