Sky Sports’ new documentary The Final Round examines why so many fighters struggle to walk away from boxing, exploring the sport’s addictive highs, financial insecurity and loss of identity after retirement.
The film features former champions Johnny Nelson and Josh Warrington, coaches Joe Gallagher and Dominic Ingle, promoter Eddie Hearn and one of the final interviews with Ricky Hatton. Hatton admitted that many retired fighters convince themselves they still have “one more good fight” left, even when the reality suggests otherwise.
Nelson argues that ego often survives long after a boxer’s competitive fire has faded. He also describes retirement as a lonely experience, with fighters losing the respect, routine and sense of purpose that defined their lives inside the ring.
Financial pressure adds another layer. Promoter and manager Steve Wood estimates that 90 per cent of the fighters he represents do not earn enough to pay tax, while Nelson is working on a pension scheme that would provide greater security for boxers after their careers end.
The documentary also highlights the fear of becoming an ordinary person again. Dave Allen says boxing forms such a large part of his identity that, outside being a father, he struggles to imagine himself as anything other than a fighter.
Former lightweight champion Anthony Crolla offers one of the film’s clearest warnings: “You can’t let boxing take more from you than you take from boxing.”
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