One of the great comebacks in sports history occurred Saturday night when Tinley Park cruiserweight Craig Bodzianowski, 18 months after losing his foot in a motorcycle accident, scored a second-round knockout of Peoria`s Francis Sargent before 2,750 fans at Alan Shephard High School in Palos Heights.
Ring historians believe it is the first time that a boxer has returned to fight after losing a limb.
For the 24-year-old Bodzianowski, it was merely a long wait between bouts. It was in May, 1984, had he lost his right foot and part of his leg, three inches above the ankle.
”The only thing I ever thought about was how long it would take,” he said after the fight. ”I never had a doubt I`d be back.”
And it was in grand style. Wearing white socks taped over his prosthesis, the burly 186-pound Bodzianowski stopped Sargent at 1:05 of the second round with an overhand right and left hook. Before a sellout crowd chanting
”Gator”–his nickname for the Izod alligator tattooed on his chest– the Sandburg High School graduate raised his record to 14-0 with 12 knockouts.
Sargent (8-10) used a logical strategy against a boxer fighting with a prosthesis, moving quickly around the ring in the first round. When Bodzianowski landed a hard right, Sargent held on in an apparent attempt to push him over.
But Sargent admitted later: ”His balance was good. It was like anyone else out there.”
Bodzianowski was prepared for the tactic. ”I knew he would try to move because if he didn`t, I`d knock his head off from the get-go.”
And that came quickly enough in the second round. ”I hit him with a right hand and a couple of left hooks–that`s all I can remember,” said Bodzianowski. ”Everything happened so fast. I was so excited.”
”There was no cripple in the ring tonight,” said Sargent, a 182-pound journeyman who lost a 10-round decision to Bodzianowski on May 3, 1984, about a month before the accident. ”I`d say the only thing missing was half a step. But he`s no person to underestimate. It`s the first time I`ve ever been knocked out.”
According to Bodzianowski, Sargent is just the first victim of his second boxing career. ”The cruiserweight division is wide open,” he said.
But first there`s a media tour. Bodzianowski appears Monday on Good Morning America and soon on the Today Show. He`s also weighing offers from the William Morris Agency, which is talking about a TV movie of his life and his indomitable spirit.
”A lot of people think they can`t do something and they won`t even try,” Bodzianowski said. ”If I listened to all the people who told me I couldn`t make it back, I`d still be in that hospital bed.”
And to those who have questioned his boxing ability, Bodzianowski replied: ”They say I`m slow and don`t have much grace. But I can put this fist in anyone`s face.”
