Lance Armstrong Joins Rocky Marciano

Lance Armstrong recently made cycling history by winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France. Armstrong also joined a very small number of professional athletes by retiring on top. That is, of course, assuming that Armstrong is true to his word and really HAS retired from the sport. If Armstrong were a boxer, it would be hard to take him at his word. Why? Boxers – especially the great ones - are notorious for retiring and un-retiring over and over again. Rocky Marciano is boxing’s closest parallel to Armstrong in terms of leaving on top. Marciano knocked out Archie Moore in nine rounds on Sept. 21, 1955 and retired - at age 32 - as undefeated heavyweight champion of the world.

So how did some other all-time great fighters do in their FINAL fights? Let’s take a look [in chronological order] . . .

Joe Louis: Knocked out by Rocky Marciano in eight rounds on Oct. 26, 1951. Louis retired at 37 with a career record of 68-3 (54 KOs).

Sugar Ray Robinson: Lost a ten-round decision to Joey Archer on Nov. 10, 1965 at the age of 44. Robinson lost only once in his first 132 professional bouts but dropped 18 of his final 68.

Joe Frazier: Fought to a ten-round draw against Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings on Dec. 3, 1981 at the age of 37. Frazier began his career 29-0 but went 3-4-1 over his final eight bouts.

Muhammad Ali: Lost a ten-round decision to Trevor Berbick on Dec. 11, 1981 (only eight days after Frazier's final fight) at age 39 Many fans incorrectly remember Ali’s Oct. 2, 1980 loss to Larry Holmes (by TKO 11) as his final fight. Ali only lost five of his 61 career bouts, but three of those losses came in his final four fights.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler: Lost a controversial 12-round decision to Sugar Ray Leonard on Apr. 6, 1987. Despite being only 32 at the time, a bitterly disappointed Hagler never returned to the ring.

Sugar Ray Leonard: Lost by TKO in five rounds to Hector Camacho on March 1, 1997 at the age of 40. Leonard more or less retired after each of his final eight bouts, making him the undisputed king of the comeback (though Julio Cesar Chavez appears intent on making his own run at the record for most "final fights" in a career).

George Foreman: Lost a controversial 12-round decision (and the linear heavyweight title) to Shannon Briggs on Nov. 22, 1997 at the age of 48. Foreman’s return from a ten-year layoff – highlighted by his KO of Michael Moorer for the heavyweight title at age 45 - was among the most successful comebacks in sports history.

Roberto Duran: Lost a 12-round decision to Hector Camacho (who, four years earlier, had handed Leonard his final defeat) on July 14, 2001 at the age of 50! Duran started his career 72-1 before losing 15 of his final 46 bouts.

Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis have been excluded from the above list because it’s way too soon to say with any degree of confidence that they’ve fought their final bouts. If you need convincing, consider that Tommy Hearns - 46 years old and 13 years removed from his last big fight - is returning to the ring this weekend for his first bout in over five years!