Randall Bailey Update And Interview

[Combat Talk Radio]

Most don't remember but Bailey hasn't fought since Horn stopped him. In 2019 he made huge headlines for possibly fighting in BKFC, but then he was pulled out with no reason given and nothing was heard from him.

Finally, an update. STRONGLY recommend a full read, below is just a snippet.

https://hannibalboxing.com/real-one-randall-bailey-and-a-life-lived-fighting/

“Workin’, drivin’ trucks.”

That’s how one of the greatest punchers of the past twenty-five years provides for his family now. And he couldn’t be happier. Randall Bailey doesn’t miss boxing.

“You have no idea what it’s like having to deal with people in the boxing business,” he says. Bailey is relaxed, cool, engaging. But when he touches on the underbelly of his former trade fatigue creeps in, he turns stern, as if addressing the leviathan of his past directly. “I didn’t have the right mind, I’d probably be in jail right now instead of home with my family. When you see people stealin’ and takin’ money from you, and you know what you’re capable of doing and what you can’t do . . . ”

He lets this sentence hang for a moment, never comes back to it. Bailey had to get out before people he couldn’t trust could dictate how he fed his family. So he walked away.

His career was over before his final fight; Bailey dates its end as June 6, 2012, the night he beat Mike Jones for the IBF welterweight title. As Bailey understands it, had Jones won he would have been in line for a Pacquiao fight. With the upset, Bailey thought he won the Pacquiao sweepstakes.

That’s logical. Boxing doesn’t work that way.

A mutual friend reached out to Bob Arum about making Pacquiao–Bailey. “If you would’a heard the phone call,” chuckles Bailey, “[Arum] wanted to get off the phone so damn fast. And he was enraged.” Why the hostility? “Because of what happened with Mike Jones,” says Bailey, “After what happened that night, I was never gonna fight another Top Rank fighter.”

That’s why Bailey believes two careers ended that night. Jones fought once more and was knocked out. And Bailey wasn’t getting near another Top Rank fighter—not at his age, not with his power. He had one fight left with Lou DiBella, who “sold me down the drain to Al [Haymon].” In his next fight, Bailey lost a decision to Devon Alexander. Alexander was “nowhere in the picture for a title shot” but he called Bailey out, and so Bailey had to respond.

These are the experiences Bailey is glad to leave behind him.

...


Bailey, who retired in 2016 with a record of 46-9 with 39 knockouts, isn’t bitter so much as wizened, accepting but undeceived. And if he could impart some of that wisdom on his fourteen-year-old or twenty-one-year-old self what advice would he offer?

“Go to school. Study hard.”

What about boxing?

“Forget it. I mean, boxing is, is . . . boxing is worse than being a drug dealer. Because I mean, when you’re in the street you know who to look out for. When you’re in boxing you don’t know who to look out for. And the person standing right next to you is probably gonna be the one to stab you in the back.” He has come to this point before, the idea that in boxing, when the money starts to come in, you don’t know who your friends are and so you don’t really know who your enemies are either.

Would the twenty-one-year-old Bailey have been receptive to such a message? Perhaps, but he wouldn’t have sought it. He never would’ve approached another fighter for a picture, let alone advice.

...

Years later, Bailey admits this refusal to network and self-promote kept boxing’s power brokers from treating him like a star. Stars don’t pick up people from the airport for Don King, they don’t drive people in town for King’s cards to their hotels. But Bailey would. He didn’t act like a star because Bailey doesn’t act. His honesty may have worked against him in a business based on lying. He doesn’t care. Randal Bailey is a real one.

So basically:

- Bailey sparking out Mike Jones (Top Rank) threw a wrench in Arum's plans to feed Jones to Manny

- Bailey thought he was going to get Manny. Mind you, Bailey beat the-then undefeated Jones on the undercard of Pac/Bradley 1 - yes, the fight where Manny got upset in a controversial loss - and won the IBF title where Bradley took the WBO title from Manny. Had Manny won that fight, it would have been an easy unification for Manny, but Bailey's saying that Arum got spooked by how Bailey took Jones out and took his 0. Mike Jones got knocked out again, then disappeared from the business, never to be seen again.

- After the Manny situation Lou DiBella basically "sold" Bailey to Devon Alexander. At that time, Devon was at his absolute peak, and Bailey was one of his signature wins at the time. Bailey would never really be the same, and frankly, he lost every time he stepped up, similar to Ike Quartey.


He briefly mentions the chatter about him coming back to boxing, or possibly being a trainer, and then the BKFC, but he basically just said screw it and got a regular job for his own happiness. Good on him.

[slicksouthpaw16]

Most don't remember but Bailey hasn't fought since Horn stopped him. In 2019 he made huge headlines for possibly fighting in BKFC, but then he was pulled out with no reason given and nothing was heard from him.

Finally, an update. STRONGLY recommend a full read, below is just a snippet.

https://hannibalboxing.com/real-one-randall-bailey-and-a-life-lived-fighting/

So basically:

- Bailey sparking out Mike Jones (Top Rank) threw a wrench in Arum's plans to feed Jones to Manny

- Bailey thought he was going to get Manny. Mind you, Bailey beat the-then undefeated Jones on the undercard of Pac/Bradley 1 - yes, the fight where Manny got upset in a controversial loss - and won the IBF title where Bradley took the WBO title from Manny. Had Manny won that fight, it would have been an easy unification for Manny, but Bailey's saying that Arum got spooked by how Bailey took Jones out and took his 0. Mike Jones got knocked out again, then disappeared from the business, never to be seen again.

- After the Manny situation Lou DiBella basically "sold" Bailey to Devon Alexander. At that time, Devon was at his absolute peak, and Bailey was one of his signature wins at the time. Bailey would never really be the same, and frankly, he lost every time he stepped up, similar to Ike Quartey.


He briefly mentions the chatter about him coming back to boxing, or possibly being a trainer, and then the BKFC, but he basically just said screw it and got a regular job for his own happiness. Good on him.

Pretty good read, I would say that pound for pound, Quartey was better than Bailey though. In fact, The only loss that wasn't controversial that's on his record came when he was shot against Winky. You could easily making a case for him beating both Oscar and Vernon Forrest, the Vargas fight was interesting as well. Bailey was a pure puncher like Shavers. When he faced a better boxer especially at the top level, all he had was a KO punch.

Its a shame what he went through too, this game can be very shady at times.

[Combat Talk Radio]

Pretty good read, I would say that pound for pound, Quartey was better than Bailey though. In fact, The only loss that wasn't controversial that's on his record came when he was shot against Winky. You could easily making a case for him beating both Oscar and Vernon Forrest, the Vargas fight was interesting as well. Bailey was a pure puncher like Shavers. When he faced a better boxer especially at the top level, all he had was a KO punch.

Its a shame what he went through too, this game can be very shady at times.

The whole Mike Jones situation was really interesting. I had forgotten how much 'eye test' that guy was before he met Randall. A cherrypick gone wrong.

[TheMyspaceDayz]

Will read later. Good thing Bailey backed out though. He would kill someone with a bare fisted punch.