Big Sexy ‘Officially’ Retires after Comeback is Blocked
‘Just when rumour about a return was starting to become believable, Sean ‘Big Sexy’ Turner has officially retired from boxing.
Most had the entertaining heavyweight’s gloves already hung up considering he hasn’t fought since stoppage defeat to Nathan Gorman live on BT Sports in 2018.
However, the 31-year-old took to social media to confirm he won’t fight again and only officially retired today.
What the ‘ongoing issues’ are, remain unclear but they are believed to be non-fight related.
The news comes just as rumour was suggesting the former Irish amateur champion was firmly on the comeback trail and could have even fought twice before the year was out.
Turner comebacks have been promised to no avail numerous times before, so the latest return talk was taken with a pinch of salt, although Irish-boxing.com understands a November date was being explored.
The former Irish International and WSB fighter has proved a frustrating figure for fans over the years. His style, willingness to fight and of course his ring moniker meant he was always popular with fight followers, but his dedication and focus were always an issue.
He started with a bang, registering the fastest knockout in Irish boxing history in 2014. By the end of 2016 he was 9-0 with six knockout victories to his name. By that stage an Irish title fight with old amateur rival Con Sheehan was on everyone’s lips before the Tipp man slipped into the wilderness.
The Shankill man suffered a surprise defeat in early 2017 but registered one of the best away Irish wins in recent times late that year, stopping world-ranked Arnold Gjergjaj in Switzerland.
The trouble seemed to start then. He suffered back-to-back defeats as he took money fights at short notice in 2018. The fighter himself has been quite honest about how he lost focus after what were two big 2018 pay-days.
With more money than he had ever seen in his pocket, fun became more important than fighting. A bulging bank balance led to a party lifestyle and a bulging waistline for a fighter who has often spoken about commitment issues.
“Look I had too much money,” he told Irish-boxing.com earlier this year. “Way too much money in my pocket. I was partying, treating myself, enjoying myself,” he said at the time.
There was still fan desire for ‘Big Sexy’ to fight and the fact he did 10 rounds with ‘world champion in waiting’ Filip Hrgovic, meant Turner could have made a living in the away corner if he so wished.
However, there has been a host of false dawns with regard to comebacks and he is now officially retired.
We here at Irish-boxing.com would like to thank Sean for all the entertainment and his time over the years. We wish him well in retirement.
