01.03.06 – By Craig Parrish: It’s official. “Baby” Joe Mesi, the former WBC #1 contender, will begin his comeback with a match on April 1st when he takes on Ron Bellamy in Puerto Rico.This will be the first fight for Mesi since he sustained multiple brain bleeds following a victory over Vasilliy Jirov in March of 2004. Following that bout, the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Mesi indefinitely for fear that the brain bleeds may result in serious, or fatal injury if Mesi pursued his career in the ring. After many hearings and much legal wrangling, the suspension was lifted when a Judge ruled that it could not be held in place after Mesi’s Nevada Boxing License expired.
Mesi and his Neurologists have maintained that he is at no greater risk than any other fighter for injury and that the damage is completely healed. Apparently, the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission has agreed and granted Mesi a license.
This has caused mixed reaction in the Boxing community. While many feel that the decision to fight on should be Mesi’s alone, another factor feels that letting him get in the ring is a mistake, and that it could be catastrophic. Mesi contends that he feels great, and after a few tune-up fights to get back in shape he should be ready to pursue a title once more.
Mesi is 29-0, although his last few outings have been worrisome as his jaw has come into question. While he dominated the majority of the fight with Jirov, he hit the canvas several times in the later rounds and barely squeaked out the decision. Jirov is not particularly known for his punching power and has recently announced that he will return to Cruiserweight. Mesi is a powerful puncher and would be a welcome addition back to the Heavyweight ranks, if not for the injury issue. One must wonder if any contenders will want to fight him, with the shadow of the injury looming.
In his career, Mesi has not faced the caliber of big punchers that are in the hunt, such as Samuel Peter, Lamon Brewster, and Wladimir Klitschko. Would any of these fighters be willing to step in the ring with Mesi, knowing his history? We shall see. Bellamy is 41 years old and has only been a Pro 4 years. His record is 14-4-4.