08-17-2020, 12:49 PM
Heavyweight Travis Kauffman retires
Heavyweight Travis Kauffman (32-4, 23 KOs) announced he is retiring from boxing. Just days ahead of his 35th birthday, Kauffman re-tore his left labrum at the start of the fifth round against Otto Wallin on Saturday night. He was fighting for the first time in five years and seven fights without his trainer Naazim Richardson, who died unexpectedly last month.
“I tore my left labrum getting ready for the [Luis] Ortiz fight,” Kauffman said. “Like a dummy, I waited five months to have surgery on it after the Ortiz fight [December of 2018]. I started feeling better and was going to do a tune-up fight in March, but then COVID happened. This opportunity came up and I didn’t want to pass it up and I felt good. In the first round I hurt it. I felt it, but then it went away and I thought maybe it’s just my mind and it went away. Then in the fifth round I heard it and that was it. It was torn again.
“I’m done. I’m retiring. I have kids. I’ve been doing this a long time,” Kauffman said.
Heavyweight Travis Kauffman (32-4, 23 KOs) announced he is retiring from boxing. Just days ahead of his 35th birthday, Kauffman re-tore his left labrum at the start of the fifth round against Otto Wallin on Saturday night. He was fighting for the first time in five years and seven fights without his trainer Naazim Richardson, who died unexpectedly last month.
“I tore my left labrum getting ready for the [Luis] Ortiz fight,” Kauffman said. “Like a dummy, I waited five months to have surgery on it after the Ortiz fight [December of 2018]. I started feeling better and was going to do a tune-up fight in March, but then COVID happened. This opportunity came up and I didn’t want to pass it up and I felt good. In the first round I hurt it. I felt it, but then it went away and I thought maybe it’s just my mind and it went away. Then in the fifth round I heard it and that was it. It was torn again.
“I’m done. I’m retiring. I have kids. I’ve been doing this a long time,” Kauffman said.