By James Slater – Virgil Hill, known during his prime as “Quicksilver,” achieved plenty in the ring; amateur and pro. Yet the 48-year-old who has not fought in over four years says he is currently in training to make one last comeback..
According to The Bismarck Tribune, Ace-trainer Freddie Roach, the man who guided the 1984 Olympic silver medallist to the WBA light-heavyweight title all the way back in 1987, has been working with his former charge in California. It is not known if Roach will actually participate in Hill’s planned comeback other than “checking him out” to see if Hill has anything left to offer.
So far there is no date or opponent set for Hill’s unlikely return. Virgil, who looks much younger than age 48 and who has evidently taken good care of himself since his last fight (a 12-round UD loss to Firat Arslan in a WBA cruiserweight title challenge in Germany) told The Bismarck Tribune that the recent death of his father inspired him to fight again.
Can Hill make anything of himself at this late stage in his life? Though the 50-7(23) campaigner is “only” a year older than current light-heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins, the odds are firmly against Hill making it back to title level. Presumably, seeing as how he Hill won the WBA 200-pound belt with an odds-defying upset win over Valerey Brudov in 2006, this will be the weight Virgil will fight at upon his return.
The win over Brudov was a long time ago, however, and Hill, a pro since November of ’84 (the month a number of that great Olympic squad that included Evander Holyfield, Pernel Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor punched for pay for the very first time) has had a lot of tough fights. Having been in with everyone from Thomas Hearns (his first pro defeat) to Roy Jones Junior (Hill’s first stoppage loss), Hill has all the experience in the world – at two weight classes. But can he defy Father Time?
At this point – other than to hope for all the world that nobody gets the idea of matching Hill with fellow veteran Jones Junior in a “revenge” style return meeting – all we can do is wish Virgil good luck. At almost 50 he will surely need it.