By Michele Emrick
As one of the greatest welterweights of his era, Marlon Starling was never shy when it came to telling people what he thought about his own abilities. And even though his career is long over, Starling still isn’t shy when it comes to discussing the sport he was once so great at.
Retiring at the relatively young age of 31, Marlon Starling was one of the few elite fighters who were able to leave the sport and never come back. He was able to come to the realization that he no longer had the desire to put in the hard work that was necessary to compete with the best in the world. And if he could not compete with the best, he saw no reason to keep competing at all. That is a lesson that would be well learned by so many fighters who continue to compete long after their best days are behind them.
In this interview, Marlon joins Jeff Mayweather to discuss the sport today, as well as what it was like when they both competed. Starling defeated Jeff’s brother twice during his career for two of his more notable victories. While discussing those fights, Marlon states that Floyd Mayweather Sr. was every bit the talker that his son, Floyd Mayweather Jr., has become. He also goes over other notable fights he was involved in, including the infamous bout with Tomas Molinares, where Starling was knocked out by a punch that landed after the bell. It would be the only time in his career that Starling would be knocked out. Although he was angry at the time, he has a good sense of humor about the situation now as he and Jeff Mayweather have great laughs discussing Marlon’s post-fight interview.
Still a fan of the sport, Marlon Starling has so many enjoyable stories to share about his career and the sport in general. They talk about the greats of their day as well as the greats of today including Floyd Mayweather, who Starling thinks would not have had such an easy time in the past. He and Jeff Mayweather are friendly and hearing these two discuss the old days is a treat for boxing fans. Although he is not well off, Starling does not appear bitter at all and is appreciative of what the sport did for him and he did for the sport. It is refreshing to hear about the greats who adjust well to life after their careers are over.
