The Myth becomes a Legend #1

By C. Noriega - 07/30/2014 - Comments

khan34By C. Noriega: There was a time when being a warrior was not a task anyone could fulfill, hell no. Back in the day, a man had to prove his skills and wisdom against powerful gladiators for the simple right to live.

The good thing is we no longer live in those days, however, we still have a game and it is called boxing. In this article, I’ll discuss some cases of modern legends, old heroes, and false gladiators who fight their way to become legends in this chess like match called boxing.

#1. The strange case of Amir Khan.
There was a time when I, like many others, thought Amir could become the next big thing in boxing. Amir’s speed,  power and accuracy in the lightweight and light-welterweight division led him to be a major contender and many believed he was the one who could stop Mayweather’s reign. Nowadays, we know his chin isn’t the best, his defense has many flaws and his power is not what it appeared to be; however I still believe he could surprise many of us; Amir’s a false gladiator with a chance to be back on the game if he’s able to defeat warriors such as Devon Alexander, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Floyd Mayweather, Adrien Broner, Juan Manuel Marquez or even Manny Pacquiao. The question is, does he have what it takes to step it up?

#2. Andre Ward, the champion.
The super six tournament was indeed an exciting event for us to witness as top super middleweight contenders faced each other for one to emerge as a potential legend. This is the story of Andre Ward. Ward was undoubtedly the real champion among all of them; however he might have lost a piece of himself in the road to the crown. Ward hasn’t been active in long time and he doesn’t appear to be coming back to cement his legacy as the best super middleweight ever. Froch (2011), Dawson (2012) and Rodriguez (2013) have been his last victims, none of them have presented a real challenge for the talented Ward. The difference between a legendary champion and a good champion is that a legend will find his nemesis or die in its way to find him. Andre ward is a really good champion, I sincerely hope he becomes more active any time soon.

#3. Juan Manuel Marquez, the Monk.
Marquez was seen, for many years, as a “forever underdog”. Marquez, the shadow dweller, lived behind super stars Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, and Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Somehow, a now all-time favorite battle against Pacquiao launched Marquez career to stardom late in his boxing career. I remember many people saying Marquez’ career was already over when Marquez vs Pacquiao II happened, but oh surprise! This was just the beginning of a series of grateful events for the boxing scene. As Marquez aged, his legs and speed started losing their power, but his boxing IQ started to show its true colors. Let’s all remember that this guy, at 30+ years old, fought Barrera, Mayweather, Katsidis (prime), Diaz (prime), Casamayor (never KO’d), Bradley, and of course his nemesis Manny Pacquiao 4 times knocking him out in the 6 round of the last battle with a monstrous right to the face. In my humble opinion, one who has the guts to face his nemesis 4 times and survives to tell the story of his conquest is indeed a real legend.

In ancient times, songs would be sung about warriors such as bloody Juan Manuel Marquez, but what can we say about Ward and Khan? Would you tell your kids stories about their conquests?



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