PUNCH LINES
JULIAN TURNER
Cristian Mijares |
A mixture of ages can be a good thing in sporting contests, as was shown last weekend, but the darker side to that coin was also revealed recently.
On Sunday, veterans Greg Norman and Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm (James Wattana) put on good shows only to be beaten by younger rivals in their respective sports.
Fifty-three-year-old golfer Norman delivered a captivating display at the British Open but was eventually beaten by Padraig Harrington, who is 17 years younger.
In Thailand, 38-year-old snooker legend Ratchapol found young gun Thepchaiya Un-nooh, aged 23, too strong in the final of the Korat Cup and had to settle for second place.
I'm sure both were upset at losing but neither were any physically worse off for the experience and will be looking forward to the next time they play.
Both events were absorbing contests but pitting youth against experience isn't always a good thing.
Last week it was announced that 38-year-old Chatchai Sasakul will challenge WBC and WBA super-flyweight champion Cristian Mijares in Mexico on August 30.
Although Chatchai is somehow ranked fourth by the WBC he hasn't faced a world-class opponent for 10 years since Manny Pacquaio knocked him out in Phutthamonthon to relieve him of the WBC flyweight belt.
Since then Chatchai has faced weak opposition and he also suffered the tragedy of killing Filipino Lito Sisnorio in March of last year when the pair fought in Bangkok.
Chatchai stopped Sisnorio in four rounds and he died that night in hospital from brain injuries.
So aside from the natural physical decline Chatchai has gone through from 67 fights over the past 16 years, he also has to battle the demons in his mind over what happened to Sisnorio.
Understandably, he has looked unwilling since.
Now, without any kind of eliminator against a decent opponent, he has been given a fight against the best man in the division.
Twenty-six-year-old Mijares is regarded as the number one super-flyweight in the world by every independent ranking system.
The Ring magazine also have him as their eighth best fighter in the pound-for-pound list, one spot below middleweight hotshot Kelly Pavlik.
Chatchai isn't listed in any independent top 10.
He is 38th in the world according to the IBO's computerized rankings and 25th at bantamweight according to boxrec.com.
Mijares has fast hands, hits extremely hard and is at his peak right now.
In his previous outing he outpointed WBA super-flyweight champion Alexander Munoz in a unification fight and probably wanted an easier assignment as a voluntary defence this time.
Chatchai fits the bill perfectly in that respect but this looks to be a dangerous mismatch.
Although Chatchai will be paid well, and it is his decision whether he fights or not, it is hard not to question the validity of this match and the potential damage that could result.
When Norman misses making the fairway with a drive, he can go into the rough and chip his way back.
If Ratchapol gets snookered against a cushion, he can calculate the angles to try and hit the right ball.
But if Chatchai gets hammered by one of the finest boxers in the sport today, then what will be the long-term consequences to his health?
Veeraphol Nakornluang, who is the same age as Chatchai, was humiliated by Vusi Malinga in Nonthaburi in June.
That was shocking to see and Vusi was something of an unknown quantity - Mijares is not.
Although upsets do occasionally happen in boxing, Chatchai doesn't have a realistic chance of winning this fight.
But the combination of how much Chatchai has faded, his fragile mental state and Mijares' quality means that this is a fight I would be quite happy to see cancelled due to a training injury or some other unforeseen circumstance.
Julian Turner is the Bangkok Post's Deputy Sports Editor.
Email: juliant@bangkokpost.co.th
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