It’s ironic – and tragic – that it is the most dangerous sport that allows its participants to compete the furthest past their primes. Professional prizefighting is, of course, dangerous regardless of age but the dangers are certainly compounded once a fighter’s body has absorbed years of punishment and his (or her) reflexes inevitably begin to slow down.
So which current fighters fall into this category? Here is an extremely subjective list of a dozen fighters - listed alphabetically - who should retire immediately:
Riddick Bowe, 38: Used brain damage as a legal defense in an attempt to minimize jail time for erratic behavior outside the ring. Yet, now that he’s out of prison, he says he’s fine and always has been. Slurred speech suggests otherwise. Weighed in at a sloppy 280 pounds for his only bout in 2005 -- a split decision over journeyman Billy Zumbrum.
Julio Cesar Chavez, 43: It's geeting to be a joke how many times this future Hall-of-Famer has retired and unretired. ecent years. TKO'd by Grover Wiley in his recent "farewell" bout. As long as he’s got a pulse, he should always be considered "between fights".
Al Cole, 41: Former cruiserweight champ was 26-1 at 190 pounds but only 8-13-3 since moving to heavyweight. Good news is he’s always had a great chin and a lot of heart. Bad news is that’s the precise formula for absorbing way too much punishment late in your career. Hasn't fought in nearly a year so hopefully he's called it a career.
Evander Holyfield, 43: Future Hall-of-Famer still has the physical appearance of a world champ but little else. Record of 2-5-2 over the last seven years has done seemingly little to convince him that his skills have eroded (if not disappeared entirely). Out of action since Nov. 2004 but vows to keep fighting.
