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Life, it is said, is a series of goals and destinations.
Work and rewards
Dreams and hopes.
One inevitably leads to another.
Go to a good school and you'll get a good job. Get a good job and you'll make some money. With the money come the cars. Somewhere a long the line you'll meet your spouse and get married. You'll have kids and buy a home.
That's the way it's supposed to work, or, at least, the way we're told it's supposed to work.
But rarely in life do things go as planned.
Some problems develop, opportunities slip away and the pre-determined path that once looked so clear and promising is now a hazy, rocky road. Sometimes work just leads to more work and the rewards are pushed further and further down the road. The dreams soon fade.
Such is life.
In boxing, perhaps, no other fighter has recently been made more aware of this reality then middleweight John Duddy.
Duddy is now 30 years old. He has a record of 29 wins and one loss with 18 of his wins coming by way of knockout. And he is only three fights removed from his first professional loss.
Duddy was once 25 years old, though. He had nine professional fights, nine professional wins and nine professional wins by knockout. He was tabbed a future champion. He was unbeaten with no noticeable scars or bruises. And the future was bright.
But during his path to a middleweight title shot, Duddy ran into some problems. The fights got harder, his skin seemingly got softer (and, thus, more liable to cutting and bruising) and the opportunities, alas, began slipping away.
It started with a much tougher than expected but nonetheless thrilling decision win over the shopworn Ramon "Yory Boy" Campas in 2006. After a pair of fights in his adopted hometown of New York City, Duddy then went on the road for three fights in his native Ireland. He appeared to regain his footing with a solid decision win over former title challenger Howard Eastman in the final of those three fights.
A title shot soon loomed. Then-middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik was ready to give Duddy a turn at his belts and the glory and riches that would come with it. All Duddy had to do was secure a tune-up win over journeyman Walid Smichet, back at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
It all seemed so simple.
But it wasn't to be. Duddy looked poor in the fight; lethargic and easy to hit. He was cut and bloodied and ****** around and although he wound up winning a majority decision, the damage to his career was significant. A fight between Pavlik (then a pound for pound staple) and Duddy would be a hard sell.
Management problems soon arose.
There was a dispute with a promoter.
And before you knew it, there Duddy was losing his unbeaten record. In April of 2009, for the first time in his career to that point, John Duddy was a beaten fighter; the loser of a split decision to a veteran named Billy Lyell.
So much for all those plans.
But there's a reason why boxing is such a strong metaphor for life. Duddy understands this. And that's why just like a regular guy would dust himself off and keep on going after being passed up for that promotion at work, Duddy will do the same.
The new start and, potentially, a fresh slew of opportunities, begin this weekend when Duddy boxes Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the Alamo dome in San Antonio, Texas.
The fight will headline Top Rank Promotions "Latin Fury 15" and will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View.
The powers that be clearly think Duddy won't be difficult for Chavez to overcome. Chavez has made a lot of money and brought in a lot of fans fighting lower-level opponents. If they thought Duddy was a threat, the fight would arguably not be happening.
But Duddy says he is unfazed.
"I don't really care what they think," he said. "I'm just eager for the fight to happen. I feel great. I've been training hard. And everything's been going great."
Duddy know he is the "B-side" of the equation going up against Chavez, the fighter who shares the name (and support and promotional backing and the fan appeal) of his legendary father, the now retired, former champion.
Chavez is the story here, not Duddy.
Duddy is aware of this. But he doesn't detract from his opponent either.
"He's a good fighter," Duddy said of his opponent. "You have to have something to be where he is with his record (41-0-1, 30 KO's). But once you get under the ropes it's just us and I'm relishing the opportunity. I think it's going to be exciting. The two of us aren't pretty dancers."
"Duddy has to worry," Chavez said. "He (Duddy) has a fighter that will do what it takes. I will not accept a loss or to not move forward in my career. I want to climb very high, and if I have to climb over John Duddy, well, I will climb over him."
A chance at the championship could be next for Chavez should he beat Duddy, so he plans to climb alright. Duddy said he plans to do the same.
"I can only benefit," he said. "I can have a crack at the 160-pound title (with a win). I just want to get in there and fulfill my dream. It should be a great night of fights."
After a career of setbacks and false starts, Duddy says this fight is crucial to his career.
He has the goal, now it's just a matter of reaching the destination.
An upset win for John Duddy on Saturday night would not mean good triumphed evil or evil triumphed good. That's too allegorical for a simple prize fight. After all, this is just boxing. It's just a sport.
It would, however, be a win for the common guy, the "9 to 5" worker; the guy who goes to work day in and day out without complaining. And it would show that sometimes, despite the long odds, things do go as planned.
Hard work can and does still lead to rewards.
And that dreams and hopes remain alive.
Work and rewards
Dreams and hopes.
One inevitably leads to another.
Go to a good school and you'll get a good job. Get a good job and you'll make some money. With the money come the cars. Somewhere a long the line you'll meet your spouse and get married. You'll have kids and buy a home.
That's the way it's supposed to work, or, at least, the way we're told it's supposed to work.
But rarely in life do things go as planned.
Some problems develop, opportunities slip away and the pre-determined path that once looked so clear and promising is now a hazy, rocky road. Sometimes work just leads to more work and the rewards are pushed further and further down the road. The dreams soon fade.
Such is life.
In boxing, perhaps, no other fighter has recently been made more aware of this reality then middleweight John Duddy.
Duddy is now 30 years old. He has a record of 29 wins and one loss with 18 of his wins coming by way of knockout. And he is only three fights removed from his first professional loss.
Duddy was once 25 years old, though. He had nine professional fights, nine professional wins and nine professional wins by knockout. He was tabbed a future champion. He was unbeaten with no noticeable scars or bruises. And the future was bright.
But during his path to a middleweight title shot, Duddy ran into some problems. The fights got harder, his skin seemingly got softer (and, thus, more liable to cutting and bruising) and the opportunities, alas, began slipping away.
It started with a much tougher than expected but nonetheless thrilling decision win over the shopworn Ramon "Yory Boy" Campas in 2006. After a pair of fights in his adopted hometown of New York City, Duddy then went on the road for three fights in his native Ireland. He appeared to regain his footing with a solid decision win over former title challenger Howard Eastman in the final of those three fights.
A title shot soon loomed. Then-middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik was ready to give Duddy a turn at his belts and the glory and riches that would come with it. All Duddy had to do was secure a tune-up win over journeyman Walid Smichet, back at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
It all seemed so simple.
But it wasn't to be. Duddy looked poor in the fight; lethargic and easy to hit. He was cut and bloodied and ****** around and although he wound up winning a majority decision, the damage to his career was significant. A fight between Pavlik (then a pound for pound staple) and Duddy would be a hard sell.
Management problems soon arose.
There was a dispute with a promoter.
And before you knew it, there Duddy was losing his unbeaten record. In April of 2009, for the first time in his career to that point, John Duddy was a beaten fighter; the loser of a split decision to a veteran named Billy Lyell.
So much for all those plans.
But there's a reason why boxing is such a strong metaphor for life. Duddy understands this. And that's why just like a regular guy would dust himself off and keep on going after being passed up for that promotion at work, Duddy will do the same.
The new start and, potentially, a fresh slew of opportunities, begin this weekend when Duddy boxes Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the Alamo dome in San Antonio, Texas.
The fight will headline Top Rank Promotions "Latin Fury 15" and will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View.
The powers that be clearly think Duddy won't be difficult for Chavez to overcome. Chavez has made a lot of money and brought in a lot of fans fighting lower-level opponents. If they thought Duddy was a threat, the fight would arguably not be happening.
But Duddy says he is unfazed.
"I don't really care what they think," he said. "I'm just eager for the fight to happen. I feel great. I've been training hard. And everything's been going great."
Duddy know he is the "B-side" of the equation going up against Chavez, the fighter who shares the name (and support and promotional backing and the fan appeal) of his legendary father, the now retired, former champion.
Chavez is the story here, not Duddy.
Duddy is aware of this. But he doesn't detract from his opponent either.
"He's a good fighter," Duddy said of his opponent. "You have to have something to be where he is with his record (41-0-1, 30 KO's). But once you get under the ropes it's just us and I'm relishing the opportunity. I think it's going to be exciting. The two of us aren't pretty dancers."
"Duddy has to worry," Chavez said. "He (Duddy) has a fighter that will do what it takes. I will not accept a loss or to not move forward in my career. I want to climb very high, and if I have to climb over John Duddy, well, I will climb over him."
A chance at the championship could be next for Chavez should he beat Duddy, so he plans to climb alright. Duddy said he plans to do the same.
"I can only benefit," he said. "I can have a crack at the 160-pound title (with a win). I just want to get in there and fulfill my dream. It should be a great night of fights."
After a career of setbacks and false starts, Duddy says this fight is crucial to his career.
He has the goal, now it's just a matter of reaching the destination.
An upset win for John Duddy on Saturday night would not mean good triumphed evil or evil triumphed good. That's too allegorical for a simple prize fight. After all, this is just boxing. It's just a sport.
It would, however, be a win for the common guy, the "9 to 5" worker; the guy who goes to work day in and day out without complaining. And it would show that sometimes, despite the long odds, things do go as planned.
Hard work can and does still lead to rewards.
And that dreams and hopes remain alive.
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