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I guess "memorable" should be one of the main descriptions of a career ending fight that would be legendary.
One way a great fighter's last fight does not get remembered is if the fight was boring, win or lose. No one's going to remember Mayweather's last fight, assuming its the last. It was too ordinary and dull. Another reason a career end fight does not get remembered is when a fighter's last fight ended years after he had gotten any publicity. This happened to the likes of Benitez. He was already out of the news when his career dissipated.
Having said the above, who of the past all time legends had the most dramatic ending?
A classic one would have been Joe Louis. He got blasted out of the ring unconscious by Rocky Marciano. It was very memorable because if the visuals as well has the feelings of sadness it generated. It also ended in hope in that a baton was passed on to Marciano.
Bernard Hopkins joins Joe Louis. He stayed true to character by saying that he was pushed. The advantage Hopkins had over Louis was that Joe Smith probably won't become a legend because not only does he have a very forgettable name, there is also a 99.9% chance he won't become a legend like Marciano. These facts would insure that Hopkins would be the only star and Greek tragedy of his farewell fight.
Another memorable last fights were Marvin Hagler (who had his last fight be very controversial), Muhammad Ali (who was just a tragic a figure as Louis), and Sugar Ray Robinson (whose exit was not even a fight but rather a grand farewell show in Madison Square Garden attended by many legends and celebrities).
Whose career ending was dramatic and memorable but that I may have missed?
One way a great fighter's last fight does not get remembered is if the fight was boring, win or lose. No one's going to remember Mayweather's last fight, assuming its the last. It was too ordinary and dull. Another reason a career end fight does not get remembered is when a fighter's last fight ended years after he had gotten any publicity. This happened to the likes of Benitez. He was already out of the news when his career dissipated.
Having said the above, who of the past all time legends had the most dramatic ending?
A classic one would have been Joe Louis. He got blasted out of the ring unconscious by Rocky Marciano. It was very memorable because if the visuals as well has the feelings of sadness it generated. It also ended in hope in that a baton was passed on to Marciano.
Bernard Hopkins joins Joe Louis. He stayed true to character by saying that he was pushed. The advantage Hopkins had over Louis was that Joe Smith probably won't become a legend because not only does he have a very forgettable name, there is also a 99.9% chance he won't become a legend like Marciano. These facts would insure that Hopkins would be the only star and Greek tragedy of his farewell fight.
Another memorable last fights were Marvin Hagler (who had his last fight be very controversial), Muhammad Ali (who was just a tragic a figure as Louis), and Sugar Ray Robinson (whose exit was not even a fight but rather a grand farewell show in Madison Square Garden attended by many legends and celebrities).
Whose career ending was dramatic and memorable but that I may have missed?
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