Re: retired boxers

Originally Posted by
eleven
has there been many gd fighters who retired early undefeated
One of the sadder stories would be Lazlo Papp.
Papp was a truly brilliant Hungarian fighter who was the first fighter to win Gold medals in three consecutive Olympics (1948, 1952 and 1956). But because he was from a then Communist country, he was not allowed to turn pro.
Public pressure eventually forced the government to let Papp turn pro in 1957, aged 31.
Over the next seven years Papp built up an 27-0-2 record, becoming European Champion and the generally recognized #1 contender for Middleweight World Champion Joey Giardello's crown.
But with a World Championship fight in the offing, the Hungarian Government got cold feet, and refused Papp permission to fight Giardello, thus Papp called it a day.
"Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it."
George Foreman
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