Has there ever been an athlete who's retired for 2 years and come back better?

not like he was retired for 2 years though,nearly 2 years between fights, he wouldve had a full camp before the JMM fight, he basically did not retire period, just missed about 2 fights when the division was red hot:yep:yep

 

Foreman had a big lay off and when he came back he wasn't like better or something but his monstrous punching power was still there

 

That version of Mosley wasn't. He is clearly a very faded fighter. I said before the fight, that people should take the Margarito fight with the pinch of salt it deserves and I was right. He hasn't looked good outside of that win, in years, and there are huge question marks over Margarito. You can go back to the first Vargas fight, to when he started struggling but it became more apparent in recent years, when he was having issues with Collazo (before the injury) and Mayorga.

I'm a big Shane fan but he is done. His speech isn't as clear and he isn't as alert as he was. I think he should retire.

Being a defensive fighter, Mayweather will always make fighters look worse than they are but he didn't make Mosley look visibly slower and he didn't make his stamina fade after less than two incomplete rounds.

Castillo doesn't get stopped by any version of Floyd. He was granite chinned.

 

Vitali Klitschko springs to mind

 

I bet you were not saying this before you saw the outcome of the Mosley fight.

IMO he has got better since his lay off. He has filled out, and actually seems like a better fighter than he was before.

Personally i think he was acutally getting bored of the sport, but the long break has just made him fall in love with the game again. The hatton fight was quite an impressive victory, but i just felt like he already knew it was an easy win and he just went through his normal motions. Now he seems hungry to not only win, but win convincingly. And i think the only reason the Marquez fight went the whole 12 is because Floyd wanted as many rounds as he could get to help with possible ring rust.
So he has mentally as well as physically improved since his layoff IMO.

 

he wasnt retired. he was just choosing to let the best guys fight each other where he could find an excuse not to fight them...Paul Williams, Cotto, Margarito, Mosley 2-4 years ago. yes he looks good latley, but hes 33 and fighting 38 year old over the hill lightweights at welter and over the hill featherweights at welter....spot on man....keep stroking his .....:rofl

 

You're a dummy for real. First off Cotto never got "rocked" by Malignaggi, their legs got tangled and Cotto slip back due to it and yes he got rocked by Corley once in their fight and Floyd got rocked by Corley twice in their fight. And I don't see Floyd ever fighting Williams and Floyd would have had trouble with Santos back in 2004 at the junior middle weight limit at that.

And Mosley had gotten beat before and dominated by Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright in the first fights. While Floyd dominated a 38 year old Mosley who hadn't fought in 16 months.

 

Floyd's taken the Ray Leonard "retirement plan" where you retire to keep from having to continually scrap with the best of the best and pick your comebacks carefully.

 

your the dumbest , most ignorant, new to boxing , moron out there right now

margarito and cotto were average? well what does that make the list of **** opponents on floyds resume? how bout WELL BELOW AVERAGE AND MOST SHOT ......
Hatton- decent fighter at 140, only fight at 147 he got his ass handed to him by Collazo...once again floyd fights a guy moving up in division instead of fighting the welters that were the best ...
ODLH 2007 version- he fought 4 times in 4 years to that point, losing to mosley, losing to hopkins, everyone know sturm beat his ass but he got a win, and beat mayorga... LAME ASS WIN....the best at time at 154 were winky and forrest...FLOYD RAN
Marquez- a 35 year old featherweight with over 50 fights....
Mosley- a dangerous but 38year old welter...name me anyone that old that has fought for welterweight title
carlos baldomir? 9 losses... at the same time floyd uses losses as an excuse not to fight cotto or mosley back then
Judah- losses to a guy with 9 losses and floyd fights him in next fight...
Gatti- blood and guts guy...but shot beyond belief

and **** cotto, margarito, vernon forrest, winky wright...THOSE GUYS ARE AVERAGE....floyd did a much better job fight guys like
Henry Bruseles
DeMarcus Corley
Phillip N'dou
Victoriano Sosa
Sharmba Mitchell

there you have it floyds last 7 years (and his prime) in a nutshell...what a waste :rofl:rofl

 

I wouldn't call what floyd did a retirement. More like a period of inactivity. I beleive that he always knew full and well that he would be retrning, never got out of shape, never really stopped training.

 

exactly. but as far as coming back better, idk. he's not as fast but his reflexes don't seem to have diminished & his timing is still impeccable.

 

It's well known that he was training the whole time he was "retired". Many boxers have had 12 month + lay offs and come back stronger. They just didn't say the were retired for it.

 

haha he beat oscar without the jab

how many fighters u know who can do that