It is often in boxing that we see most champion fighters go on to fight longer than they really need to when they should have hung them up long before, resulting in possible unfortunate physical and mental damage. Although it has and does happen, very few in the game have the desire to fight for a short time and then happily call retirement. Amir Khan once told the media that he planned to retire by the age of 28 after achieving everything he wanted, but rarely are these types of promises fulfilled. Bernard Hopkins promised his mother that he would leave boxing at age 40, yet has gone on to set records and is still giving many young guns, some of which were champions, boxing lessons.
Today I will take a look at fighters who achieved their dream of becoming world champion and had short careers, both in terms of length of time and amount of fights, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances.
David Reid
Calling himself the ‘American Dream,’ Reid won an Olympic gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, making him the only Olympic gold medalist in the USA in 1996. He turned professional in 1997 and won the WBA middleweight title two years later. After making two defenses he went on to face Felix Trinidad and lost by a unanimous decision by a relatively wide margin, as the gulf in class became apparent quite early in the fight. Reid made a comeback eight months later in 2000, but a year later suffered a TKO loss in the ninth round to stay busy fighter Sam Hill. This was to be Reid’s last bout as he retired shortly afterward, citing a problem with his retina. Reid left behind a 17-2-0 record with 7 KO’s.
Jimmy Carruthers
Australian Carruthers’ became recognised by the National Boxing Association as a world champion after winning the Australian and British Commonwealth titles in 1951 and 1952, respectively and is now known to be the first boxer to become a world champion out of Australia even though past fighters before him such as Young Griffo and Mick King won world titles but did not gain global acceptance. Carruthers fight with Chamroen Songkitrat is most notable as the only gloved contest to be fought barefoot by both boxers in a rainstorm in Thailand! Carruthers retired after this bout but made a comeback in 1961, losing three in a row before capturing two knockout victories. He retired in 1962 after a disqualification loss in the eighth round to Jimmy Cassidy. Carruthers’ record was 21-4-0.
Davey Moore
After making eight wins, the WBA made Moore the number one contender for their title. Moore knocked out Tadashi Mihara in six rounds to become champion. Three more successful defenses in 1982 and 1983 saw him eventually face the iconic Roberto Duran. Duran handed him his first loss, stopping him in eight rounds. Winning his title, Duran gave himself a 32nd birthday present since it was his birthday on the night of their fight! Moore had mixed success thereafter, beating legendary Wilfred Benitez in two rounds and even fighting for the IBF light-middleweight crown in 1986 but losing in ten rounds. Unfortunately a freak accident cost Moore his career and his life at the age of 29 when the handbrake failed on a car. Moore attempted to stop the vehicle from rolling but was caught and run down, leaving behind a short but memorable career.
Sean O’Grady
Turning professional in 1975, O’Grady had 86 fights, winning 81 of them and losing 5. Spanning a career that lasted only eight years, the amount of fights O’Grady had is quite staggering. He won the USBA lightweight title before losing to Jim Watt in a WBC title bid. Two fights later, O’Grady faced unbeaten Hilmer Kenty, who was 20-0, for the WBA crown and O’Grady was second time lucky as he beat Kenty over fifteen rounds. But the WBA soon stripped him of the championship when O’Grady refused to face the then number one contender, Claude Noel. O’Grady fought for the title one last time, losing quickly in two rounds to Andy Ganigan in 1981. He retired two years later. Chewing gum as he entered the ring became O’Grady’s trademark and it earned him the amusing nickname ‘Bubble Gum Bomber.’ Another interesting fact about the American is that his father, a Pat O’Grady, who was a fighter himself, founded the World Athletic Association title which was handed to his son to recognise him as a champion once again. This gimmick move didn’t last when it was lost to Ganigan and the WAA title was defunct in 1985, having been contested for the last time.
Leo Randolph
Holding the records for becoming the youngest ever Olympic gold medalist and the youngest boxer to retire, Randolph had a career spanning two years, seeing a 17-2-0 record. He beat Ricardo Cardona in 1980 in the fifteenth round to win the WBA super-bantamweight title but quickly lost it in his first defense to Sergio Victor Palma. His amateur career was a stellar 160-7. After retirement he became a bus driver but did state that he trained with Michael Spinks before his bout with Mike Tyson, evidence that his passion for boxing never totally waned.
Mihai Leu
Born in Romania, Leu (also known as Michael Loewe) became the WBO welterweight champion in 1997. He made one defense but retired afterward, leaving boxing with an unbeaten 28-0 record. Always fighting in Germany, Leu was forced to abandon the sport due to due to an injury to one of his eyes. This did not stop Leu from pursuing a career in sports as he soon made a career in rally racing, becoming Romania’s champion in 2003. His brother became his co-driver in 1999.
