Ernesto Marcel - Why did he retire?

saad · Post by **saad** » 16 Mar 2005, 18:58

Does anybody know why Marcel retired at the age of 26 after beating Arguello? Did he have health problems or did he just choose to quit boxing?

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 17 Mar 2005, 10:43

I think one of the reasons he retired early was that he saw at the time that there was not enough big paydays for him. I f he were fighting around today, his career, I think, would have been much longer because of the big paydays these fighters are getting now.

He (Ernesto Marcel) was a pretty good fighter though...Very good indeed. He beat the great Alexis Arguello in Panama City in a featherweight title defense and suddenly, he told the Panamanian press that he was finished as a fighter, in which he had a lot of more fights left in him. He was only 27 when he retired, I believe.

saad · Post by **saad** » 17 Mar 2005, 12:36

elmersalsa wrote:I think one of the reasons he retired early was that he saw at the time that there was not enough big paydays for him. I f he were fighting around today, his career, I think, would have been much longer because of the big paydays these fighters are getting now.

He (Ernesto Marcel) was a pretty good fighter though...Very good indeed. He beat the great Alexis Arguello in Panama City in a featherweight title defense and suddenly, he told the Panamanian press that he was finished as a fighter, in which he had a lot of more fights left in him. He was only 27 when he retired, I believe.

Have you seen the fight? I know he won, but was it a physically demanding fight or did he just feel like quitting boxing?

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 17 Mar 2005, 13:14

I think it was both, saad. he said that for the boxing game to stay on top, was very rigurous and hard profession. He later became a politician in Panama.
Probably he did not see the FRUITS of this profession ($$$$$$$), which I think it discourage him to continue fighting.

saad · Post by **saad** » 17 Mar 2005, 15:07

Thanks elmer.