Why did Tunney retire at 31?

It would have been awesome for Ali to share his thoughts on current fighters.

 

The Sam Langford story is even sadder.

He had to get knocked out by a nobody, even when he was blind, before the scales fell from his eyes.

 

Unlike Tunney, most sportsters and celebs have no managerial skills whatsoever........ They either live too high on the hog or they trust their manager / lawyer to handle things, which later usually leads to bankruptcy......

Today in boxing guys like: "Ruddock, Hearns, Duran, J.C. Chavez, Tyson, Holy, Bowe, Aaron Pryor, Roy Jones, Bobby Chacon and Rocky Lockridge" are either broke as hell or working there way to being broke as hell after earning millions......

MR.BILLatsch:shock:

 

Those bolded seem like they got cash..

 

One thing about Latin America..... The people there do take care of their hero's..... I'm sure Duran and Chavez receive $$$ from friends in high places in order to keep up a certain image..... Plus, Duran is using his name in these moderate fight promotions and Chavez now has his boy earning good bank as a fighter........
thumbsup
Roy Jones living down in Florida will find life tuff as nails in the USA when he finally retires and has bills up the ass and all his friends forget his telephone number..... Its coming......
:shock:

MR.BILL:hat

 

The greats of boxing who had the sense to walk away atg the top is the rarest of all fistic fraternities...they're an elite group..just count the number who did. Tunney was an example of a truly intelligent guy who made all the right moves. I remember when I was a kid reading all I could about Tunney, and the same word always came coming up in every book or article....COLORLESS...that was the ever present, handy phrase that all writers used for Tunney. He was disliked and given the cold shoulder from the boxing community and the fans because he was "colorless"...meaning of course, his style and his cool, detached intellectual personna, i.e., reading books, lecturing on Shakespeare, ...a sportswriter once visited his training camp and noticed a book Tunney was reading.."The Way of All Flesh"...Tunney just didn't fit the image lost people had back then of a fighter...but of course the worst thing he was guilty of was beating Jack Dempsey.

 

Since Ali retired he's barely been able to talk.

Besides, he was obssessed with his own place within the sport and the adulation, rather than the sport itself. In love with himself, and boxing was the thing he was actually great at. If he had found other things in life sooner he wouldn't have been carrying on as a pale imitation of himself, another punch-drunk former champ trying to re-live the past.

Ali is not at all unique in finding other things to do after boxing, loads of boxers have life after boxing, but he certainly didn't outgrow the sport. He got his brains mashed in because he was obssessed with staying in the ring. He's a polar opposite of a guy like Tunney, who retired at his peak.

 

sounds like most of you on these boards have this in common with tunney

 

Its too bad Tunney never fought Schmeling, Sharkey or Baer. He had a chance for an even greater legacy. Tunney was unlike most prize fighters. He was smart, educated, and had well developed interests outside of the ring.

 

Tunney would have beaten every one of the champions that came after his retirement until Louis.

 

Tunney had longed to fight Dempsey, even before he fought Soldier Jones on the Dempsey/Carpentier undercard. When he comprehensively defeated Jack (twice) there he stood, his ultimate objective completed, and exceedingly wealthy.

He departed at the perfect time.

 

Tunney accomplished his mission and got outta there!!

 

Gee and you think that would take him away from getting hit in the head for a living...Gene lived a lavish life and his son became a US Senator

 

I agree