Which fighters seemed to handle retirement well, and which fighters struggled badly with the void that retirement left?
Marvin Hagler... kept his millions, moved to Italy, married an Italian lady, made a few crap movies, and had the good sense not to attempt a comeback.
Alexis Arguello comes to mind, what a great man and champion. Carlos Monzon retired in 1977 with his title intact, never came back, invested his money well, and made movies in his home country, Argentina. Too bad that he murdered his spouse.
Lennox Lewis ... Retired at EXACTLY the right time having beaten every man he faced in the pro ring. He is now relaxing as a Healthy, Wealthy, Happily Married Man with a beautiful wife & great family All well earned. Thanks for everything Champ You deserve it
Who retired at right time: Marvin Hagler Lennox Lewis,Floyd Mayweather, Michael Spinks, Joe Calzaghe and Rocky Marciano Who fought way too long: Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr,Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Muhammad Ali,Leon Spinks and James Toney
Jose Torres and Floyd Patterson both thrived in retirement. I'm sure Cus, being the sage he was, spent time teaching them lessons about how to do well after the final bell. Archie Moore was a beloved elder statesmen of the game who wrote a well received autobiography. There's no denying that Oscar De La Hoya has done well in retirement given that he's become the biggest promoter in the sport. Also, his old opponent Jesse James Leija is doing great as well, promoting shows in Texas and managing fighters in cooperation with Oscar. Rocky Graziano was another guy whose profile remained high after retirement thanks to his colorful personality while Larry Holmes and Ike Quartey are both successful in business. Evidently Quartey made significantly more as a construction contractor or something in Ghana than he did in the ring.
Lennox is a great champion, having defeated the two men that knocked him out, Hassim Rahman and Oliver McCall, before he retired.