When should Holyfield have retired?

[Wild Blue Yonda]

The, "perfect time," with hindsight, was either the first Tyson bout, or after the rematch with Moorer. Considering people were speaking of Holyfield & retirement as early as 1992, & these outings completely overhauled his image, it would've worked very nicely for his all-time standing.

Without hindsight, the last reasonable time was probably the second Lewis fight or, at worst, after the trilogy of mediocrity with Ruiz. Anything after that has been too long, & that was evident at the time.

The man is simply as inexorable as the tide...

[BennyST]

I think the best time would have been after the Ruiz win. He got dominated by Lewis and so everyone knew he wasn't the best HW anymore and just getting that last extra paper title to finish on would have been great. He didn't need it to prove anything as he had done that years before but just going out with that last title win would have been the best time.

He's got two fights scheduled up coming. One with some hack and another just a month and a half after against Brian Nielson.



Why they are allowed to commission this fight is beyond me?

[BennyST]

Later on, watching him get taken apart by Toney, was just pitiful. He looked slow, disinterested and so dejected after just a few rounds.

It's one of the saddest things in my opinion seeing once great fighters carrying on as shells of their former force. Seeing them in their prime is just amazing and then seeing them struggle against guys that just shouldn't have any part in beating them or even being in the same ring in some cases is just ......

In those cases where some great gets badly beaten by some guy that really shouldn't have beaten them is awful to see. I really can't stand it. Danny Green vs Roy Jones is a good recent case. Ray Leonard vs Hector Camacho is another. That was really terrible as was Duran vs Joppy, Grant vs Hearns.

You know? All those types. Just saddening.

[JAB5239]

Why they are allowed to commission this fight is beyond me?

None of us want to see it, but I don't think the commission has the right to deny him the right to make a living as long as he passes the physical requirements. Valuev is a worse fighter at this stage than Evander, but we wouldn't dream of putting the clamps on him because we just never got to witness the dramatic drop in skills, as he's always been a sub par fighter.

[The_Demon]

Later on, watching him get taken apart by Toney, was just pitiful. He looked slow, disinterested and so dejected after just a few rounds.

It's one of the saddest things in my opinion seeing once great fighters carrying on as shells of their former force. Seeing them in their prime is just amazing and then seeing them struggle against guys that just shouldn't have any part in beating them or even being in the same ring in some cases is just ......

In those cases where some great gets badly beaten by some guy that really shouldn't have beaten them is awful to see. I really can't stand it. Danny Green vs Roy Jones is a good recent case. Ray Leonard vs Hector Camacho is another. That was really terrible as was Duran vs Joppy, Grant vs Hearns.

You know? All those types. Just saddening.

It certainly is,so many fighters carry on way past their peak and its very sad too see

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Later on, watching him get taken apart by Toney, was just pitiful. He looked slow, disinterested and so dejected after just a few rounds.

It's one of the saddest things in my opinion seeing once great fighters carrying on as shells of their former force. Seeing them in their prime is just amazing and then seeing them struggle against guys that just shouldn't have any part in beating them or even being in the same ring in some cases is just ......

In those cases where some great gets badly beaten by some guy that really shouldn't have beaten them is awful to see. I really can't stand it. Danny Green vs Roy Jones is a good recent case. Ray Leonard vs Hector Camacho is another. That was really terrible as was Duran vs Joppy, Grant vs Hearns.

You know? All those types. Just saddening.

They talk about the sadism of Lady Luck & the brutality of Mother Nature, but none are more unforgivingly cruel than Father Time...case in point, the quote in my signature, & the way it has echoed & reverberated through the decades as one of literature's most famous lines.

[joseph5620]

At what point in his career would have been the perfect time for him to call it a day in your opinion?

After he came back and beat Tyson as an underdog(first fight). If he had retired after that fight it would have been perfect for his career. Of course money talks and I can't blame him for seeking and taking it. If he had retired after the second Lewis fight that would have been the perfect time as well IMO.

[Kut]

The time he still had money.

He beat Valuev, that means for me, he can still do it, even it hurts a bit to watch him still fighting. Imo he had many perfect situations or bad moments he should have retired. But like BHop said, the ring retires the boxers, and Evander Holyfield is a boxers like these.

[sonnyboyx2]

i would bet Holyfield to beat David Haye

[Toney616]

He should of retired after Lewis II imo