Aaron Pryor learned the hard way that greatness doesn’t protect a fighter once he steps back into the ring after walking away, and Floyd Mayweather’s refusal to return to real competition shows he understood that danger long ago.
Pryor entered June 1987 undefeated after 36 fights, with 32 knockouts, returning after more than two years out of the ring. His previous appearance was a split decision victory over Gary Hinton in March 1985, a tougher night than expected, and his last performance before inactivity took hold. When he agreed to face Bobby Joe Young at The Forum in Inglewood, the fight seemed like a manageable return for a dominant former champion.
Instead, Young stopped Pryor in the seventh round, ending his perfect record and permanently changing the trajectory of his career. Pryor then returned and stopped three lower-level opponents before retiring in December 1990 with a record of 39 wins and one loss, including 35 knockouts. The wins restored activity, but the loss to Young remained the dividing line between the champion he was and the fighter he became.
Mayweather’s career took a different path because he never allowed himself to face the same risk. He retired in 2017 after defeating Conor McGregor to reach 50 wins without a loss, surpassing Rocky Marciano’s mark and ending his professional career without a sanctioned defeat. Since then, Mayweather has only participated in exhibitions, carefully controlling the terms and opponent selection.
Those appearances involved retired fighters, non-boxers and exhibition rules preventing his professional record from being affected. He has never had a sanctioned fight against an active competitor since his retirement, and that split has kept his official status.
Pryor didn’t have that separation. His comeback put him back in real contention, and one loss was enough to permanently change how his career ended. In boxing, inactivity and age do not announce themselves gradually. They appear suddenly, often in a single fight, and there is no turning back once the result becomes official.
Mayweather understood that reality and chose to avoid it. His record remains untouched because he never backed down in a situation where it could have been taken away from him, and Pryor’s experience stands as the example of what can happen when a fighter does that.
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Last updated on 20/02/2026
