On Saturday, news began to filter through that Blackwell had been under the knife again, having suffered another head injury while sparring. It had been assumed that Blackwell would never want to set foot in a ring again, given what had previously happened to him. In truth, it's all Blackwell ever wanted to do.
That Pazienza is in the news is a happy coincidence, because no other man in boxing history could provide such valuable insight into Blackwell's thinking.
In the 1980s, Pazienza forged a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters on the planet. A rough and tumble, no-nonsense hero of Providence, Rhode Island, Pazienza went by the nickname 'The Pazmanian Devil', as much for his fast living outside of the ring as his uncompromising fighting style inside it.