The Return of Joe Mesi

I don't recall ever posting anything related to boxing before here at H-Town Sports, but I also don't recall another boxing-related story that has captured my attention quite like this one has. Joe Mesi, a 32-year old undefeated heavyweight fighter, had his Nevada boxing licenses suspended for the past 21 months out of health concerns. After Mesi's last fight in March 2004, he suffered at least two blood clots on his brain, also known as subdural hematoma, which is commonly the cause of death when a boxer dies as a result of injuries suffered in the ring. Due to these injuries, Nevada officials suspended his license to box in the state, and apparently the rules of boxing require that other states honor the Nevada suspension and refuse to allow Mesi to fight in their states as well.

On Monday, a court in Nevada ruled that since Mesi's license to fight in Nevada had actually expired, then the suspension was also terminated, allowing Mesi to resume fighting in other states and possibly even in Nevada as long as he applies for a license and meets that state's requirements. Doctors line up, not surprisingly, on both sides of the fence. Some claim that the injuries seen in March 2004 have fully healed and that there is no reason to believe that Mesi will be any more susceptible to a recurrence in future fights than any other boxer. Others claim that Mesi is clearly more susceptible to subdural hematoma and that allowing him back into the ring is essentially handing him a death sentence. Either way, many people (like yours truly) who typically don't follow the "sweet science" will likely be paying close attention when Joe Mesi makes his next appearance in the ring, and it's for all the wrong reasons.