Saoul Mamby, at age 60, is back in the ring
At the age of 40, Sweet Saoul Mamby was giving boxers half his age fits. He was a clever fighter. He was a defensive wizard who was hard to hit. I suppose that has something to do with his longevity. At the age of 60, Mamby is back in the ring.
On Saturday night he lost a 10-round decision to a 32-year-old journeyman named Anthony Osbourne at the Lions Gate Center in Grand Cayman, Mexico. That says a lot about Mamby's skill as a fighter, Osbourne's (7-25 record) lack of skill as a fighter and the bizarre state of boxing that would allow a grandfather of 11 to fight.
Mamby, who has now competed in five decades, may hold the record for the oldest person to ever fight professionally. But is that a record anyone really wants?
Mamby's last great moment came in 1990, when he was 43. On that August night, he decisioned unbeaten contender Larry Barnes, who was 25 years old and 17-0. Two years prior to that, he beat Glenwood Brown at the Garden. Brown was 21 years old and 18-0. Both Brown and Barnes would go on to challenge for the welterweight title.
In his prime, Mamby was the WBC super lightweight champion. He beat Estaben DeJesus and went the distance with hall-of-famers Roberto Duran and Antonio Cervantes. He turned pro in 1969 and fought a total of 13 world champions over his career.
Mamby, who at times was a cab driver in New York City, used to drink green tea before it became trendy. He was a master with the jump rope. The Times Square Gym would come to halt when Mamby started his routine as people would stop to marvel at his grace. The old-timers said it reminded them of Sugar Ray Robinson when he used to skip rope to the song, "Sweet Georgia Brown."
But this is not an occasion for celebration. To this corner, it's a sad day for boxing.
This is not like suiting up Satchel Paige or Minnie Minoso and trotting them out to take the field one more time, as major league baseball teams did as publicity stunts. These punches are real and sooner or later Mamby is going to feel the effects of those punches. The accumulative impact of punches, over a prolonged period of time, eventually catches up with everyone.
Don't expect any commission in the United States to sanction him for a fight.
Mamby made headlines and heard the roar of the crowd one more time. But, please, stop now. -- CASSIDY
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Comments (1)
Ten rounds of boxing at the age of 60? Sounds very impressive to me. Saoul Mamby is obviously a very special athlete to compete at the professional level at such a late stage in life. The media has to get over itself. Don't put restrictions on this man. Fighting is what he does best, so leave him alone and let him fight.