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[Romulus9]

I recorded ESPN Classic's RINGSIDE special on the 25 greatest knockouts. I'd seen bits and pieces of it before but made sure to record it this time.

You know, I can remember being in 7th or 8th grade, doing my research paper on pugilistic dementia. Even then it was something I was concerned about.

Then I see this special.

For those who haven't seen it, and I'm sure that applies to very few of you, make sure that you do. We're all aware of the condition Terry Norris is in. I'm so glad no one would give him a license when he tried to get one a while back. Jerry Quarry comes to mind, of course. There are other well-known cases. The two that really stood out here are Michael Moorer and Thomas Hearns. It's incredible how slurred Michael sounds right now. Tommy has been that way for a while but Michael's signs have really developed a lot in recent years. What's amazing is that so few, objectively, of the fighters of the Philadelphia gym wars and the overall brutal decades of the 50s and 60s in the middle weight classes have had problems. Look at the beatings taken and dished out by Carmen Basilio. You'd think he'd be in that shape... but he's not. George Chuvalo's head is clear as a bell and he was target practice for every good heavyweight of the 70s.

It's just a shake-up to see it, and it makes you wish that every fighter had the right kind of people around them to get in their ear and tell them when enough is enough.