Only 2 Heavyweights Retired with Title and Stayed Retired!

Only 2 Heavyweights Retired with Title and Stayed Retired!

By Ken Hissner, Doghouse Boxing (Dec 1, 2011) Doghouse Boxing
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There have been 4 heavyweight champions who retired while still champion. James J. Jeffries was the first one to retire in August of 1904 with a 19-0-2 record. “The Boilermaker” was more or less embarrassed into coming back in July of 1910 to take back the title from the first black boxer to ever hold the title in Jack “The Galveston Giant” Johnson. (Top Photo: Jeffries vs Johnson) Jeffries was stopped in the 15^th round. Having not fought for almost 6 years and having to lose over 100 pounds was too much for Jeffries who didn’t even take a warm-up fight before facing Johnson.

Muhammad Ali (2nd Photo: Ali and Rocky Marciano - Playing it up for the camera) refused induction into the US Army when drafted which suspended his license after the Zora Folley fight in March of 1967. He was 29-0 at the time. The Ali that would return in October of 1970 against Jerry Quarry and then Oscar Bonavena was not the same Ali though winning both fights. In his third fight back he challenged champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier in March of 1971 and lost a close decision being dropped in the 15^th and final round. He would regain his title in October of 1974 defeating “Big” George Foreman, then 40-0. In back to back fights he would loose to Leon Spinks in February of 1978 along with his WBA and WBC titles and win back the WBA title in September of that year. It would be 2 years before he fought again in losing to WBC champion Larry Holmes, then 35-0. He would fight once more after that being defeated by future champion Trevor Berbick in December of 1981 to finish with a 56-5-1 (37) record.

Known as the only champion to retire undefeated and stay that way was Rocky Marciano, 49-0 (43) who had his last fight in September of 1955 coming off the floor to stop then light heavyweight champion Archie Moore, then 148-19-8 (108). Though it was rumored “The Brockton Blockbuster” was in training to make a comeback to win back the title for the USA against Sweden’s Ingemar Johanosson he realized do to a back injury he couldn’t get back into fighting shape. When Floyd Patterson won back the title from Johanosson one year later there was no more reason for Marciano to try another comeback. He would be the second heavyweight champion to stay retired while holding the title. Though his 49-0 record has been surpassed by several, they would eventually lose.

Gene Tunney, (3rd photo: Tunney) was the first champion to retire with the title was one of the most underrated heavyweight champions in the history of boxing. He took on the champion Jack Dempsey in September of 1926. Dempsey hadn’t fought in 3 years since getting knocked out of the ring and almost getting knocked out by Luis Firpo in his previous fight. Tunney, known as “The Fighting Marine” had lost his only fight against one of the pound for pound all time greats in Harry Greb, then 57-2-2, in 1922 for the American light heavyweight title only to come back in 1923 and defeat Greb for that title. His overall record with Greb was 3-1-1.

One year after defeating Dempsey, Tunney came off the canvas in what has been known as the “long count” when referee Dave Barry seemed to give Tunney more than 10 seconds to recover. He would recover and defeat Dempsey. In his next fight he defeated Tom Heeney and retired in July of 1928 with a record of 65-1-1 with 48 knockouts. In addition he was credited with an additional 18 fights going 15-0-3 in what were called NWS newspaper decisions. Some credit him at 80-1-4.

Only Tunney and Marciano still stand as the only 2 heavyweight champions to retire with their titles and stay retired! Quite an accomplishment when there were so many heavyweight champions who just wanted to fight “one more time”!

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