Roger Clemens is all over the news these days. His capitol hill meeting with a cogressional panel today earned it's very own headline on media sources everywhere.
You name it, they covered it. The Boxing Stop will be no different, but let's look at Clemens from a different perspective.
How would Clemens be as a boxer?
Clemens is listed at 6'4" 238 pounds which would make him a heavyweight. I don't see him being able to get down to anything other than cruiser, and since like most fighters Clemens would go where the money is I'll keep him at HW.
Roger's right arm strength is obvious so I'm sure he'd have a mean jab. His left would need some definite work, but a good jab can take a fighter a long way. Winky Wright anyone?
While he's not exaclty fleet of foot, we should keep in mind that, despite former Philadelphia 1st baseman John Kruk's famous quote, he is a professional athlete . He should be able to move around the ring pretty well.
Conditioning has never really been a problem for the guy in baseball so let's assume it would be the same in the ring. If anything, he'd need to trade the effort he put in learning pitches to use for getting up every morning to hit the pavement for some road work.
By far, the greatest asset Roger has is his bulldog mentality. Clemens' physical gifts gave him a chance to play professional baseball, but his mental toughness is what has taken him to the elite level.
In boxing, much of what happens to a fighter between the ropes is directly related to what goes on between his ears. This is where the great fighters stand out. Ali's grit and determination showed itself towards the end of his career when he had lost some of his physical gifts due to age and a forced long layoff. Bernard Hopkins has used his head to stay on top. Clemens would be no different.
Finally, Roger Clemens would be a great boxer because he refuses to give up. No matter what evidence is presented before him about his alleged steroid use, he doesn't even seem close to buckling under the pressure. He's smart, dedicated and agressive. He's the kind of guy who will always look for an edge.
If Roger Clemens was a boxer all of this media attention would have never occurred. Sure, we'd read about it in the papers one day. It'd probably be somewhere inbetween a story about Evan Fields orderings some performance enhancers for a fighter named Evander Holyfield and one about some overweight middleweight named James Toney who used steroids to help him compete as a heavyweight.
At least with those guys around him, Roger Clemens would feel right at home.
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