Who are some boxers who have had back-to-back losses, whether it be to the same fighter or just on a losing streak with different fighters, and still came back on top?
Some that come to mind.... Morales lost to Pacquio and Zahir Raheem back to back. Then came back and was on a 3 win streak. And had a pretty good fight against the bigger and younger Maidana. although he lost on points gained a lot of support. Vitaly Klitscho lost to Byrd(shoulder injury) and lost on cuts to Lewis. Then took some time off(4 years) came back and beat Samuel Peters for the wbc strap and went 10 and 0 defending his title..
Marco Antonio Barrera… KO’ed by Junior Jones, Lost by Decision in the RE, Became a BETTER Fighter Than He Ever Was Afterwards… Barrera’s the Best Modern Day Example of How Taking an “L” or 2 ISN’T a Death Sentence, Necessarily…. REED
Depends on how we define top, but even though he didn't become a champion, Floyd Patterson still did pretty well after Liston losses
Rahman had a really bad 0-3-1 stretch (tough most thought he deserved the fight vs Tua) yet bounced back with a couple if solid wins to quickly reestablish himself as a contender and won the vacant WBC title vs Barrett
Ken Norton lost a SD in the rematch with Muhammad Ali, and then lost to George Foreman in 2 rounds in his next fight
It used to be very common when it was understood that nobody wins them all and that what you learn in a loss can make you better. But then some idiot started putting forth the concept that losing a boxing match is so devastating that it is very hard to put behind you and move beyond. And then it was reinforced by "hard cores" that think they know boxing and create peanut gallery chatter that a fighter has been exposed if he loses a round and that a career is over after a loss. But, realistically, if you started boxing when you were 8, went through the wins of losses of an amateur career, turned pro, lose your 10th pro fight and quit, you were probably too weak to begin with. What would make you stronger is that loss but....
also, fans read way too much into one fight - they have way too much confidence in their ability to assess a fighter's ability from even a single fight.
I agree but I would also like to add something. Robert Garcia the trainer recently said. He has 12 boxers he trains. And only two of them are able to box full time. The rest of them have to work real jobs like security or construction ect.. There only a handful of current boxers that are able to make millions. The rest are just getting by supporting themselves and some have families working odd jobs and looking for that big money fight. Boxing doesn't last forever. The window of an elite level boxer is very small. So they got to lookout for their future. Can you blame them for cherry picking??? As a fan I want to see the best fighting the best as much as the next guy. But I also understand that there is another side of the sport(the business side). These are regular people with families that are not only there for our entertainment. Fighting for honor and glory doesnt always pay the bills. If they lose a couple of fights and all of a sudden they are not marketable. Its a fine line. You cant fight everybody. And you cant please everyone.
I don't think that Robert is being 100% honest because I know probably 8 people that he trains and they all box full time. I am also good friends with a guy that fed his family and put his wife through nursing school by fighting- his record at the moment is 17-16. There is a misconception that, way back when, when fighters were making $50 for 4 round fights that all fighters were part time fighters. That is not true because, if you fought a 4 round fight every week- which was very doable then, and not all that hard to do physically- you were making $200/month and, in the 1930s, that was good money. The money was based on live gates so putting on a good fight was more important, and valuable, than being undefeated. But now we live in an era where just about 97% of all fights are fixed. That doesn't mean that a guy is taking a dive- it means that, when the match is made, everybody understands that one guy has no chance to win. Fighters will demand that you get them someone "easy". Part of my daily activity is being in contact with at least 75 or 80 guys that promote fights around the country. It is commonplace for them to advertise their fights with something along the lines of "competitve fights,no mismatches" because everybody, everywhere, is trying to pad somebody's record because they think that people want to pay to see an undefeated guy beat up some lame. People want to spend their money to see good fights. The way it works now is that you are either a million dollar baby or you have no hope of a huge payday. That said, I know of guys that draw well and sell tickets that are making 15-20,000 for 8 round fights in particular markets because people come to see them fight.
They might train full time. What I meant to say only two guys are rich and quit their day jobs. You know Shane Mosley said he didnt make any money(real) until he was 31 and 0. Just cause theyre on tv we assume theyre well off but at 30 and 0 mosley was working at Foot Locker. Imagine that. Where do you think Panchito Bojado is working today?
