The Pugil List - The Ten Greatest Boxers to Retire as World Champions by Marty Mulcahey (April 6, 2008) Send this page to friend Give us your feedback It is a special kind of person who can look at himself honestly and then subjugate his ego to father time or long term health. Yes, it is not impossible for a great fighter to retire while on top of his game. It has been done, with most pointing to Rocky Marciano as the ultimate measuring stick within this elite category. But there have been other, less celebrated, cases of world title abdications throughout the last century of pugilism as well from men who had powerful egos, which in turn fueled their greatness. I like to believe their egos were so extravagant that they simply did not care what others thought of them. Men, secure with their celebrity and accomplishments...do you hear this Evander, Oscar, and Roy? It was last week’s retirement of WBA light heavyweight title holder Danny Green that served as the impetus for this feature. My list of prize fighters was limited to the Marquis of Queensbury era, and does not include bare-knuckle champions who retired champions such as Jem Belcher, Henry "Hen" Pearce, Tom Sayers, or Jem Mace. It also does not include boxers who retired on top, and even had just one comeback fight like Jim Jeffries or Jose Becerra. Also, boxers who died while champions or gave up their title for health reasons, like Stanley Ketchel, Les Darcy, Sandy Saddler, Mashao Ohba, or Salvador Sanchez did not fall within my selection criteria since (and this will sound callous) they really had no choice in their not returning to the ring. Below is a chronological list of retirements (I believe I have unearthed all, but if you spot a fighter whom I have omitted, please send me an e-mail) of boxers who held a world title at the time of their departure from Bash Boulevard. 1899 - Jimmy Barry 1928 - Gene Tunney 1949 - Rinty Monaghan 1955 - Rocky Marciano 1962 - Duilio Loi 1963 - Paul Pender 1967 - Horacio Accavallo 1974 - Ernesto Marcel 1977 - Carlos Monzon 1991 - Khaosai Galaxy 1993 - Myung Woo Yuh 1997 - Steve Collins 1999 - Michael Carbajal 2001 - Ricardo Lopez 2003 - Lennox Lewis 2004 - Sven Ottke (Ottke has a fight scheduled for May, but maybe he will suffer a Klitschkonian injury during training) 2004 - Vitali Klitschko 2005 - Johnny Nelson 2008 - Danny Green From that list of 19 great boxers, I cut the field in half to come up with the ten best boxers to retire with their title and dignity intact (considering the time of retirement, past achievement, and future earning ability). 10. Michael Carbajal - One of the three greatest jr. flyweights to ever lace up the gloves, and one who exuded an aura of menace when he entered the ring. Also, a deserving Hall of Famer from a weight class that is sorely undervalued by voters in Canastota. It looked like it was going to be anything but a glorious ending for Carbajal, as a then nineteen year old (current WBO jr. flyweight and future WBC jr. flyweight & flyweight champion) Jorge Arce was pounding Carbajal along the ropes. Arce was dominating, and on the verge of scoring a stoppage, when Carbajal, with one eye nearly swollen shut and the other badly cut, unleashed a right hook that dropped Arce to the canvas. Carbajal's unsurpassed finishing skills kicked in and the former Olympic Silver medalist rallied to stop his younger foe. Sure, some say Carbajal should have retired after two losses in 1997 to Mauricio Pastrana and Jake Matlala, but Carbajal could also have kept on fighting after his dramatic win over Arce. He was certainly marketable, and at 32 still had some fight left in him. The amount of punishment he was taking had escalated however, and it was a wise decision to retire with that impressive come from behind win. 9. Ernesto Marcel - A versatile puncher who could wear down strong opponents with precise blows or overpower weaker foes through sheer aggression. On defense, Marcel was above average, and way above average for a Latin fighter of the time, who blocked many punches with his strong upper body rather than slipping punches. Any questions about his abilities, at the time of his retirement, are made moot by the fact that he defeated Alexis Arguello in his last title defense. Of Marcel's four losses, two came within the first three years of his career and were avenged via knockout. The one person he did not defeat in a rematch (maybe because it was never offered) was to the only man who was able to knock Marcel out, his legendary countryman Roberto Duran. Came up in an era when many of the fights contenders contested were just as difficult as future title defenses, which pre-title bouts with Roberto Duran, Bernardo Caraballo, and Alfredo Marcano confirm. His first title challenge ended in a 15 round draw, with Kuniaki Shibata in the champion’s home town, but ten months later Marcel defeated Antonio Gomez on the road to win the title. Marcel's final title defense was against legendary Alexis Arguello. The fight was a grueling, close contest, and a masterful display of experience over youth. 8. Duilio Loi - An oft forgotten boxing master. The Italian star only scored 26 kayos in 126 fights, but amazingly only lost three times in a career that spanned fourteen years. A slick left handed speedster, he was able to win on points because his punches were so precise and visible to judges...even if they had little force behind them. At the time of his retirement, he held the European welterweight and WBA jr. welterweight titles. Was 33 years old at retirement, but could still rely on his extraordinary defensive skills to keep him out of harm’s way. Fought eight times in his last year of action, and beat world champion Eddie Perkins in his last fight in order to retire with the crown. From his second year as a pro on, it seemed Loi was always in a title fight of some sort or another, competing for Italian, European or World versions of the title. 7. Khaosai Galaxy - His nickname (except for the duo's contrasting out of the ring personas) fit perfectly, "The Thai Tyson". Might well be the most powerful punching, pound for pound, southpaw to ever lace up the gloves. He was so great that not even the voters of The International Boxing Hall of Fame could overlook the Asian superstar, even though Galaxy never boxed in America, and never fought above the jr. bantamweight weight class. Undoubtedly the greatest jr. bantamweight of all time, impressively kayoing 17 of 20 title challengers. Lost only once, early in his career, in 48 fights. Was 32 when he retired, and was not showing many signs (other than a flash knockdown in his final fight) of slowing down. Defeated future flyweight champion David Griman and perennial contender Armando Castro in his final two bouts. For those who say the names he beat are unrecognizable, I would counter that there is little doubt that the talent level of fighters at 115 pounds far exceeds that of challengers above 160 pounds. 6. Myung Woo Yuh - Perhaps the greatest Korean boxer ever, and one of the five greatest jr. flyweights of all time. If Yuh had fought in America (above the bantamweight level), or if his name were McSomething he would certainly have been enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame by now. His final record read 38-1, and his lone loss was by split decision in his opponent’s hometown. It is a loss which Yuh avenged, again in Japan, to regain the title and then defend it in his farewell bout. Won the WBA jr. flyweight title in his nineteenth fight (in one of the last fifteen round bouts), and retained his title nineteen times. Not your typical pressure fighter (even though he constantly came forward) in that he could stop on a dime, launch a jab, follow with a hook, and then resume his advance. Could do it all, and stepped it up against the best opposition as the stoppage of 12 of 18 challengers proves. Retired at age 29, but had certainly tired of boxing since he only fought an average of twice a year from 1989 to 1993. 5. Ricardo Lopez - With apologies to Sugar Ray Robinson, this Mexican prodigy just might be the best pure boxer of all time. If you were training a boxer to look like he leaped off the pages of a boxing textbook, Lopez is the man he should be based upon. Where does one begin? Unbeaten over sixteen years, fifty-two fights, 23 title defenses, held WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, a two division champion, only one title challenger even got the benefit of a split decision (and he shouldn't have gotten that). His lone blemish was a cut induced draw to the talented Rosendo Alvarez, and Lopez was so upset over the draw that he refused to fight anyone else before a rematch was made. Then he defeated Alvarez even though Alvarez came in five pounds over the contracted weight. Lopez was 35 when he retired, but obviously still capable of beating anyone Don King could coax into the ring with him. A truly underappreciated legend. 4. Gene Tunney - What does Tunney have to do to get some respect around here? Twice defeated legendary Jack Dempsey, and Hall of Famers Harry Greb, Battling Levinsky, Tommy Loughran, Tommy Gibbons, and Georges Carpentier. The problem is that Tunney broke stereotypes with his obvious intelligence, scientific boxing and need to maintain his private life. Tunney also suffered by comparison to the legend he dethroned in the fan’s evaluation of Tunney and Jack Dempsey, much like Larry Holmes did after he defeated Muhammad Ali. If Tunney had fought in the 1990's his name would be Lennox Lewis. Tunney lost once in his career, to fellow hall of famer Harry Greb, and avenged that loss three times over. Retired at age 31, even though he was superior to most every challenger and could have held on to the title with easy defenses across America. Probably felt he could never match up to the legendary reputation of Jack Dempsey, and did not feel a need to chase the adoration of fans and the press who slighted him in equal terms. 3. Lennox Lewis - I feel secure in listing Lewis, even though a comeback is still a viable option for the most dominant heavyweight of his era. Lewis will most likely be underrated in a historical sense, whose ability to adapt in the ring made for more cerebral displays of pugilism. Even though Lewis went out of his way to take on and defeat all challengers, only circumstances and Riddick Bowe's management prevented that potential super fight. I used to believe Riddick Bowe would beat Lewis in their respective primes. However, I am now reanalyzing that because Lewis often fought to the level of his opposition, and frankly only lost when he was overconfident and underestimated his opponent. Lewis had enough peace of mind in his career achievements, and his skills, to leave while a tough challenger, namely Vitali Klitschko, was present. That is a sign of a confident man, and I give credit to him for it. If it is time to let go, then you must go... circumstances be damned. 2. Carlos Monzon - I admit my biases, and have no problem revealing that Monzon is one of my favorite boxers of all time. Generally, I am a fan of less gifted boxers like Manuel Medina, Livingstone Bramble, Jorge Paez, Chris Eubank, or Genaro Hernandez. Monzon and Kostya Tszyu are my two notable exceptions. Having said that, I do not think Monzon is overrated at number two. At the time of his retirement, he was undefeated over thirteen years and seventy one fights. He had also just defeated the only man, Rodrigo Valdez, who people believe had a chance to beat him. Monzon did some of this at less than 100%, with a bullet logged in his right shoulder (his wife shot him twice in a 1973 domestic dispute) that affected his vaunted straight right hand. At the time of his retirement there was little else to achieve, as every challenger of worth had already been dispatched. There was no need to move up in weight to fight fellow Argentine and friend Victor Galindez, or for comparatively minimal monetary against champions Miguel Cuello or Mate Parlov. Monzon was wise to retire at 35, one of the few intelligent out of the ring decisions he ever made. 1. Rocky Marciano - A pretty obvious choice for number one, and still the standard by which boxing retirements are judged. Marciano gets extra credit for retiring while sitting on top of the fistic gold mine called the world heavyweight championship, overcoming a well chronicled fixation with monetary stability. Marciano was a young 32, having entered boxing at the relatively late age of 24 and had knocked out his last three challengers. Pessimists point out that Marciano did not beat any monsters at heavyweight, and was lucky to come along when the best heavyweights were past their primes like Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles, while young guns like Floyd Patterson, Cleveland Williams, Sonny Liston, and Ingemar Johansson were too inexperienced. Never hold the era against a fighter, as long as no one was avoided (maybe a case can be made for Nino Valdez), because the boxer should be credited with beating the best available opposition. Besides, he did what he was supposed to when faced with inferior opposition, as he knocked out six of seven title fight opponents. Marciano might also be the most popular champion on this list, and would have been forgiven by the fans of the period if he had revived the "bum of the month" club. Instead, Marciano retired with dignity, something all boxers should aspire to. Discuss these Topics - Go to the forums For Questions or Comments E-Mail Marty Mulcahey at mmulcahey@elpasotel.net