Which Fighters Career Would Look Dramatically Better if You Remove His Final 5 Fights?

Unlike a lot of sports, boxing fans tend to ignore the last fights of old fighters.. If you would take the last five fights away from Muhammad Ali, he would’ve ended up 54-2 but I really don’t think people would think more of him than they already do.

So to my way of thinking he needs to be someone whose end of their career might’ve come a little earlier. Prince Naseem Hamed comes to mine. Only one of his last five fights was negative, but it really stained his overall boxing image and reputation.

 

Sugar Ray Leonard. If you take away his last 5 fights he is 34-1 with only the Duran Loss (Hagler opinions not withstanding). He still has a lot of peak years missing though and that raises the "what if" questions but minus the last 5 fights his stats look much better if you like stats to rate a fighter. Personally, i rate his career highly with or without the last 5 fights so i guess its a bit of a non-answer except there are always those who wont rate a fighter with too many L's.

 

Take away Liston’s back to back losses to Ali (the second loss being highly controversial) and his later KO loss to Martin his record would appear that much more impressive to some, leaving very little to criticise him for.

 

Felix Trinidad would’ve retired as an undefeated champion and Ingo as well if he’d had just six fewer fights.

 

Depends how much store you put in post prime matches. If you think they still count then Ali, Tyson, Chavez, RJJ, Ezzard Charles and many many more. In all cases I look at the career beforehand and judge on that.

I thought the answer was Foreman but he only had four fights after Moorer, going the distance with Briggs, Schulz, Crawford Grimsley and Savarese. If he'd called it a day after Moorer he would be thought of as something very special.

 

Ezzard Charles.

 

Naz's final fight was poor, he couldn't put the guy away and was booed by the crowd, so his final two fights were bad.

 

Mike Tyson, without a doubt forget the Paul fiasco.

After Lewis lost to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride!

 

Take Jake Paul, McBride, Danny Williams, Etienne and Lewis of Tyson's record and it helps his legacy a lot, included the win Etienne because it's one of his final fights and didn't hurt or help his legacy.

 

I’m basically on the same page as you regarding the above view point.

I guess in answering the thread question one might be also or even only taking on board on how many fans otherwise might believe a career would “look” if said fights were removed.

How a fighter’s career might then “look” to some may still perhaps be deemed as a superficial and unrealistic treatment.

Last 5 fights with well implied negative outcomes, generally (though with some exceptions) speaks for itself - reflecting a fighter on the downside of his career.