Heavyweight Simon Kean addressed his retirement decision exclusively to World Boxing News after suffering a loss to Joseph Parker in October.
Kean bowed out of the sport at 35 after just two defeats, having been stopped by Deontay Wilder‘s conqueror Parker on the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou undercard.
‘The Grizzly’ had hoped to land a world title shot before hanging up his gloves. However, as honest as ever, Kean admitted the desire had gone as Parker stepped up his pressure.
Parker ended the contest in the third round at Riyadh Season, leaving Kean with the only natural option left to take – in his mind.
Asked by WBN how he reflected on his final now, the Canadian puncher holds no regrets.
“I had already made my decision. At this point in my career, if I had a defeat, I was opting for retirement. I matured my decision after the fight, and I’m very comfortable with it,” Kean told World Boxing News in an exclusive interview.
On whether he felt another year could have brought around his title dream, Kean added: “It made me think that if I’d had the right coaches from the start of my career, like the team I had in October, and given the progress I’ve made with them in recent months, I could have developed my potential further. Maybe I could have had a better chance of beating Parker and Wilder.
“But every time I fought, I felt a certain fear come over me. Fear that gets your adrenalin pumping and prepares you for battle. I was confident in the first round, but when the third round came around and I took a few punches, that was enough.”
Kean replied whether he’d lost focus: “Not really, Parker’s gameplan was just better.”
In a cruel twist for Kean, the man who defeated him went on to dominate Wilder, which – under different circumstances, could have been him. Kean advised what Wilder should do next: “He should retire or fight Joshua.”
Concerning what the sport needs to continue flourishing, Kean said: “We need the fights to get people talking. All the divisions need new talent to keep the fights exciting.”
Winning the WBC International Silver title against Siarhei Liakhovich is the highlight of a promising career for Kean, who was once linked to challenging Tyson Fury for the biggest prize in the sport.
WBN would like to wish Simon Kean well in his retirement and good luck in the future.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
