Legends, especially in boxing, die hard.
The never-give-up spirit that fuels their greatest accomplishments during their primes eventually becomes an enemy to the well-being of our most beloved fighters. Before they are able to admit to themselves that it?s over, they are battered and bludgeoned by opponents who once would have been sparring partners, they suffer the indignity of being shoved out the door instead of leaving well enough alone and fading gently into the next phase of their lives.
For their admirers it’s a fresh reminder of their own mortality, that in the end everyone will be a victim of Father Time and Mother Nature and that the day of reckoning is closer than they care to admit. To assuage their depression, they are forced to expunge the unpleasant final memories in favor of more glorious ones, when they and their heroes were young, vibrant and relevant.
Fortunately there are exceptions to every rule. Not every great champion?s record ends with an ?L? or a ?KO by? but with a ?W? or a ?KO.? For one last time they enjoyed that satisfying inner glow that comes with successfully meeting the challenge, but because it was the last time it became even more special. Few people ? much less boxers ? earn the privilege to walk away from their chosen profession at the top of their game, on their own terms and with an enthusiastic crowd offering full-throated tribute.
This week’s 10 list is a celebration of those who knew when to step away and left their admirers wanting more ? but also relieved that, in the long run, they didn’t get more.
Because there have been other ?final acts? in which tragedy or other unforeseen events intervened, I limited this list to those who retired on their own volition ? and stayed retired. With that criterion in mind, the following is one man’s opinion of boxing’s 10 best final curtains.
10. Oct. 8, 1976, Sao Paulo, Brazil ? Eder Jofre W 12 Octavio Gomez
When Jofre ended his 33-month retirement following his second loss to Fighting Harada, no one could have guessed that he was about to embark on arguably the most successful comeback in boxing history ? at least to date. After rolling up 14 straight wins as a featherweight, the 37-year-old ex-bantamweight king scored a stunning split decision over WBC featherweight titlist Jose Legra to capture his second divisional crown. Following a fourth-round TKO over Vicente Saldivar, the WBC stripped Jofre because his management failed to arrange a fight with mandatory challenger Alfredo Marcano in a timely manner.
Shorn of his crown, Jofre continued to fight ? and win. At age 40 years and six months he fought respected Mexican Octavio Gomez before a large and adoring crowd in Sao Paulo. Even at this advanced stage of his career Jofre?s body was in magnificent condition, though two tiny flaps of skin near each kidney was the only sign of his advancing age. The shock of curly hair, the famed semi-crouch and, most importantly, his wondrous skills were still there.
In the closing moments of the seventh Jofre brought the house to its feet ? and Gomez to his knees ? with a short reflex hook to the ear an instant after Gomez missed with a wild right. Gomez tried to con the referee into calling his fall a slip but the official saw what everyone else did ? a legitimate knockdown. With the crowd producing an earthquake of sound, Jofre sauntered to the wrong corner to soak in the adulation, only to quickly advance to the correct one when he spotted the referee out of the corner of his eye. Somehow, the referee managed to hear the bell and no further damage was done.
For the remainder of the fight, Jofre showcased the talent that made him a god-like figure in Brazil and, eventually, an immortal in Canastota. Compact hooks regularly found Gomez?s face and his every thrust engendered a rapturous response. When the decision in his favor was announced, he was lifted onto the shoulders of his admirers and he returned their cheers by vigorously clapping his gloved hands while wearing a beatific smile.
The win over Gomez completed a comeback for the ages. In the seven years since returning to the ring he went 25-0, retired with a 72-2-4 (50 KOs) record and left the ring in triumph instead of tragedy.
(Click on the “NEXT” button at the bottom right corner of the page to view Nos. 9 through 1.)
9. July 25, 1993, Hyundai Hotel, Gyeongju City, South Korea ? Myung Woo Yuh W 12 Yuichi Hosono
Many observers thought Yuh didn?t deserve the split decision over Joey Olivo that allowed him to become WBA junior flyweight champion on Dec. 8, 1985. But over the next six years Yuh more than proved himself worthy of championship distinction as he established a new divisional record of 17 defenses against a fairly strong group of contenders.
Yuh used his volume-punching but defensively responsible style to beat Jose DeJesus (twice), Mario DeMarco (twice), Rodolfo Blanco and future four-division champion Leo Gamez (twice). It was considered a major upset when lanky former 105-pound titlist Hiroki Ioka dethroned Yuh by split decision on December 17, 1991 in the South Korean?s only defense outside his homeland. In the rematch 11months later ? again in Tokyo ? Yuh emphatically avenged the loss by scoring a majority decision that should have been unanimous.
The 29-year-old Yuh made the first defense of his second reign against Hosono, a 23-year-old ranked seventh by the WBA that had a 16-2-1 (10) record. His blemishes occurred only when he stepped up in class as WBA minimumweight champ Hi Yong Choi stopped him in 10 and perennial contender Rocky Lin decisioned him over 10. The draw came against undefeated Filipino hotshot Ala Villamor, a showing that allowed him to get the shot at Choi.
As for the fight, Yuh depended on the same formula that garnered him so much success ? forcing a fast pace, being the first to begin most exchanges and piling up points with his vast array of combinations. But while the upper half of his body retained most of the traits that marked his prime his legs appeared wooden and his defense more sieve-like. His face was reddened in the second, his nose bloodied in the fifth and his mouth showed crimson in the sixth. But the second half drive remained and while Hosono kept coming at him Yuh turned on the jets and out-shined him.
By the eighth the champ looked like the Yuh of old as he danced on his toes and flashed impressive multi-punch bursts. He even threw in a mini-bolo during one volley in the closing seconds of the ninth and unloaded 11 consecutive hooks in the 10th. The well-oiled perpetual motion machine that was Yuh cruised to a 120-111, 119-110, 118-110 decision and he once again was vaulted into the mix in terms of fights with Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez and WBC/IBF champ Michael Carbajal, the latter of whom defended his belts just eight days earlier against Kwang Sun Kim.
Instead, Yuh announced his retirement and the vacancy was filled less than three months later when Gamez stopped Shiro Yahiro in nine. The fact that Yuh never fought the division?s biggest superstars may be the reason why it took two decades for Hall of Fame voters to finally recognize his achievements, but one can’t argue that Yuh finished his career on the highest of notes.
8. Dec. 15, 1962, Palazo Dello Sport, Milan, Italy ? Duilio Loi W 15 Eddie Perkins III
For many years Loi was one of boxing’s forgotten legends. Fighting out of a southpaw stance, the native of Italy used an energetic bob-and-weave style to wear down opponents and a cast-iron jaw to discourage them. He didn’t have a great punch in relation to his peers (only 26 knockouts in 115 wins), which made his accomplishments even more impressive because he didn’t have the safety net of one-punch power to bail him out of tough situations. From November 1952 to June 1960 Loi compiled one of boxing history’s longest unbeaten streaks when he went 67-0-5 to raise his record to an incredible 102-1-7.
While he was almost unbeatable on the domestic and European level, he also prospered when he stepped up the competition. He pounded out victories over Ray Famechon (W 10), Orlando Zulueta (W 10) and former lightweight champion Wallace “Bud” Smith (KO 9), plus he twice gained vengeance against the man who stopped his 72-fight unbeaten streak ? Hall of Famer Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz won a hard-fought and somewhat controversial split decision over Loi in San Francisco, one of only two appearances on American soil (a decision win over Glen Flanagan in January 1955 was the other). Loi won the rematch ? and Ortiz’s world junior welterweight championship ? by split decision in Milan and in the rubber match, again in Milan, Loi scored a sixth-round knockdown en route to a majority decision win three months later to end the series.
By Dec. 1962 Loi was nearing the end of the road. After winning the three-bout series with Ortiz, Loi was embroiled in another trilogy with future Hall of Famer Eddie Perkins. Loi was hoping to establish supremacy once and for all, which, given their history, would be an extremely tough task even though all their meetings were held in Loi’s back yard of Milan.
Their first meeting in Oct. 1961 at the Palazzo Dello Sport saw the pair fight to a draw that many observers felt Perkins should have won. The rematch, this time at the Velodromo Vigorelli in September 1962, saw Perkins overcome knockdowns in the first and 14th rounds yet still pile up enough points to seize Loi?s belt on the road. This, their third battle, was supposed to clarify the issue of supremacy between the 25-year-old counterpuncher and the 33-year-old infighter, who carried a 114-3-8 (26) record into the ring.
Just as he did against previous conquerors Jorgen Johansen and Ortiz, Loi got the final word against Perkins. His relentlessly suffocating attack neutralized Perkins? skills en route to a decisive 15 round decision. Loi announced his retirement one month later, leaving the ring as both WBA and European junior welterweight champion. Loi couldn?t have imagined a better way to leave his chosen profession; a victory over a man who defeated him just three months earlier before an adoring public. If only all our legends could have exited this way.
7. Dec. 21, 1991, Thaepsapin Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand ? Khaosai Galaxy W 12 Armando Castro
Since crushing Eusebio Espinal in six rounds to win the WBA junior bantamweight belt (a title stripped from Jiro Watanabe for daring to fight WBC counterpart Payao Poontarat) Galaxy had become his division?s greatest fighter. The thickly muscled southpaw ruled his weight class with a wrecking ball left that produced 16 knockouts in 18 defenses, including eight consecutive KOs in title fights entering the Castro bout.
The Mexican sported a modest 35-12-2 (29) record but was riding a five-fight KO string when he challenged Galaxy. In fact, his last 14 victories were by knockout and he hoped to cash in on Galaxy?s somewhat vulnerable chin (he suffered flash knockdowns against Alberto Castro and Cobra Ari Blanca). Late in the second round Castro did just that as a looping hook dramatically buckled Galaxy?s legs and a right uppercut sent him to the floor. By the time referee Eddie Eckert finished the mandatory count Galaxy appeared to have fully recovered and the bell sounded shortly afterward.
The third saw them engage in a thrilling toe-to-toe war on the inside, persuading Castro to shift to a stick-and-move strategy early in the fourth. Galaxy took full advantage by firing short hard shots that consistently broke through the Mexican’s guard. In the fifth Galaxy started landing his trademark lefts, especially to the chin. The looping shots that had been so effective for Castro early found mostly air and Galaxy took advantage of his wildness with compact and precise blows. Galaxy even tried long-range boxing in the sixth and his efficient counters and flurries consistently caught Castro coming in.
A short right to the ribs stunned Castro early in the seventh and a follow-up flurry had him covering up in the corner. But Castro was tough and he kept coming in despite the withering body battering he absorbed. A late-round surge had Galaxy on the run, ensuring that the Thai would have to fully extend himself to gain victory.
The intense action continued in the eighth and ninth as Castro waded in with an almost maniacal intensity. Castro paid the price by absorbing counters that swelled and bloodied his eyes. Castro showed signs of weariness in the 10th by slowing his advance and Galaxy responded by repeatedly spearing the challenger’s face with lead lefts that occasionally set up combinations. Midway through the 11th a sizzling left-right-left sent Castro crashing to the canvas. After the challenger rose at six Galaxy had Castro racing around the ring with a succession of lefts. The rugged Castro survived the onslaught but it now was clear the mathematical mountain would be too steep to climb.
With victory in sight, Galaxy kept his distance in the 12th and boxed his way to a comfortable 117-109 (twice) 117-111 decision win. He embraced twin brother Khaokor and was presented bouquets amid a pair of giant Thailand flags. With that, Galaxy’s magnificent seven-year 19-defense reign came to a close ? and the countdown toward enshrinement in Canastota began.
6. Sept. 29, 2001, Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y. ? Ricardo Lopez KO 8 Zolani Petelo
If Ricardo Lopez had been a welterweight, middleweight or heavyweight he would have been lauded as one of the greatest fighters who has yet lived. But because he plied his trade at minimumweight and junior flyweight his exploits were largely ignored until relatively late in his career. Hard-core observers, however, knew they were witnessing true greatness every time “Finito” stepped between the ropes.
His textbook-perfect technique led to an eight-year reign at 105 pounds that encompassed 21 defenses of the WBC title and separate unifications of the WBA and WBO belts. That was followed by an immediate jump to 108 that saw him capture the IBF belt from Will Grigsby and a third-round KO of longtime IBF minimumweight king Ratanapol Sor Vorapin in his most recent fight before meeting Petelo.
This bout against Petelo, Vorapin?s successor at 105, represented Lopez?s 26th consecutive title fight, though only his third in the last three years. And the 35-year-old Lopez wasn?t the only person who was set to retire after this night, for 81-year-old Arthur Mercante Sr. was about to officiate his 145th and final world title bout.
Lopez studied his southpaw opponent from a distance in the first, staying on the move, shooting in arrow-straight blows through Petelo?s high guard and opening a small cut over his right eye. Lopez picked up the pace considerably in the second and 23 seconds into the round he decked Petelo with a picturesque hook to the jaw. Petelo shook off the effects and burrowed inside in the hopes of initiating a toe-to-toe brawl but the disciplined Lopez (who logged six years in military school in his youth) continued to fight in his usual clinical manner, knowing that it was not yet time to pursue the knockout.
Lopez continued to masterfully pick apart the charging Petelo in rounds three through five, though the South African exploited a persistent late-career bugaboo for Lopez ? cuts ? by opening a vertical slice between the eyes in the fourth. Midway through the sixth Petelo opened a serious cut around Lopez?s right eye and the master craftsman turned tiger as he tore in with fierce combinations. They spent the seventh swapping hard blows at close range with Petelo throwing more and Lopez landing at a higher rate.
With a little more than a minute gone in the eighth, Lopez spotted his opening. A pair of lead rights forced Petelo to subtly reveal his duress facially. That small hint was all the persuasion Lopez needed and he followed with a sickle-like left uppercut to the jaw that caused Petelo to collapse into the ropes. Exhausted as much as hurt, Petelo stuck out his mouthpiece and silently signaled his surrender to Mercante.
At 1:32 of round eight, Lopez recorded his 51st and final victory and departed as every great fighter should ? with a championship belt strapped around his waist.
5. Jan. 21, 1938, Madison Square Garden, New York ? James J. Braddock W 10 Tommy Farr
Braddock was celebrated as boxing’s “Cinderella Man? because of his miraculous rags-to-riches ascent to the heavyweight championship. The title also could have been applied to the manner he ended his hardscrabble 12-year pro career.
Braddock said he always wanted to end his life in the ring with his hand raised but six months after losing the world heavyweight championship to Joe Louis he didn?t pick an easy foe in Tommy Farr. The 25-year-old Welshman was eight years younger than Braddock and in his last outing he had given Louis a difficult time before dropping a decision.
Farr looked every bit the 8-to-5 favorite as his speed and superior boxing ability carried him to a lead. Braddock, however, charged in the final two rounds as he broke Farr?s nose and two of his ribs en route to a split decision. According to several sportswriters, Braddock had never fought a better two rounds than the ones he did against Farr and in the dressing room afterward he showed off a rabbit?s foot charm and a painted horseshoe.
According to a Jan. 31, 1938 article in Time entitled ?Horseshoe Man,? Braddock said that John F. Condon, onetime intermediary in the Lindbergh kidnapping case, presented the horseshoe to him just before the Farr fight. Condon, in turn, received that horseshoe from the man who made it in 1896 ? former blacksmith and future heavyweight champion Bob Fitzsimmons. ?And,? said Braddock, ?it?s been lucky ever since.?
4. Feb. 16, 1974, Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, Panama City, Panama ? Ernesto Marcel W 15 Alexis Arguello
The 25-year-old Marcel was at the pinnacle of his fistic life; he was vigorous, incredibly skilled and boasted an enviable blend of youth and experience. By the time he met Arguello, Marcel had defended his WBA featherweight title three times against Enrique Garcia (KO 6), Antonio Gomez (KO 12) and Spider Nemoto (KO 9) and was two months removed from a 10-round split decision win over future champ Samuel Serrano.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old ?Explosive Thin Man? (36-3, 29) was riding a 13-fight winning streak that included 10 knockouts within the first three rounds. The 5-10 Nicaraguan?s deceptively frail 122?-pound frame disguised his immense power and if that wasn?t enough he had four inches in height and reach over the champion.
Marcel opened the fight strongly as he circled the stalking Arguello and popped his head back with singular but eye-catching hooks and crosses while also cleverly dodging the Nicaraguan’s blows. Every landed punch by Marcel brought a roar from the Panamanian faithful but Arguello sought to quiet them by roaring out of the corner in round two and driving the champion across the ring. Marcel coolly shrugged off the surge and methodically picked away at Arguello?s defenses with direct, flush blows. Round after round Arguello tried to impose his power but while he stunned Marcel briefly in the third his piledrivers were no match for Marcel?s consummate skills and unerring accuracy.
Arguello rallied in rounds nine through 11, showing flashes of the exquisite skills that would make him a legend in subsequent years. The resourceful Marcel weathered Arguello?s fury and caught his second wind starting in the 12th as he burrowed inside and raked the challenger with clean, whistling shots. The bounce in the champ?s legs returned in the 13th while Arguello ? who had gone 10 rounds only four times previously ? showed signs of fatigue.
Marcel made his final round a strong one as he moved in and out with ease and rattled Arguello?s head with flurries to the point where he was almost playing with the challenger. The crowd chanted his name as he put the finishing touches on his last masterpiece. Referee Serviio Tulio Lay and judge Juan Carlos Tapia scored it 146-140 for Marcel while judge Harmodio Cedeno saw it 146-142.
It was expected before the fight that Marcel would retire and despite his dominant showing he kept his word. A lopsided win over a future three-division champion and Hall of Famer is an extraordinary way to end one’s career. But his early exit came at a cost to his legacy, for the ?unfinished symphony? aspect prevented Marcel from crafting an ironclad argument for his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
3. July 26, 1928, Yankee Stadium, New York ? Gene Tunney KO 11 Tom Heeney
The 31-year-old Tunney never saw himself as the stereotypical boxer and his life and career reflected that reality. Intelligent and well read, “The Fighting Marine” would enjoy the greatest fairy-tale post-boxing life his sport had ever seen. By exchanging vows with Carnegie Steel heiress Polly Lauder, Tunney married into one of America?s wealthiest families and one of their sons went on to win a seat in the United States Senate. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise that Tunney chose the best possible moment to gracefully leave the sport that garnered him fame, fortune and belated respect.
By capturing the heavyweight title from Jack Dempsey in 1926 and consolidating his victory in the “Battle of the Long Count” rematch in 1927, Tunney had already accomplished everything he wanted in boxing. He promised his wife he would retire after meeting Heeney, a New Zealander whose ruggedness earned him the nickname ?The Hard Rock From Down Under.?
The opening rounds saw Heeney plowing inside and Tunney catching him with well-timed jabs and counters. The action was often messy and clinch-filled but Tunney did most of the effective scoring. By the eighth Tunney?s steady work had closed and cut Heeney?s left eye and his attack had the ?Hard Rock? beating an uncharacteristic retreat. Ever game, Heeney continued to march in but Tunney’s razor-sharp skills and ring intelligence were far too much for him to handle.
In the closing moments of the 10th, a double jab and a chopping right sent Heeney to the floor along the ropes. Slumped on his stool and clearly laboring for breath, Heeney nevertheless came out for the 11th. Moving in and out with educated ease, Tunney raked Heeney with short punches to the face and body. Heeney refused to fall in the face of Tunney?s fusillade so referee Eddie Forbes was forced to intervene to save Heeney from his own bravery. The well-beaten Heeney offered no argument as he exchanged pleasantries with the victorious champion, who was about to embark on a long and prosperous life outside of boxing.
2. July 30, 1977, Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, Monaco ? Carlos Monzon W 15 Rodrigo Valdez II
For nearly seven years, Monzon reigned over the middleweights with a violent elegance. He fought even taller than his listed 5-11 ? and his telephone pole-like 76?-inch reach as he broke down opponent after opponent. After being shot in the left shoulder by his then-wife in 1973, Monzon successfully morphed from right-hand bomber to volume-punching boxer-puncher and the results were the stuff of legend ? 13 successful defenses and a nearly 13-year, 80-fight unbeaten streak that included nine draws (eight of which were avenged). The only reason he didn’t sweep away all of his blemishes is that the lone remaining opponent ? Ubaldo Bustos ? didn’t give Monzon the chance.
The WBC stripped Monzon following his February 1974 stoppage of welterweight champion Jose Napoles for failing to fight mandatory challenger Rodrigo Valdez. The Argentine reunified the belts by beating Valdez by unanimous decision in June 1976. Despite enjoying several strong moments, Valdez said his brother’s murder in a bar fight a week before the fight consumed him mentally and that he stilled doubted Monzon’s superiority. When informed of Valdez’s comments, Monzon said, ?fine. Let?s fight again in the same stadium and see who?s the best. And by the way, this will be my last fight ? win, lose or draw.? This was typical of Monzon?s quietly intense bravado: An all-or-nothing legacy fight against the man who provided one of his sternest challenges.
Following a feeling-out first round that Monzon won with a late surge, the Colombian dramatically swung the pendulum in the second. Opening a cut over Monzon?s left eye, Valdez floored the champ with a wicked right to the jaw. It was only the fourth time Monzon had been knocked down in his 100-fight career and the first time since 1964 when Felipe Cambeiro turned the trick three times in winning an eight-round decision. Monzon regained his feet instantly but another overhand right had the champion holding on tightly. Monzon lasted out the round but the crown that had sat so firmly on his head now was teetering.
Still, Monzon radiated the confidence of a monarch. With his eye cut expertly repaired, he was the one moving forward in the third. By maintaining a busy jab and occasionally following with dangerous rights he kept Valdez at a safe distance and quickly raised a swelling under the challenger?s left eye. Every so often Valdez landed heavy rights but it was Monzon who commanded pace and geography. Monzon always answered Valdez?s single shots with beautifully thrown combinations punctuated with occasional bursts of power. His fans thoroughly enjoyed his dominance, mixing their cheers with chants of ?Argentina? and ?Monzon? as their hero peppered away at Valdez.
His command was such that this fight could have been called ?Monzon?s 14th Symphony.” All of the lessons learned during his long career came together in one last virtuoso performance and Valdez?s stubbornness in the face of it only enhanced its impressiveness. The proud Colombian never stopped coming and he never surrendered the proposition that he could conjure another bolt of lightning. Nothing, however, would stop the stone-faced Monzon on this day and the judges rewarded his dominance with a closer-than-expected 144-141, 145-143 and 147-144 victory.
Though Bernard Hopkins would break his record of 14 middleweight title defenses a quarter century later, ?King Carlos? remains among the top middleweights ? and in this writer?s opinion, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ? who has yet lived. Unlike many of his peers, he left an indelible ? and positive ? final impression.
1. September 21, 1955, Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y. ? Rocky Marciano KO 9 Archie Moore
The 32-year-old Marciano was making the sixth defense of the heavyweight title he blasted off Jersey Joe Walcott?s head against a genuine legend in the 38-year-old reigning light heavyweight king. To get the fight, ?Ancient Archie? embarked on an exhaustive letter writing campaign, spent $50,000 in advertising and even had ?Wanted? posters depicting Moore as the sheriff and Marciano as the criminal. The champion, who sported an enviable 48-0 (42) record, simply shrugged and granted Moore his shot at the brass ring.
Marciano?s perfect ending was nearly spoiled in the second. Moments after Marciano stunned Moore with a hook to the jaw, the challenger stepped in with a short counter right to the chin that sent the New Englander to one knee, only the second knockdown of the champion?s career. As Marciano leaped to his feet and tried to collect his senses referee Harry Kessler briefly intervened to wipe off Marciano’s gloves. Though Kessler?s actions took less than four seconds Moore claimed to his dying day that the brief intermission prevented “The Old Mongoose” from winning the heavyweight crown. Though shaky and bleeding from the nose and left eye, Marciano managed to safely navigate the final two-plus minutes by weaving away from Moore’s bombs and executing well-timed clinches.
Marciano steadied himself in the third, which saw him stage a late comeback behind solid hooks and follow-up rights. Both fighters hammered away in the fourth but while Moore got in his share of punches he had been drawn into Marciano?s type of fight. Still, Moore enjoyed a good fifth as his sage counters often caught Marciano wading in.
The fight turned irrevocably for Marciano in the sixth when a heavy right to the temple caused Moore to crumble along the ropes. Kessler briefly continued to count once Moore rose, neutralizing the Mongoose’s claim about Marciano’s knockdown because the count on Moore lasted slightly longer than the one administered to Marciano. It provided only a brief respite for the storm that was to come. Marciano swarmed over his aged adversary, digging hard shots to every available area of Moore?s anatomy. Though Moore fought back valiantly, he fell to a knee after absorbing a overwhelming series of rights.
Moore insisted between rounds he was fit to continue and he proved it by staging a terrific comeback in the seventh against the arm-weary champion. But even in the midst of Moore’s success one got the feeling he was postponing the inevitable. At the bell Moore’s legs shook and nearly collapsed as he neared his stool, for that rally nearly exhausted every remaining physical resource.
From the eighth round on, ?The Brockton Blockbuster? shifted into overdrive. Moore had the look of a man fighting off an avalanche as he swayed along the ropes and looked for openings that seldom showed themselves. Though Marciano missed with many of his blows, he got in enough of them to exacerbate the swelling over Moore?s left eye. In the final moments of the round Moore caved in after absorbing a chopping right above the ear. Following a consultation with ringside physician Dr. Vincent Nardiello, the bout was allowed to continue.
Marciano?s strength and unrelenting pressure in the ninth was enormous as he bombarded Moore with bomb after bomb. A pair of hooks sent the battered Moore to the floor near his corner. His seconds knew the end was near, for the stool was already on the apron at seven. He tried to rise at eight but his legs no longer obeyed his brain?s commands. In the moment of his final triumph, which came at 1:19 of the ninth, a concerned Marciano tried to helped Moore?s seconds lift Archie onto the stool.
Marciano said after the fight that his mother had been begging him to quit fighting and that he was giving the notion some thought. On April 27, 1956 Marciano announced his retirement and forever stamped himself as the first ? and so far only ? undefeated heavyweight champion to retire and never come back. His unique status guaranteed his place on just about everyone?s top 10 list of greatest heavyweight champions but it also completed the greatest “fairy tale” ending in the sport’s history.
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These are only 10 of boxing?s best swan songs, but there were other candidates that were under consideration. For example Jimmy McLarnin retired at 28 with back-to-back victories over Tony Canzoneri and reigning lightweight champion Lou Ambers (a non-title 10 rounder) while the notoriously light-hitting ?Slapsie Maxie? Rosenbloom scored just the 18th knockout of his 289-fight career with a third-round stoppage of Al Ettore in Hollywood. Other great swan songs include the following:
* A blood-soaked Michael Carbajal capped his Hall of Fame career in July 1999 with a dramatic come-from-behind 11th round knockout over Jorge Arce, who would go on to become one of Mexico?s most beloved personalities.
* Henry Maske emerged from a 10-year retirement to avenge his only defeat to Virgil Hill in March 2007 before a cheering throng in Munich, Germany.
* Sven Ottke ended his lengthy ? and sometimes controversial ? reign at 168 in March 2004 at Magdeburg, Germany with a 12 round decision over Armand Krajnc that lifted his record to 34-0 (6 KO), of which 22 wins were in title fights.
* Though Lennox Lewis stopped Vitali Klitschko in six rounds due to a grotesque eye cut in June 2003, the victory becomes more impressive with each passing day due to ?Dr. Ironfist?s? subsequent feats. A few months after the victory, Lewis announced his retirement in regal style and despite several lucrative offers he resisted the urge to return.
* The most frustrating swan song belongs to Paul Pender, whose final fight saw him regain the middleweight title from Terry Downes in April 1962 before his hometown fans at the Boston Garden. The political bitterness that followed was hardly the stuff of fables. After the New York State Athletic Commission stripped Pender for not signing to fight Dick Tiger, Pender sued and had his title reinstated the following year. Arrangements to schedule his next fight resulted in more legal wrangling and a frustrated Pender announced his retirement in May 1963, still the middleweight champion of the world.
* Horacio Acavallo?s final outing was a controversial 15-round split nod over Hiroyuki Ebihara that enabled him to retain the WBA flyweight title. The Argentine announced his retirement six weeks after the August 1967 bout but the fact he wasn?t dominant in his final bout kept him from breaking into the main list.
* In March 2004 before a boisterous crowd at Foxwoods, New England legend Vinny Pazienza notched his 50th pro win with a typically blood-and-guts decision over Tocker Pudwill.
* Finally, the fight that inspired this treatise ? Jake Matlala?s seventh round knockout of Juan Herrera in March 2002 before his home fans in South Africa to retain his WBU junior flyweight belt. The 40-year-old ?Baby Jake? had announced beforehand that this would be his last fight and the occasion drew a huge throng that included Nelson Mandela. Matlala seldom looked better as he battered Herrera with right hands and the joyous scene at its conclusion prompted this feature.
As this list proved, happy endings are indeed possible for those who choose to ply their trade in the squared circle. Just like in the ring, timing is everything ? especially when it comes to calling it a day. Here?s hoping that future years will result in several more entries to this most exclusive list.
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Photos / Al Bello, Timothy A. Clary, THE RING, Getty Images
Lee Groves, a boxing writer and historian based in Friendly, W.Va., can be emailed at [email protected]. He is a full member of the BWAA, from which he has won seven writing awards, including a first-place for News Story in 2011. He has been an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2001 and is also a writer, researcher and punch-counter for CompuBox, Inc. He is the author of “Tales From the Vault: A Celebration of 100 Boxing Closet Classics.” To order, please visit Amazon.com or e-mail the author to arrange for autographed copies.
