The Lazarus Award...

[Goodnight, Irene]

Elton's most recent post on Robinson's Leonard thread got me thinking --- who holds the record for the highest number of retirements & comebacks?

[HomicideHenry]

The longest rumored comeback might just go to Foreman...as far as the most comebacks in the history of the game...who really knows...there's alot of men who swear the game off forever only to come back in a few weeks or months time.

[Goodnight, Irene]

The longest rumored comeback might just go to Foreman...as far as the most comebacks in the history of the game...who really knows...there's alot of men who swear the game off forever only to come back in a few weeks or months time.

In terms of official retirements, then. Guys who signed off on their careers, with all the i's dotted & the t's crossed, before coming back.

[My2Sense]

Elton's most recent post on Robinson's Leonard thread got me thinking --- who holds the record for the highest number of retirements & comebacks?

Probably Leonard.

Jeff Fenech has had quite a few too. I believe he retired after the Villasana fight, after the Martinez fight, possibly after the 2nd Nelson fight (I'm not sure), after the Grove fight, and after the Holliday fight, and each time he's come back.

[BoxBuzz]

I would think the "Lazarus" award is more fitting as a description of a fighter coming back from the dead in a single fight.

Moore owns it hands down vs Durrelle.

But Foreman probably was the best managed return...very well engineered. By that I do not mean contrived in the least.

[Marlin]

I was hoping this was going to be about The Brick with Eyes...



In which case Chuvalo would have been a chance...

[Expug]

Sugar Ray Robinson shut it down a couple times I believe.
I think he was gonna be a hoofer , but then changed his mind.
I dont know if he won the title after his brief dancing career or not .
Maybe someone here knows more about this.

[pete]

Yea after the Maxim fight he had a dancing
show,review,vauldville,whatever it was and like most people who are great at one thing it didn't translate into another field.He even tried singing.He was freaking terrible!One of his friends commenting was horrified because Robinson thought he was so good he could sing opera.I think it was Bright Lights and Dark Shadows that showed him doing both.
He then came back and won the middleweight title 3 times.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Looks like no one holds the answer :(

[HomicideHenry]

Sugar Ray Robinson I'd say holds a good claim to the title...he retired one time because of show business, but came back to fight the Fullmer's and Basilio's...I know for a fact he retired when he realized he wasn't good anymore, but came back anyways because he was Sugar Ray, kinda like Mike Tyson or any former big name fighter living off their name, rather than by their fistic skill and abilities.

Another good question would be who has the longest rumored comeback? I know up until Sonny Liston was champion, there was still offers being made to Rocky Marciano to come out of retirement; hell rumor had it that even Muhammad Ali when he was still green was in talks of facing off with The Rock.

Prince Haseem Hamed has had one hell of a rumored comeback, as does Ike Ibeabuchi.

[BoxBuzz]

Former heavyweight contender Joe Bugner was a serial retiree. I think he retired for the first time at the age of 25 after fighting Ali but was still fighting when he was pushing 50 after more comebacks than Frank Sinatra.

Good one....

[HomicideHenry]

If I remember correctly Bugner was to fight Butterbean, but Esch bailed out asking for too much money supposedly...Larry Holmes, if I recall, has made at least four retirements and still, like George Foreman, hints at making a comeback even today.

[Collins2000]

If I remember correctly Bugner was to fight Butterbean, but Esch bailed out asking for too much money supposedly...Larry Holmes, if I recall, has made at least four retirements and still, like George Foreman, hints at making a comeback even today.

I don't recall that ever being mooted.