Why don't old fighters call it quits?
Since its early days as a sport, people in the boxing business have enjoyed pointing to a curiosity of mythical proportions. The curiosity is simple: why don't fighters retire when they're on top, as oppose to tarnishing their record as weathered, sad ghosts of what they once were?
According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, word on the street is that Roy Jones Jr., formerly the best light heavyweight the world over, is looking to fight again despite being 42 and losing three of his last five contests. Given Jones's performance in the ring the last few years, one might just as well wonder why hasn't yet fought Evander Holyfield for the prestigious "should have retired five years ago" title.
Jones’s future opponent is said to be Danny Santiago (31-4, 19 KOs). Jones's last fight was against Bernard Hopkins, who technically outpointed him by a long shot, winning a unanimous decision in April.
Not surprisingly, nobody's talking about Jones getting another title shot. People are only talking about why he continues to compete. It’s clear to almost everyone in the world except Jones that his skills have diminished considerably, and that a continued campaign can only damage an otherwise legendary career at this point. But Jones, along with a few other fighters today (Holyfield, Hopkins) personifies the old rumour that once in the ring, you can never leave it.
Make no mistake, the trend has historical roots. Two fighters often considered the greatest ever, “Sugar” Ray Robinson and Joe Louis, rallied successful boxing ‘comebacks’ after retiring. But both fought long after their expiry dates, and suffered terribly for it, not just in the ring but out of it too. Still things, were different in their cases. They had to fight because of woeful financial decisions that forced them to continue.
In the case of Louis, as with Robinson, the story is tragic, and it’s a wonder the American government could allow should a thing to happen. Louis repeatedly volunteered for military service during World War II, and by 1950, the IRS claimed he owed them $500,000 in unpaid tax debts. To pay it, he was forced to continue fighting, and in 1951, was handed his final knockout defeat to an undefeated Rocky Marciano. Louis was 38 years old, and legend has it Robinson, who was in his locker room after the bout, wept. Marianco offered condolences, saying “I’m sorry Joe,” to which the former champion only responded, “what’s the use of crying? The better man won. I guess everything happens for the best.”
And with Robinson the case was woefully similar: he went from owning his own famous New York hotspot, “Sugar Ray’s,” and being credited as the first modern sports athlete to have an entourage, to dying with little to nothing. He spent all of his $4 million earnings by the end, and when he was awarded a large trophy after his retirement he claimed in his autobiography that there wasn’t even a piece of furniture strong enough in his apartment to support it.
But things are different today, as far as I know. Roy Jones doesn’t need any money. He’s not fighting to put food on the table, or get out of debt, as far as I know. So what compels him and others to do it? For that matter, what compels the old artist to keep performing long after his glory days?
It’s evident that today the boxing industry today does offer some practical incentives for continued competition. For one, with the fact that some divisions offer no less than eight title belts, even a grandfather fighter living on borrowed time and an old name can win a title. This is because title holders often aren’t even on par with the legitimate ‘best of the best’ of the division, and are easy targets for fighters with big names in the sport.
Whatever the case, for some athletes the thrill of competition and the desire to prove themselves may trump any monetary or health considerations. For a fighter like Jones though, many may just have their fingers crossed he decides to leave now before he gets hurt more.
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