Mike Tyson is coming back. Roy Jones Jr. is coming back.
Good lord, even Oscar De La Hoya is coming back.
The only difference being that while the first two guys have basically conceded they’re engaging in a made-for-PPV cash grab, the “Golden Boy” is insisting he’s in it for legit fighters and title shots.
Considering Tyson was embarrassed by the likes of Danny Williams and Kevin McBride before exiting, Jones hasn’t won a remotely meaningful fight since Obama’s first term and Oscar was last seen 12 years ago surrendering to a guy who’d never fought past lightweight, what could possibly go wrong?
Right?
Anyway, as I click through the stories my contemporaries have written about these three and others pining desperately for a return to the spotlight, it makes me remember even more fondly the ones who walked away – and stayed away – while still at the tops of their games.
Lennox Lewis. Joe Calzaghe. Andre Ward.
They spring immediately to mind when it comes to recent champions whose exits any fighter worth his hand wraps would kill to mimic. And in doing so, they gave themselves the glorious ride into the sunset only a precious few in any sport – and even more rarely in boxing – seem to manage.
Lest we forget…
On the ice rink, Wayne Gretzky finished his career as a basically average New York Ranger.
On the football field, Joe Namath hobbled away as a sore-kneed Los Angeles Ram.
On the hardwood, Michael Jordan compromised some aura as a mediocre Washington Wizard.
And in the ring, for every Ward, Calzaghe or Lewis who gets out unscathed, there are a hundred more Ray Robinsons – losing fights and risking peril against opponents not worthy of general admission.
It’s a song as old as time … and it’s not stopped playing in recent generations.
Even in my own relatively short attention span – I watched my first TV fight in 1977 – a handful of high-profile standouts have lingered a few years after their shelf lives, watering down their records and, in the eyes of some, cheapening the legacies of their glory days.
And while I’ve never been part of the lynch mobs demanding that an able-bodied – albeit past his greatness – fighter hang up the gloves, there have admittedly been some guys who I’d have much rather recalled for something other than late-stage journeyman status.
The following, in no particular order… are the four who spring immediately to mind on the topic of subpar aftermaths, making me wish they’d pulled the cord sooner on a deserved golden parachute.
Muhammad Ali
Should have retired in 1978
Did retire in 1981
OK, this one’s easy. Alongside his fame as “The Greatest” – and thanks to a condition that steadily deteriorated after his exit – the best heavyweight of them all became boxing’s signature piece for champions who hang on too long. Though a good case could be made for Foreman, Frazier III and several others as ideal swan songs, I’d have been happy enough to see the September 1978 coronation over Leon Spinks in New Orleans as the final dramatic act in a two-decade play.
Thomas Hearns
Should have retired in 1991
Did retire in 2006
The fact that the “Hitman” is my all-time favorite makes this one hurt a little bit more, even though his extra time gave me a chance to meet him. Indeed, while I made the pilgrimage to a penultimate nine-round debacle against John Long for pre- and post-fight interviews in 2005, I’d have much rather closed the book on Tommy immediately after hearing Jimmy Lennon Jr. confirm his unanimous scorecard win – and sixth world title belt – against Virgil Hill 14 years earlier.
Roberto Duran
Should have retired in 1989
Did retire in 2001
Ask five people when “Hands of Stone” could have most gloriously walked away and you might get five contending answers. But for my money, I’d have taken the thrilling post-Valentine’s downing of then-champ Iran Barkley as a proper exit for the Panamanian legend. Sure, it would have cost the fans an up-close glimpse of him in Meccas like Buffalo, Kansas City and Bay St. Louis, but in my mind’s eye, he goes out with a belt on his shoulder – not with losses to Camacho and (ugh!) Pazienza on his ledger.
Alexis Arguello
Should have retired in 1983
Did retire in 1995
Perhaps only the hardest of the hardcore know Arguello even competed in the 1990s, when he scraped past a 2-12-1 Jorge Palomares by majority decision and lost a 10-rounder to one Scott Walker five months later. But now that he’s dead, it feels somehow more tragic that he didn’t at least end things with more honor. Though it wasn’t a triumph, the image of his concession to Aaron Pryor in their 1983 rematch was the fitting final scene I’ll replay in my head for the classy Nicaraguan.
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
No title fights scheduled.
Last week's picks: 1-0 (WIN: Herring)
2020 picks record: 18-3 (85.7 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,135-368 (75.5 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.
