When should Roberto Duran retired?

[rightsideup]

This one is like ali in some respects that roberto took some punches at the end of his carreer but seems to be healthy now. It just was sad that he hung on and got beat by fighters who should not have beat him. He had a habit of getting too heavey even prior to leonard 1 and was constantly fighting a battle with the scales. This question and my ali thread brings up a interview I saw on you tube with marvin hagler saying all fighters should be forced to retire by age 35. What do you guys think?

[Anthony342]

Nah I say they should be able to go at least until 40. It's different for each guy though. Hopkins has had some good fights into his late 40s.

As for Duran, probably sometime in his early 40s as he fought until he was 50.

Larry Holmes was 52, Holyfield turns 50 this month, so hopefully he retires and Jones is in his mid '40s, so he should retire. I mean, he can still make good money doing commentary and is one of the best middleweights and best light heavy of his era and hall of fame bound.

[Clegg]

Well the Barkley fight was great and I wouldn't want that win the be missing from his career. He'd had some bad performances before that though. I guess another Leonard fight made sense to him for more than one reason, but certainly after that happened he should've walked away.

[Ray Corso]

After Leonard 1 !!!! Before that it was all pride and honor, after that it was all bank account and greed. I understand that he felt it was his only way to earn but at what cost? Duran isn't the sharpest knife in the draw so he took advantage of his experience and his billing power! You'd think these guys that earned even 25 million back than could have the sence to use that money for their longevity but none of them could get it done!! Sad! Ray.

[StarshipTrooper]

After Barkley. Go out on a high note and all that.

Poet

[BennyST]

Either after Leonard I, but that's simply unrealistic. After Barkley would have been perfect. Old, fat, small and the middleweight champion of the world!

Nothing really happened after that apart from the Castro win and the BS Camacho decision that he didn't get. Had some ****ty fights before Barkley too that he just shouldn't have lost.

[The Surgeon]

I think in a way its fitting Duran went the way he did, a fighter until the end. He'd probably still be fighting now if not for that crash! Fighting as long as he did allowed him to score wins in 5 seperate Decades too which is cool. I was recently informed and rightly so that Jack Johnson accomplished the same feat but until then Duran in my mind was the only one to do this,though others had FOUGHT in 5 decades ie Saul Mamby who Duran actually fought.
If he had retired after SRL he'd be rated even higher than he is today but we'd have been short changed out of the Cuevas, Moore and Barkley fight among others not to mention Signature wins that helped forge the legend of other fighters like SRL, Hearns, Hagler, Benitez ect would be missing from thier own careers.

[Panamaniac]

I agree with the popular view - after Barkley.

[jabsRstiff]

He should have retired before letting the Joppy debacle happen.

I am glad he didn't quit in the mid-80's because we'd have never seen his fight with Barkley, which was not only a great fight but a huge testament to Duran's greatness.

[monkey skeleton]

I think in a way its fitting Duran went the way he did, a fighter until the end. He'd probably still be fighting now if not for that crash!

He said it himself that it was the crash that did him in, said something along the lines of "I'm tough but you can only take so much" in reference to his broken ribs and collapsed lung