Iran Barkley's Post Boxing Life

Yeah they do get caught up in that, and think it will last forever.

Also a few other points I think are important.

Most boxers come out of let's say not the best environements, as such they don't learn basic skills, let alone trades, economic education, or the ability to judge charater in others. All important life skills.

They get good at a specific skill (fighting), but know nothing else. So they don't/can't prepare for the real world, after boxing. Even if they made money (and few do), they don't know how to manage it, who to trust and how to know if their being screwed or how to deal with it.

Now they have nothing to fall back on, no skills, no business sense nothing. And no idea how to adapt. Now everything they based their lives on, to that point is of no value, except for some pride in what they once did, and were good at, but is now irrellevent. Assuming their brains are intact (another issue, maybe not since they weren't nutured to begin with)

Most of the so called friends are gone also, since the money and adulation are over with.

They made bad investments (if any), probably got into just spending. have no education or experience in oher fields to fall back on, no idea how to adjust, and no one t help them etc.

Basically they are train wrecks waiting to happen. Depression, lack of worth, substance abuse etc follow.

We have seen this over many decades, and it's not just boxers. Happens to football players and others.

How the F does Tyson, Holyfield, Joe Louis and on and on, make all that money and end up broke. It happens time and time again. Seems Lenox Lewis at least has a brain, but who know in 10 years.

IMHO Barclays post career problems are not unusual, but the most likely outcome for most fighters.

End of dissertation.

 

Its always ****ing sad seeing this sorta scenario, but the problem is boxing is a poor mans sport. A lot of great boxers come from hard backgrounds and have never had 2 cents to rub together so budgeting and financial planning isn't their strong area, combine that with money hungry promoters and management and you have boxers making millions of dollars over 15/20 years periods and blowing it rapidly.

 

Whatever his shortcomings, or his financial ups and downs, I've read how he lived with and was a care giver for his mother, who a few years back suffered a few debilitating strokes (I don't know if she's still alive). Having done the same for my own mother, until he passed away in '07, I have nothing but admiration for Iran Barkley. However you rank him as a fighter (a warrior, IMO), or for past gang associations, or whatever, he is a good son to his mother, and a fine human being.

 

It is downright criminal that a three time world cahmpion like Iran Barkley is in his current situation. Now I realize that many fighter are irresponsible with their money, got cheated by managers and promoters, and are unwilling to make a post boxing transition and become regular working stiffs like the rest of us. But the fact remains that if boxing took care of its own like the NFL, NBA, and MLB do in terms of pensions, benefits and health care, these fighters would be way better off. And there is no reson this cant be done. Boxing generates billions of dollars in revenue, there is plenty of money to have pension systems and benefits for these guys Lord knows they earned it.

 

Hey, can you tell me something, Is it true that Renaldo had a pretty nice job set up for him .. and messed up by making the stupid mistake of stealing something .. or similar.. ending with him losing his quite comfortable position.. Someone told me story of that nature a year or so ago.. I see a lot of old fighters get a break in life after the ring, only to mess up by some silly means or another......

 

Iran seems like a fairly bitter person in this article, which I was quite suprised by. I always thought he was one of boxings genuinely decent guys, although he doesn't seem to have much respect for anyone in this piece.

 

Excellent post this, and highlights all that's wrong with the sport. I've always found the hard luck stories sad. They say in boxing you can go from rags to riches and that's true, but it usually is a "rags to riches and back to rags" story time and again. Half these guys lack even a basic education, so how can they be expected to cope after boxing?

You can blame the fighter in many ways, sure. Maybe they are too lazy to work after their carers are over. On the other hand, manual labour for a former world champion is pretty demeaning, wouldn't you say? Maybe laziness is involved, but I struggle to see how a man who excels in the tough, physical sport of boxing, grinding out hard training sessions for years, is suddenly too lazy to work.
I reckon it's as much to do with pride as anything. Maybe some arrogance too.

You can also point the finger and ask why they didn't plan ahead and not blow their money so carelessly. But the thing is, you've got a guy whose never had a cent to his name, and suddenly he's being payed these massive sums of money.
What does a kid - an uneducated kid mostly - know about handling money? Of course he's going to blow it! He must feel like a king for the very first time in his life. After a life of suffering and strife, it's only human to want to let go and live the good life for a change.

The people I really blame are the managers, trainers, promoters and other people in the game, who have seen it all before and should know better. I blame them.
No, the boxer himself is not blameless at all, but why aren't his associates accountable as well? You want to tell me NOBODY can get through to the kid and help him along? Help him make some wise investments? Give him some good advice? Bull****. Fact is, nobody gave enough of a damn.

It's one aspect about boxing I truly hate. We as fans can debate the 'greatness' of fighters all day long, but the sport is rotten to the core if we're honest about it.
Only a few ever really make it financially.

 

Its not how much money you make, its how much you save.

There was one great article if I can find it, about a boxer who had several chances to make the bigtime but Jeff Chandler was the champ.

After boxing, the guy didn't rest on his laurels, he started learning construction and eventually started his own home building business. He isn't a millionaire but he's doing quite well for himself through hard work and discipline.

I have a lot of sympathy for Barkley but he just gave up after boxing.

 

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Bigcat: Renaldo was a pretty nice guy when I met him ... a little bit strange but sharp and low key. I know that he had a job he kept for years with the city and all of a sudden he was out ... I do not know the exact cause of why he was let go but I did hear it was because he stopped showing up ... this may or may not be true ... Renaldo seems like a loner, very laid back and to himself ..

 

Thankyou mister Grant.. I liked Renaldo.. i hated that last fight he had with Jorge Gonsalez because i know 10 years prior Jorge would not have lived with Snipes..........