A 41-year-old boxer’s professional debut

This feature appeared in the Arizona Daily Sun on June 25, 2003.

The bell is calling …

By Ed Odeven

“The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune,” — old English proverb.

In music, that analogy might be true. But it’s not necessarily the prevailing wisdom in boxing. Pundits of the Sweet Science whine when a boxer continues fighting past his prime (Roberto Duran is a classic example). Age tends to take away a fighter’s quick hands, instincts and ability to handle himself in the ring.

Dean Guthery didn’t get the message. The 41-year-old Flagstaff resident is making his pro debut in a four-round heavyweight bout Saturday evening against Phoenician Jason Adkinson, 27, at Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Adkinson is also fighting for the first time as a pro. He was 8-2 as an amateur.

For Guthery, age is just a number. Boxing, however, is something that…