By Mark Vester
Heavyweight Joe Mesi (29-0, 25KO), who recently had a Nevada judge lift his national ban from boxing, is looking towards a 2006 rematch against the man who almost cost him his career, Vassily Jirov (35-3-1, 30KO).
The two men met on March 13, 2004, with Mesi winning a close decision with scores of 94-93 on all three cards. Mesi appeared to have swept the first 8 rounds of the fight, when Jirov turned things around by landing a solid hook to the back of Mesi's head near the end of the ninth round.
Mesi never recovered from the rabbit punch and was badly beaten up in the tenth and final round. Jirov sent Mesi to the canvas on two occassions in the final 3 minutes of the fight and landed a lot of clean power punches to Mesi's head. Referee Jay Nady was close to stopping the fight in the final minute.
The alleged injuries to Mesi's brain were believed to have stemmed from the bout with Jirov.
Jirov has fought four times since Mesi was banned, and performed far from spectacular. Jirov was knocked out by a now retired Michael Moorer, stopped journeyman Forrest Neal, went the distance with 12-5 Troy Beets, and was held to a draw against 40-year-old Orlin Norris in his most recent bout.
Prior to the ban, Mesi was on the verge of landing a title shot. Mesi is ready to get back in the mix and Jirov has been named as a potential comeback opponent.
There have been mixed feelings from boxing fans with respect to Mesi's comeback. Some don't want to see him get seriously injured in the ring, and others want to see if Mesi will live up to all the hype that was bestowed upon him.
