Boxing is a cut throat sport but sometimes boxers continue to fight even though they are well past their prime. This can lead to great fighters accumulating more losses than they deserve. Here I pick fighters who have too many losses on their record due to not knowing when to call it quits.
Roy Jones Jr (65-9)
Some people argue that Roy Jones Jr is the greatest boxer of all time. His dazzling footwork and lightning quick hands saw him rocket to top of the Pound For Pound list. He is a six time world champion in four weight classes, having won titles in middleweight, super-middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.
Roy Jones Jr. was one of the all time great fighters. Photo By: Getty Images.
James “Lights Out” Toney (77-10-3)
Toney was one of the great middleweights and was a world champion in three weight divisions. He was lineal middleweight champion from 1991 to 1993, while he won super middleweight and cruiserweight world titles. He was twice voted Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year. His defense was excellent and he never lost by stoppage. He fought well past his prime as he became a slow heavy fighter and lost 6 of his last 15 fights.
Shane Mosley (49-10-1)
Mosley is a former four time world champion in three weight classes having won the IBF Lightweight title, the WBA (Super) and WBC and Ring Magazine light middleweight title. He was 38-0 before losing to Vernon Forrest. He was not the same fighter after that loss as he slumped to 39-4. He lost to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquaio and Canelo Alvarez as his career winded down. Mosley retired multiple times and he decided to step away from the ring in August 2017. He fought on well past his prime and one hopes that he stays away for his own wellbeing.
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield fought from 1984 to 2011 as he became a legend in the sport of boxing. He is the only person in history to be the unified cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion. He is also the only four time heavyweight champion of the world and he is famous for his trilogy with Riddick Bowe and beating Mike Tyson twice. Holyfield fought until the age of 49 as he was unable to gain a fight with either of the Klitschko brothers. He was a wonderful champion who lost to fighters near the end of his career who he would have beaten years earlier.
Muhammad Ali (56-5)
Simply regarded as “The Greatest,” Ali was heavyweight champion of the world three times in a career that saw him fight in some of the greatest boxing fights in history. He fought in brutal slugfests that undoubtedly contributed to him acquiring Parkinson’s Disease. He lost three of his last four fights as he came out of retirement to fight Larry Holmes where he absorbed a great deal of punishment before losing to Trevor Berbick in his final fight. Ali’s speech had become slurred but he insisted on returning to the ring. He was a true champion and is the most famous boxer in history.
Trevor Berbick (left) lands a jab against Muhammad Ali (right) in Ali’s last fight. Photo by: John Iacono/Getty Images.
Thanks for reading this blog post. I may do a part 2 on this in the future. I hope you enjoyed this blog.
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