Never can say goodbye
Exiting the fight game - and timing it right - is far from easy
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The endless road
THE LONG READ
The topic of retirement has come up a lot in boxing lately. Not least after last weekend’s victory for Kell Brook over Amir Khan in what was, without question, the biggest boxing event of the year so far.
It seems the fighters have conflicting views on the subject, even though in a perfect world this would probably have been the final boxing chapter for both.
Khan-Brook itself ended up being a night of triumph for Kell. With all the pressure and emotion in the world on his shoulders, after the amount of major punishment he has taken in his career, and in the face of spoiler tactics from Team Khan to put him off, you have to say that Kell Brook’s performance on the night was absolutely outstanding. Sure, what was revealed on the night was that this an Amir Khan long past his sell-by-date, but Kell himself had every right to be just as shopworn, and with him clearly putting so much emotional emphasis on this being the crowning moment of his entire career, he barely put a foot wrong. There will be those who might call the ref stoppage in the sixth round premature, but this bout was only going one way and Amir was saved from further inevitable punishment.
Khan was respectful in defeat in the post-fight, and now inevitably moves towards retirement after an unquestionably stellar career body of work overall.
Brook has, somewhat perversely at the age of 35, almost never been a hotter commodity. Chris Eubank Jr., Conor Benn, Florian Marku…any British fighter with name value is chucking their ticket into the hat for a fight with ‘The Special One’, and you can clearly see why. At a time when there are so few left in British boxing, Brook is a true star name and one which would be huge for the recognition and earning power of a younger fighter, especially if they can manage a decisive victory.
(Not sure whether Eubank, at almost 33 and competing divisions above Brook, should really be considered in the same category as the likes of Conor Benn, but here we are.)
The risk now is that Kell will be convinced to take a fight for a tremendous amount of money which it might end up not being sensible for him to take. As a prizefighter, however, you can understand the lure in place now that he has vanquished his Khan-shaped demons, and he has indicated he is keen to continue.
In the aftermath of being routed by his long-time rival, Amir reflected on where his journey might be heading from here…
“The love of the sport isn’t there anymore. That is a sign for me that I should maybe be calling it a day…It’s something to think about definitely, I’ve always said I never wanted boxing to retire me, I wanted to retire from boxing.”
It is this very love of the game that can be the undoing of so many. To paraphrase Canelo, boxing is life to most fighters, giving their existence a structure and their name a cache which they often struggle without. At a simplified level, the decision to continue on seems to usually boil down to one of two broad areas (or both) - money, and the love of the game.
Boxing is a dangerous sport, and the impact on fighters is rarely seen fully until years after the boxers have long laid down their gloves. Why they find it so difficult to do just that, and walk away when close to the peak of their powers, is complex. No two fighters’ journeys are exactly the same.
For an elite boxer, knowing when and how to conclude your journey has proved incredibly difficult over the years.
Towards the end of last year, Manny Pacquiao announced the end of his career at grand old age of 42. But is this for good? Perhaps, perhaps not. He has ambitions to become the President of the Philippines, but you can really never say never in this sport.
Back in December 2008, Pacquiao himself famously sent Oscar De La Hoya into retirement, with the ‘Golden Boy’ looking every inch the older man against the quicker, younger ‘Pac Man’. An archetypal example of a crossroads fight, betting underdog Manny ushered in a new generation with his performance that night.
It’s worth remembering that Manny’s win here was seen as a considerable surprise to many in 2008. But time waits for no man, and Oscar was lucky enough to be in a position to retire knowing money would not be an issue. His final fight - unless he goes through with an ill-advised return after his aborted one last year - delivered 1.25 million pay-per-view buys and over $70 million in revenue. A defeat, but still going out on top.
Five months after the Pacquiao loss, Oscar was calling time on his career. “Now I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport that you're always thinking you can try one more time”, he said in April 2009. “I can still train hard and I can still compete, but when you're an athlete that has competed on the highest level for a lot of years, it's not fair. It's not fair to step inside the ring and not give my best”.
By 2021, Manny the hunter had become the hunted, and seemingly every fighter in and around his weight class was desperate to land the fight with him and look to add victory over a legend to their resume. Pacquiao himself was missing his usual snap in his final contest against Yordenis Ugas last August, in what had been a late replacement for his original opponent Errol Spence.
As finales go, Manny’s last (as things stand) bout wouldn’t go down as a bad one all things considered. He was soundly beaten by the younger fighter, but Pacquiao wasn’t embarrassed by any stretch, nor did he fail to hear the final bell - a fate he had bestowed upon Oscar all those years prior.
De La Hoya and Pacquiao's departures shared some positive similarities. Both left the in-ring portion of their lives with their faculties intact, having generated huge sums of money over their careers, and with passions outside the ring - promoting and politics, respectively - to maintain a direction going forward.
Not all boxers are in that position. Take for example Danny Williams. The toast of British boxing when he upset Mike Tyson and subsequently challenged WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko back in 2004, Williams continues to fight on at the age of 48. Danny has broken retirements and ignored calls to end his career, even those made by himself, for more than a decade.
Refused a license by the British Boxing Board of Control due to fears over the risk to his health, he instead became a gun for hire around the world, living off the name value of his previous achievements and continuing to fight in Riga, Krasnodar, Prague…wherever he could pick up a purse and a license, with a defeat invariably following.
The heartbreaking nature of the situation was captured by Boxing News back in 2018, along with a call for Danny - by all accounts a good man simply fighting to provide for his family and keep his daughters in private school - to hang them up for good this time. Or, at least, a hope that he could be in a position to do that.
Williams has, according to BoxRec, fought six times since that article was written, with his most recent bout in Ukraine last December. There may be numerous more unofficial contests as well.
Danny is not a unique case in the world of journeymen boxers, but given his career highlights and the affection so many hold for him, he has become a poster boy for those fighters who it is hoped will simply walk away. Sadly, with no structure of support in place for retired fighters, the only way Danny knows how to go on is to fight, almost despite himself. The fear of what might happen if he continues on is one which must be felt for numerous other fighters whose career goes on when all signs are they shouldn’t in this most brutal of sports.
With a family to support, it is difficult to condemn Williams either.
As Oscar De La Hoya’s near-return last year proved, it’s also difficult to be sure those fighters who have successfully managed to retire are really gone, especially with the demand for older fighters’ services being at a fever pitch in recent times.
A major element of the increased interest in the legends boxing circuit has been the emergence of Triller (or at least it was until they decided to prioritise inventing their own boxing-MMA hybrid sport in a tiny triangle ring), starting of course with the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition in November 2020 which they claimed became one of the most bought boxing pay-per-views of all time.
Triller then went on to drag numerous other star names out of the retirement home, in an increasingly uncomfortable attempt to seemingly both chuck around an incredible amount of money and tarnish as many legacies as they could manage. The absolute nadir was the awful spectacle of a 58-year-old Evander Holyfield being drubbed in less than 2 minutes by former UFC champion Vitor Belfort in Florida in September 2021.
David Haye - a former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion and one of modern British’s boxing most high-profile figures - also made his return on that show, in a fight against his mate Joe Fournier instigated by an argument in a bar in Mykonos (yes, you read that right). In the build up, Haye summed up a major reason for the continued greatest hits tour these once-elite fighters have been a part of, many years after their peaks have passed…
“Joe asked what it would cost to get me through the ropes one last time for an official fight, on a real stage. I told him it would have to be a package rivalling my last PPV blockbusters. A few calls with the lawyers, and here we are.”
To be paid a comparable amount to his most high-profile fights, for what was essentially a sparring session with his mate, when he clearly keeps himself in good shape…who could really begrudge David Haye grabbing that opportunity?
It’s not just Triller who are rolling out the red carpet for aged fighters in the wild world of boxing in the 2020s.
I went into detail on the enigmatic career of James ‘Lights Out’ Toney last year when his return to the ring in a bizarre event in Mexico looked imminent, a bout which thankfully ended up being cancelled. The exhibition and old-timer circuit in boxing is still in full swing, however, and numerous legends are deciding getting back into the ring in their twilight years is a good thing.
Marco Antonio Barrera fought two non-scored bouts in 2021, and now apparently might be on a collision course with Ricky Hatton. Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. has been doing exhibitions for years, with the most recent one against Hector Camacho taking place eight months ago (at the age of 58) on a show co-headlined by his son losing on points to MMA legend Anderson Silva.
Even those who do walk away on top have to live with unanswered questions. The retirement of Lennox Lewis left some - should he not have rematched Vitali Klitschko after their thrilling (and somewhat inconclusive) 2003 heavyweight title showdown? Or had he done everything he had set out to achieve, made some serious bank, and decided that now was the time to enjoy a new chapter in his life?
Lewis ended up retiring not too far past his peak, with his faculties remaining and as a world champion, and has since gone on to have a long career in boxing away from the ring, as an analyst and media personality. He seems pretty happy with his chosen path.
This is the perfect template for bowing out gracefully in many ways, one which the likes of Andre Ward have looked to emulate. ‘S.O.G’ decided to walk away from active competition in 2017 at the age of 33, after a pair of controversial (for very different reasons) fights with Sergey Kovalev. He could have feasibly continued on for longer, but as he stated at the time he saw himself as one of the lucky ones…
“If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting…As I walk away from the sport of boxing today, I leave at the top of your glorious mountain, which was always my vision and my dream.”
Ward’s retirement was a shock at the time, perhaps because it is rare to see truly successful departures from boxing at the top of the game when they seemingly have something left to offer the sport.
Perhaps Andre Ward will decide to make a comeback to fight Gennady Golovkin for millions, given their recent Twitter beef in relation to a fight between the two that never happened years ago, although I somewhat doubt it.
Unlike Ward and Golovkin, Khan and Brook’s rivalry was settled in the ring in the end. We now await their next move with interest.
Whatever they decide to do from here, Amir and Kell have numerous case studies to explore before they do plot their respective exit plans from the sport they have given much of their lives to, whether they end up choosing to heed them or not.
At the start of this piece, I said that in a perfect world last weekend might have been the ideal finale for both, but this is far from a perfect world, and this is very far from a perfect sport. However and whenever they decide to finish their runs, perhaps only the fighters themselves will know for certain when it will truly be time to call it a day.
It is their journeys after all, even if some boxers might need to be saved from themselves.
In a sport with such little oversight and which could do so much more to prepare boxers for their post-in ring lives, maybe you can’t blame those who decide to cash in, even if the inherent risks can sometimes make the spectacle unpalatable.
THE BOXING AGENDA
Thoughts on the boxing newswire…
One of the most consistently engaging, and occasionally frustrating, things about boxing is the sheer unpredictability of the whole thing. It is a sport built on unsafe ground, and I sometimes don’t believe a fight is actually going to take place until the first bell rings. We got the boxing equivalent of transfer deadline day this week as Dillian Whyte waited until the 11th hour of his allotted time to sign and return his part of the contract for his shot at Tyson Fury and the WBC heavyweight title, meaning that the fight is now almost certain to happen - most likely on April 23rd in a stadium in the UK. I say almost, because this is boxing after all, and Whyte has grievances and legal situations (many of which seem entirely justified) still outstanding with the WBC, but the contracts have been signed.
The Battle of Britain appears to be on though, and it’ll be an event worth savouring as the first all-UK heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis stopped Frank Bruno in defence of the same WBC crown way back in October 1993.
I think it’s a tall order for Whyte to see him winning the fight, but he certainly will be up for it having had a shot at the WBC title denied him for so long. How much, if any, work Dillian does on the promotional side will be interesting to see, he will have an obligation to at least be present on some occasions.
The WBC, in their continued efforts to devalue the sport, have already spent a small part of their sanctioning fees on the absolutely heinous Union belt, a commemorative trinket set to be given to the winner which has no real value and seems entirely pointless given their actual world heavyweight title is already on the line. They might be able to wangle a bit more cash out of the situation from it I guess, which for Mauricio and the crew is of course very important. My campaign to rename it the Brexit belt starts here.
This sport is becoming almost beyond parody at this stage.
THE NEXT ROUND
A far-from-exhaustive rundown of upcoming highlights of the boxing calendar…
26th February 2022
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall
Promoter: BOXXER/Top Rank | TV: Sky Sports (UK); ESPN+ (US)
After delivering their first pay-per-view of the new era, Sky Sports and BOXXER continue to roll on as they head to Glasgow for the homecoming of Josh Taylor, who delivered the huge achievement of becoming undisputed junior welterweight world champion last May by winning a close (but clear) decision against Jose Ramirez in Vegas. I shouted from the rooftops at the time about that fight not getting nearly the amount of coverage it deserved, and in part because of that - but also perhaps due to the boxing world being obsessed with Amir and Kell’s score-settling - Taylor’s first defence of all four major governing bodies’ 140-pound belts against Jack Catterall has also been flying somewhat under the radar at the beginning of the year.
The momentum has picked up this week a bit, however, and there will undoubtedly be a raucous sold out crowd on hand at the Hydro for a fighter, in Taylor, whose achievements in such a short space of time (this will be just his 19th professional bout) really are outstanding. In the time Taylor has taken to dominate his division, his last 7 opponents have had a record between them of 162 wins and just one defeat…and that was to Terence Crawford. In an age where it seems easier to get blood from a stone than it does to get some of the sport’s biggest names in a ring together, that is hugely impressive and really should be heralded more widely.
Parallels have been drawn between Taylor and Carl Froch, and that is certainly a good comparison to make in many ways. Like Taylor, Froch was a legitimate world level operator, a powerful world champion, who failed to gain the attention his achievements deserved in Britain for years before finally crossing over to become a pay-per-view star and crowning his career with the George Groves duology and headlining Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000 people. Both Froch and Taylor can come across as somewhat abrasive characters in interviews, but their status as fighters is/was unquestionable. Also just like Froch did, Taylor has hooked up with Sky Sports a fair chunk into their career so, with the right fights in the future, may just be on the verge of becoming a name that his achievements do objectively deserve. Sourcing a Groves-style foil to deliver a natural storyline for Josh would be an ideal development.
After Taylor’s stellar run so far, this one also has the potential to be a low-key banger, despite the fact that his opponent sadly doesn’t appear to be a Groves-level rival for ‘The Tartan Tornado’, at least in terms of a memorable personality clash.
In a rare Scotland vs England world title bout, Taylor takes on mandatory challenger Catterall, who has been waiting for his shot since the WBO installed him as their number one contender way back in 2019. This is a step up in class for Jack, who has a few noteworthy British names on his 26-0 record but has yet to taste competition at elite level, however he is undoubtedly a talented boxer who is being undervalued in some circles and has been extremely patient in the years since he was installed as a challenger. Catterall will be ready to give absolutely everything in what will be an incredible opportunity for him, but it does appear on the surface to be an uphill battle from the start if Josh is fully focused and prepared in such a hostile environment.
Taylor is, for me, the outstanding British boxer of his generation, with a wealth of major opportunities on his horizon if he gets over the hurdle of this mandatory defence, whether he stays at 140 pounds or decides to move up in weight. It would be a huge shock for him to drop his titles to Catterall, in front of his home crowd, which is reflected in the somewhat unfair 1/16 odds for Taylor to win this fight. Stranger things have happened in boxing, and Catterall is a very talented fighter, but there is a sense that in all likelihood more seasoning and experience at world level before taking on such a mammoth task would have done Jack some good. Taylor will be keen for a big performance in Glasgow to act as a launchpad for his major ambitions for the future.
One of the most complete fighters in the game, Taylor’s future might be even more special than his past. As I’ve argued before, Josh has the chance to become one of Britain’s very greatest ever fighters, with an argument possible for number one with the right achievements, but he simply cannot afford to drop the ball on Saturday night. Catterall may prove to be a major banana skin if he isn’t absolutely on point.
The undercard includes Top Rank’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez against Irishman Eric Donovan, and a selection of both Scottish and Irish talents, but this one is really pretty much all about the main event.
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27th February 2022
Lawrence Okolie vs Michal Cieślak
Promoter: Matchroom | TV: DAZN (UK and US)
Speaking of events that have gone under the radar…there is a distinct lack of buzz about Matchroom’s show at the O2 Arena this coming weekend. Without the promotional juggernaut of Sky Sports, Eddie Hearn and company still need to find an effective way to replace more of that publicity machine for their UK fighters and cards. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - a more complete content-sharing agreement with the BBC would be the ideal way to go. The need for it has been acknowledged by Hearn in the past on a number of occasions, he’s made it clear DAZN are not against it, and there is already a collaboration on the audio side, but with budget cuts at Britain’s national broadcaster I don’t think the Beeb would be averse to arranging a mutually beneficial deal. In a week when DAZN filed huge - but, as a new company, not unexpected - losses in their accounts for 2020/21, leveraging potential opportunities to get their product in front of as many eyeballs as possible would seem prudent.
Lawrence Okolie is exactly the kind of fighter who would benefit from an increased amount of exposure.
His story is an inspiring one - as a 19-year-old working in McDonald’s, Okolie was motivated by seeing Anthony Joshua winning gold at the 2012 Olympics and decided to dedicate his life to achieving something similar. By 2016, he had been selected for the Team GB Olympic team, before he embarked on a pro career which has seen him rack up a 17-0 record and, less than a year ago, claim the vacant WBO cruiserweight title in a six-round stoppage of Krzysztof Głowacki. He is also looked after by his mentor AJ’s 258 Management. He is now in the discussion for the top cruiserweight fighters in the world, having been brought on expertly by Shane McGuigan (for me the outstanding active British trainer today). It feels like Okolie has perhaps not maintained that much momentum since his title win though, so 2022 needs to be a big year from the man from Hackney.
His second defence of the WBO crown also sees him headline at the O2, and it’s a pretty decent matchup against Michal Cieślak, whose sole defeat came on points against Ilunga Makabu for the then-vacant WBC cruiserweight belt back in 2020. Cieślak can punch (15 knockouts from his 21 wins) and is tough, but Okolie should have the size, reach and power to look good here if he has bigger ambitions. Providing he navigates this one, a sterner test could well await in the form of Mairis Breidis, the excellent IBF cruiserweight champ, who will hopefully have stopped embarrassing himself in his chasing of a fight with Jake Paul for long enough to soon arrange a unification.
The undercard isn’t brilliant, but it does feature the noteworthy professional debut of 2020 Olympic flyweight gold medallist Galal Yafai, who has stated that he wants to fight for a world title within two years and is making the rare step of taking on a ten-rounder in his first contest in the paid ranks. Flyweight/super-flyweight is absolutely stacked full of talent, so the impressive Yafai’s journey over the next months and years should be an exciting one to follow. Galal’s opponent for his pro bow, Carlos Bautista, possesses a record of 10-4-1, indicating he is a cut above the usual debut foe - and certainly not plucked out of the crowd at the weigh in, as we saw for Yafai’s fellow Olympian Frazer Clarke on the Khan-Brook undercard.
There’s also a decent enough-looking match up between European featherweight title between champion Karim Guerfi and challenger Jordan Gill, whose career seems to have stuttered lately, and run outs for the likes of Anthony Fowler (now up at middleweight) and up-and-coming Matchroom heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Demsey McKean. So nothing earth-shattering - certainly not “game-changing” - but it’s a Sunday so perhaps this is the ceiling of what we can expect. 🤷♂️ It just feels like MR and DAZN need to manufacture a route to get more people exposed to their fighters, stories and content and move beyond catering almost solely for the boxing completists.