They (almost) never come back

Ricky Hatton’s ill-fated return to the ring after a three year absence once again illustrated how incredibly hard it is for fighters to make a successful return from retirement. Performances in the gym had convinced Hatton that he was back to his best, but once again we saw that stepping into the ring on fight night is an entirely different proposition. Perhaps if Ricky had faced an easier opponent he would have been victorious on Saturday night, but this would only have added to the illusion that he was capable of reclaiming former glories. Eventually reality would have (literally) hit home. Ricky’s fate, like that of Barry McGuigan and endless other fighters who have shared the same delusion about successfully returning to the sport, was all too inevitable. This also emphasizes (if any further evidence were needed) just how exceptional Sugar Ray’s Leonard’s comeback was (see http://floatlikeabutterflysting.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sweet-memory.html). Those who continue to bang on that Ray didn’t win the fight, that Hagler was robbed, etc. really need to remember that this was someone who, like Hatton, hadn’t fought in over three years (indeed Leonard had only had one fight in the previous five years), returning to face a foe who was undefeated in eleven years. The astounding exception that proves the rule.