By Irving Hatcher: You know, walking around the gyms and chewing the fat with the guys I always got my opinion, and some say ‘Hey Irv, you ought to blog, let others see these opinions of yours’. So here I am, my first article for BoxingNews24, and to all out there, ‘How about ya?’

Back in the day, guys would line the walls of the gym, banging the life outta bags, each other, hey, sometimes even the walls… from the second the door opened ’til the moon hung in the sky, they’d sweat blood and tears for the chance to step through the ropes. Some fell by the wayside, some went on to earn a crust, in my years I’ve came across more than one titlist. One thing not one of these guys ever mentioned was ‘Their Legacy’.

Yeah, and you know why? A legacy is earned, it’s something handed down through the generations to those earning of the honour bestowed. But week after week, month after month, I hear these $2 cowboys talking about ‘cementing their Legacy’. The Klitschko’s and David Haye, Manny and Floyd, Amir Khan, Jean Pascal, all fighting under some dog-a**ed impression they are building a ‘Legacy’. COME ON….

Guys like Rocky Graziano, Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis, Georges Carpentier would be turning in their graves right now, God bless their souls. What is the common denominator in most of these Fly-By-Nights who spin these yarns? Almost to a man they aint been in the kinda fights that make such thoughts even worthy. Look at Manny. Hey, I like the kid, I really do. He would have been some fighter in any period. But look at his fights lately. Have any of them been the kinda near-Death battles that raise the good to the great? And it aint no fault of his, more down to the match-making from up on high. Then we get Mr. Money Mayweather. When that kid goes and shifts his mortal coil and goes to sit on the top table of kings of the art don’t be surprised to see Tony Zale pull the chair away from him. Kid, you fight with your HANDS, not your mouth, capisci? And I tell you what, these guys jump between weights for these $$$$$ mismatches, but don’t hang around for the hungry young dogs of the divisions to get their hands on them, but hey, I’ll save my minds on that for another time….

And don’t even get me started on the other guys I mentioned. You boys wanna be remembered for what you do INSIDE the ring, not all the preening and posturing outside of it. Leave that to the Peacocks, time to honour your sport, or just be seen as Johnny-Come-Lately’s when the time comes.

My fighter I wanna talk about this time, well I say fighter, is Andre Dirrel. I hear he’s ‘better’ again, after Dr. Dolittle, Seuss or whoever the hell signed him off said he’s good to go. One thing worse than this ‘Legacy’ talk is when a guy has tools but don’t use them. You wanna be a fighter the first thing you need is the Cojone’s. ‘Til that kid grows a pair, he should just dance off into the sunset with Devon Alexander, and leave the fighting to the Men. Like my old Daddy used to say, “Son, you can have all the fish in the river, aint no use if you don’t like gettin’ wet”. Either man up or shut up kid.
Have a good month all, speak again real soon.