I’ll start with Kirino Garcia (40-28-4) who is a tough Mexican battler who worked his way up to No.4 in the ratings after starting his career with a 0-18 run. Learning on the job, he then went on a long winning streak beating such men as Rene Herrera, Norberto Bueno, Jorge Vaca (twice), Art Serwano, Meldrick Taylor, Simon Brown, and Terrence Alii. He also waxed Buck Smith (179-14-2 at the time) and stopped Frankie Randall (55-7). Many observers, including me, though he beat David Reid in 2000. 

Among those who beat him were Chad Parker, Lonnie Beasley, Tim Littles, Paul Vaden, and Kingsley Ikeke—and Steve Roberts in London and Danny Green in Australia.

Kirino has shown what boxing can do to lift a man from the bottom to a point where he can now make life choices of his own volition. He is the current Mexico light heavyweight title holder and enjoys legendary status in Ciudad Juarez where he has duked over 40 times. He likely will retire soon, but he is one very tough hombre.

Clearly, his record doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story. Of course this can go in the other direction as well , where a fighter may have agreat record, but it doesn't really tell the real story.

Can you root out a few of these.?

1) Sugar Ray Robinson

His final record was a gaudy 175-19-6-2 with 109 KOs. In a career that spanned three decades, Sugar Ray embodied the essence of the Sweet Science. He was a world welterweight champion and held the middleweight title five times. He never lost to a welterweight. When he gave up the 147 pound title to challenge Jake LaMotta for the middleweight championship in 1951, his record was 121-1-2. The lone loss was to LaMotta and both draws were against middleweights. Incredibly, he was so great for so long that he won his first Fighter of the Year award in 1942 and his second award in 1951. Talk about book ends! The fact that I don’t have to say much says it all. In 201 fights over an amazing twenty-five-year career, Robinson failed to finish a fight just once when he was felled by heat prostration against Joey Maxim in a fight he was winning handily.

2) Guglielmo Papaleo, a.k.a. Willie Pep

Had an incredible record of 230-11-1 with 65 KOs. Nicknamed “Will o’ the Wisp” for his elusiveness, Pep is considered, along with Nicolino Locche, one of boxing’s all-time great defensive artists. He held the featherweight title for six years and outboxed all comers. He is best remembered for his physical and dirty series of fights against fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Saddler. He turned pro in 1940 and won his first sixty-three fights. In 1952, he won the featherweight title by decision over Chalky Wright. His first loss came the following year when he dropped a non-title fight to former lightweight champion Sammy Angott.  

3. Joe Louis

“The Brown Bomber,” 69–3 with 55 KOs, is rated by many as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He successfully defended his title an astounding 25 times. He used a lightening quick jab and was subtly deadly with one punch KO power in either hand. He was very economical, never wasting a punch, nor did he waste much foot movement, moving only as much as needed but always within deadly reach of his opponent. He fought such greats as Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott, Max Schmeling, Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Billy Conn and many others. In 1950, he returned to the ring, but after a series of wins, he was  knocked out in 1951 by rugged Rocky Marciano, after which he permanently retired. When I was a kid, Joe Louis was everyone’s hero. And even as a young, albeit observant child, I was amazed at how much power he could generate with such a short punch and just how fast he threw that punch. Indeed, because of his short punches and combos, only aficionados and Louis victims really knew how fast his hands were. The thing is, he “invented” the one-two. When he lost to Rocky Marciano, many wept including Rocky He also transcended the sport and was viewed as America’s fighter. Quite simply, Joe Louis was the most beloved champion in  boxing history.

4. Eder Jofre

His record was 72-2-4 with 50 KOs. Let’s just call him the greatest fighter who fought under the radar. He represented his country, Brazil, in the 1956 Olympics and then turned professional in 1957 at twenty-one. His nickname was “the Golden Bantam,” and he was one of the few champions to have never suffered a knockout. Jofre (born March 26, 1936) is considered to be the best Brazilian boxer of all time and arguably the greatest bantamweight of all time.   With one-punch knockout power in either hand, he also was a slickster with great technical skills and reflexes in the style of Sugar Ray Robinson. He had the hook and the straight right; hell, he had it all, including an iron chin. He was a classic body puncher who would wear his opponents down before moving upstairs for the kill. He did his work in a bobbing and weaving manner. Perhaps his most amazing quality was his ability to adapt. Jofre was a very intelligent fighter who could change his style to adjust to any kind of opponent. If necessary, this fistic artisan could engage in a brawl, but he could be a cutie as well, whatever the situation required. In 1965, he would lose his world bantamweight titles to Fighting Harada in a highly controversial SD in Nagoya, Japan. Harada would beat him again by a razor-thin margin in Tokyo in 1966. Both fights with the Japanese warrior were savage ones.

He retired but made a successful comeback three years later. As for Harada, he was the only boxer to beat Jofre, who many considered to be invincible. He too was inducted into the Hall (in 1995) and is arguably Japan’s greatest fighter ever. By going undefeated in his first fifty fights, Jofre managed to bookend his career in a uniquely positive way … fifty in front and twenty-five at the end. Even the great Sugar Ray Robinson, to whom Jofre is often compared when pound-for pound discussions take place, did not have such an auspicious start or superb ending. 

5. Muhammad Ali

56-5 with 37 KOs. He was the dominant fighter of the 1960s and 1970s. A fighter of exceptional speed and flair, he won the world heavyweight title on three separate occasions over a period of 15 years, but his trilogy with Kenny Norton, two mediocre fights against Leon Spinks and controversial wins against Henry Cooper and Jimmy Young tarnished, at least to some degree, his nickname of “The Greatest.” On the other hand, his two hard fought wins against Joe Frazier, his wins over Sonny Liston, and his upset of George Foreman truly cemented his reputation. His wins against Shavers, Lyle, Williams and Quarry were memorable as well. His fight against an old Zora Folley at Madison Square Garden in 1967 perhaps showcased him at his brilliant best.

I am using "intriguing" in the context of  arousing the interest or curiosity of something.

For me, the lineage of great boxers from Puerto Rico is a rich, dramatic and, often tragic one, as many of the fighter met with difficulties both outside the ring or after they finished their careers. In this regard, Puerto Rico has produced a most compelling tapestry of sports in general and boxing in particular. In fact, nowhere are you likely to find more world champions per capita in my opinion.

 This island nation has a great number of major league baseball players who are now active, thus making baseball one of its most popular sports, but Puerto Rico also has a disproportionate number of boxers who, over the years,  have either been World Champions or top contenders. 

Tracking all the way back to 1945, I have watched literally thousands of fights during my almost 73 years of life and consider myself something of an aficionado. Some memories have been incredible; others I wish I could erase. Most have been indelible. I have seen or heard some remarkable things, I’ll tell you. .


Bobby and Valorie

This wasn’t “Stoker” (Robert Ryan) and Julie (Audrey Totter) in the movie The Set-Up; this was the real thing.

In 1982 after losing to Cornelius Boza Edwards in the 14th round, Bobby Chacon regrouped and beat Augustin Rivera and Renan Marota in succession. On March 16, he was scheduled to fight Salvador Ugalde.

Meanwhile, after the Boza Edawards fight, his wife, Valorie, begged him to quit boxing and move to Hawaii to settle down. Somehow, some way, perhaps the warning signs were not understood. Of coures, hindsight is 20-20 and it’s easy to second guess. Maybe Bobby thought it was just something that would pass. At any rate, he didn’t see what was coming. Valorie flew back to Sacramento from Hawaii and reportedly pleaded with Bobby to quit. But Bobby felt he had more to give. Tragically, on March 14, 1982, shortly before he was to square off against Ugalde, Valorie committed suicide.

Incredibly, Bobby decided to go through with the bout and knocked out Ugalde. As the ring announcer was about to speak, the guilt-ridden Bobby grabbed the microphone and tearfully dedicated his win to his fallen wife.

He then won two more fights in the next three months before beating Bazooka Limon in an epic battle for the WBC junior lightweight title. It was voted Fight of the Year as The Schoolboy won a remarkable fifteen round decision.
In 1983, he would go on to defend against Boza Edwards and retain his crown in still another Fight of the Year avenging his early loss to the tough Boza Edwards. These two fights were also indelible memories for me, particularly the Limon bout which may well have been the most exciting one I have ever witnessed.

It was just a little piece of time in history, but it contained enough drama for a lifetime

How about you? What do you recall?

For pure drama, mine was the tenth round of the Roy "Tiger" Williams vs Ernie Shavers fight,


I wouldn’t drive through Philadelphia because I didn’t want to take a chance on running into Williams.

                                                                                                                                                                      --Shavers

The last round began, and Shavers came out visibly exhausted. Williams appeared confident and ready to emerge as a serious heavyweight contender. He quickly moved Shavers into a corner and applied brutal, nonstop punishment until the referee called a standing eight count. Tiger thought the fight had been stopped, turned around, and raised his hands in victory, but, when he turned back to see a determined Shavers still standing, his spirit visibly sagged. Still, he came on and hit Shavers with blows that would surely have knocked out anybody else.

Then, all of a sudden, Shavers started to connect with some medium hard blows to Williams’s body that slowed him down. Then Shavers connected with one of his deadly uppercuts with Tiger on the ropes, and it straightened him up. He was now hurt and Shavers sensed it. He moved the Tiger into a corner and began throwing his own bombs. Williams could not withstand the ferocious onslaught, and the referee now gave him a standing eight, incredibly the second in the round! Shavers stood poised, albeit exhausted, and ready to go. As the referee ordered Williams to begin fighting, he took a step forward, hesitated, and then collapsed in the corner, a beaten man. Shavers sagged over the ropes, too tired to celebrate. The fight was over. Shavers had won, but the Tiger had indeed roared. And I was totally stunned by what I had witnessed.

Arguably, Ernie Shavers might have been the best heavyweight who never won a title. On the other hand, Roy Williams might well have been one of the best fighters nobody ever heard of.

I am what I am.

                   --Joe Frazier

I am the greatest.

                   --Ali

Criticizing icons is not popular, and, when one targets the "Greatest," sacred and inviolate ground may be involved. But I ask myself, how could Ali turn on his former friend, Joe Frazier, a decent man who considered Ali his friend and who to this day remains deeply wounded by the way Ali turned his own people against him? “It’s gonna be a chilla, and a killa, and a thrilla, when I get the Gorilla in Manila,” said Ali,1 but those insults may have said more about him thanthey did Frazier. He cruelly taunted Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrell. After the Terrell fight, Tex Maule wrote, “It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display of cruelty.”  However, his worse abuse was aimed at Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Yet, the plain fact was Frazier was from a hardscrabble beginning, while Clay had ironically emerged from a relatively sheltered environment in Louisville.

There is no doubt Ali was the right man for his time. But his legacy must include the beginning of trash-talking, and maybe that was, in part, his way of standing up to the establishment. Calling opponents “bums” and “chumps” and predicting the round of their demise was something very new to the fans, and what gave this behavior credibility was that his predictions frequently proved accurate.

Now then, this narrative is not necessarily aimed against Ali as much as it is designed to get your juices flowing and conjure up some responses.

Some guys simply don’t know what the notion of cherry picking meant . They take on all comers. Sometimes, they pay dearly for it, but not always. One obvious choice to me is Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor. Heck, he fought Bernard Hopkins twice and Kelly Pavlik twice. That’s enough for an entire career. But he also duked with Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch, a worn Jeff Lacey, Cory Spinks, Kassim Ouma, Ronald “Winky” Wright, an undefeated Daniel Edourad, William Joppy, Sam Hill, Grady Brewer, and in his very first fight, Chris Walsh (17-4-1 coming in). Only one of his opponents had a losing record (it was 3-4). If you add up the won-loss records of his opponents, the combined result would be eye brow-raising.

Bottom line: Jermain Taylor does not know what cherry picking is all about.

My one choice is Irish Micky Ward. A tap upstairs and then he would rip to the side under the rib cage with a lightning like shot that would have a delayed reaction impact as the opponent would turn around and collapse in pain.

On the Whittaker-De La Hoya undercard, he was getting beat badly by KO artist Alfonzo “Poncho” Sanchez on national TV in 1997 at the Thomas Mack Center in Las Vegas. Larry Merchant was insulting the hell out of him even implying that he was a coward and that the people in Lowell were probably feeling badly. Merchant had no idea of who Ward was, nor had he done much research on him.

All of a sudden, before you could say “Body Snatcher,” Ward ripped two left hooks to the undefeated Sanchez’s side and Poncho went down in a heap. Ward had accomplished what no other fighter before him had ever done--he has shut up Larry Merchant and the rest of the insulting HBO crew. He also served notice that he could end a fight at any given time with his signature weapon.

Poncho stopped tough Charles “The Natural” Murray in his very next outing proving the wax job was no fluke. Later, however, he would be starched by Vince Phillips, Paul Williams, and Timothy Bradley.

I recently reviewed my video of the Hagler-Hearns war 25 years ago, and was amazed by the right that Marvelous used to send “The Hitman” to Mo Town Dreamland. It was almost identical to the one he used to wax Willie “The Worm” Monroe in 1977. Of course, in boxing anything can happen and when Hagler fought Roberto Duran in 1983, Duran gave him all he could handle in a tactical and boring affair which I witnessed.  The following year, Duran fought Hearns and The Hitman rendered a beating on Roberto finally putting him to sleep with another historic and vicious right.

Can you think of some other rights that were thrown with evil intentions and resulted in ending a fight immediately thereafter? They can be straight, hooks or even uppercuts, but they must be lauunched from the right hand. No rabbit punches or low blows, please.

Mine used to be Margo (pre-Mosley) becuse he can walk through punches and still do the stalk as he got stronger and stronger. He literally would run after his opponent. The kill was inevitable.

My past favorite Khaosai Galaxy.  He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. This classic “stalk, stun and kill” great remains a legend in Thai boxing and is the benchmark against which all other Thai fighters are measured. Aside from his loss to Sakda Saksuree (1-2 coming in) for the Thai Bantamweight Title in 1981, a defeat he quickly avenged by brutal KO, Galaxy never took part in what could be called a close fight.

Like a spider paralyzing its prey with a sting, he could stun an opponent with a single punch, setting him up for the end. When this happened, his fists and arms would be held high ready to cut loose. As he got close, Galaxy would impose his tremendous physique (and strength) and the frenzied crowd would be up and roaring. He became the very essence of a stalking predator closing off the ring, making contact, and quickly accomplishing the kill with a variety of power shots thrown with uncanny accuracy and evil intent.  One he had you hurt, it was like being in the Serengeti National Park; the kill was coming.

 Between rounds, they showed me hitting him [Leon Spinks] with that elbow then hitting him with the hook. I always made sure the referee was on the other side. The referee would always go over to your left side and I would hit the guy with the right elbow and the left hook. Gotta be a rocket scientist to figure that out, you know

You know, about Spinks, it bothered me that Cosell took advantage of him and really ripped into him. Here's a guy who had a degree in law and all this and he's ripping a kid from East St. Louis. Leon never said he was a genius. What he said was "I can fight". One of the things I remember when he won the title, the day after the title fight, they showed a picture in the paper with his wife and he was buying her a ring, you know. It said his money won't last long this way. I thought "what do you care? -- it's his wife".

                                                                                                .--Scott LeDoux

Commentatot Pat Summerall once said that if they were in an alley fight, they would want Scott LeDoux at their side. A darn good choice, but that was then and this is now.

Based on his background, I'd feel pretty safe with Russian-born Roman “Made in Hell” Karmizin watching my back. But guys who do their dirty work in the alleys can be formidable and lacking in remorse, so maybe I would need Golata to fight fire with fire as in fighting dirty. But any guy with a nickname like Karmizin’s is a guy I want watching my back in the alley.

Check this out. It is moving. God Bless Scott: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJDaMG3NW7E

I don't mean one who should retire because his (or her) record is bad. Heck, I know of a bucnh with more than 100 losses who are still useful and raely gett stopped. No, I mean the ones who should retire for their own good--and before they get seriously damaged. I'll start this off with Antwon Echols (32-12-4) who has looked terrible in recent outings on very shakey legs with little snap in his punch. His first win since 2004 came this past weekend against some poor lad from Iowa who was 0-8-2 coming in. The fight was held in Wisconsin. The KO came in the 6th and last round. Antwon should retire and leave us with the memories of his incredible closet classic winover Charles Brewer in 2001.

Can you name some?

Back in the day, Ronald “Winky “ Wright was avoided like he had the plague. Instead of high-profile fights that carried with them good paydays, he had to settle for three bouts against Bronco McKart. When he finally got his due, he made the most of it by beating Sugar Shane Mosley twice and schooling Felix “Tito” Trinidad. Ironically, his last fight (a UD loss) was against another boxer who carries the label of avoided; namely, Paul “The Publisher” Williams (38-1). Curiously, Williams, who is unusually tall and has a monster reach, also fought another avoided type back in 2007, one Antonio Margorito—who is now avoided for a different reason. Most famously, Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly turned down an $8 million offer to fight Margarito, Once these feared fighters finally engaged more prominent names and each other, the hefty paychecks rolled in and they no longer were the high-risk, low reward fighters that they had once been.

Can you name others--past or present?

One of my Favorites 

Let me acknowledge at the outset that I likely have failed to include some that should be included, so I am depending on you to fill in the blanks. Still, the following provided some indelible memories that are well worth sharing:

1951: The first great left hook I ever witnessed was launched by Jersey Joe Walcott against Ezzard Charles in July 1951 in Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year. It came out of the blue, as Joe was shuffling in at Charles when all of a sudden he let loose with a short, sneaky, and fully leveraged hook that sent the great Charles down and out. Instructive films of this explosive shot are shown to the day as an example of how to leverage a hook with body movement to maximize full power. This one is my all-time favorite and I tried to emulate it at times as an amateur fighter.

Personalities should not be included among the criteria for getting into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Let's get through that knothole at the outset. Hector Luis "Macho" Camacho can be very obnoxious, but so what? It's what happens in the ring that counts (unless, of course, a boxer's life style impact his abilities), so let's break down his chances of getting into the Hall once he retires...if he hasn't already....and let's do it on the basis of what he has accomplished in the ring  

 1) Record:  W 79 (37 ko's)  L 5   D 8  Total 87   That's a lot of fights in todays boxing world, but "The Macho Man" spaced his fights carefully and paced himself well over his long career. Back in the pre '80's, he was a multiple N.Y. Golden Gloves Champion. Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, he became the first Puerto Rican to have won the World Boxing Championship (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) championships in the lightweight division.    

 2) Quality of opposition: Outstanding. He defeated Ray Mancini, Roberto Duran (twice), Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Menefee, Heath Todd, Gary Kirkland, Luis Maysonet, Jorge Vaca, Todd Foster, Pat Lawlor, Reyes Antonio Cruz, Greg Haugen, Tony Baltazar, Ken Sigurani, Howard Davis, Jr, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Freddie Roach, Vinny Paz, Edwin Rosario, Jose Luis Ramirez ( a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame), Rafael Limon, John Montes, Greg Conversion, Melvin Paul, and Louis Burke. He was defeated by Julio Cesar Chavez, 108-6-2, Felix Trinidad, 42-2, Greg Haugen, 40-10-1(he lost by an extremely controversial decision when, inexplicitly, he was penalized for not touching gloves before the last round; he won the rematch), Oscar De La Hoya, 38-4, and Chris Walsh, 19-7-1 by TD. He didn't fight either Chacon or Pernell Whitaker, but not from his own doing. Bobby Chacon chose to fight Ray Mancini, and the Duvas never made the match with Whitaker.

3) Era: 1980-2005...multiple eras over a 25 year boxing career. Camacho has been fighting for 25 years. When you consider that Archie Moore's career spanned 27 years, you get a better perspective....though Hector's fight have been far and few between in recent years. Nevertheless, he fought at or near the top of his divisions during eras that included great fighters. The list of his opponents reads like a "whose who" of tough fighters; it includes an astounding fourteen world champions including Hall of Famers, Sugar Ray Leonard and Edwin Rosario, and at least four future inductees (De La Hoya, Duran, Chavez, and Trinidad). And to Camacho's credit, he has never been stopped and has been down arguably only once. In 1989, when he met former world lightweight champion Ray "Boom Boom " Mancini (who was 29-3 with 23 knockouts coming into the fight), Camacho won a unanimous decision for the vacant WBO Junior Welterweight title. In so doing, he joined an exclusive "club" of world champions boxers who have become three-time world champions  

4) Style: An imitator of Muhammad Ali's controversial and flashy style and flair, few could out finesse or out speed  him. Boxing experts and fans were enthusiastic about him in his early career.  Indeed, Ali and Camacho's style was adopted by Roy Jones, Jr and Naseem Hamed, to name a few, and it brought excitement to their fights, but then he met tough Edwin Rosario in1986. He dominated the early rounds, but had to hang on in rounds five, six and seven when he caught the fury and power of Rosario. He came back to take rounds eight and nine, but Rosario came on late. Camacho won the title fight by split decision, but afterwards his style changed into a more defensive one that seemed more safety first, avoiding punishment rather than engaging his opponents. After the fight, his face busted up, he kiddingly said,  "Hey, if this is macho, I don't want no part of it."  

With his more conservative, albeit less crowd pleasing style in place, he then fought a long list to top contenders  and former champions. In 1994, he seemed to change his style once more using flat footed  power to score some  impressive ko's. Included among his stoppage victims were contenders Luis Maysonet and Todd Foster. He drew with rugged Jorge Vaca in 1999 and then cut back on the frequency of his fights, His last fight was in July 2005 when he beat the limited Raul Munoz by UD in Tuscon. Whether he fights again remains to be seen, but he has become a regular at the Hall's induction ceremonies in upstate New York and I would not be surprised to see him fight one more time.    At the end of the fight, what counts most is whose hand the referee raises. In the case of the Macho Man, his hand was raised 78 times and that's not bad. Whether he gets into the Hall or not is not my decision, but I believe  a reasonable case can be made for his induction. Great opposition, three-time world champion, a long career....those are solid credentials. Either way, and with his considerable business acumen, he will likely leave the game on his own terms.   What do you think?

When World War Two ended, I can recall exactly where I was. When JFK was assassinated, I knew where I was. When 9/11 occurred, I also knew exactly where I was. And when Mike Tyson was knocked into Japanese dreamland by Buster Douglass, I also knew where I was. It was that big of an upset.

Arguably, there is nothing more thrilling than an upset. For some, it means shocking disappointment; for others, it is sudden and pleasant surprise. Kirkland Laing shocked Roberto Duran but himself was later shocked by Buck “Tombstone” Smith. Lloyd Honeyghan did it to Donald Curry. Limited Louis Monaco stopped Kevin McBride in 1997, but McBride himself stopped Mike Tyson eight years later.

Which brings me to Thailand where horrendous mismatches are the rule rather than the exception. As just one example, Filipino Roger Monserto, 0-3 at the time, fought Chatchai Sasakul, then 60-3 (now 65-4), in July 2007 in a steaming hot arena in Bangkok. He also fought Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, then 69-9 and now 73-12 with 49 stoppages. Monserto, now 0-6, has fought against opponents with a combined won-loss record of 308-27-1. Many veteran Thai boxers fight opponents who are making their pro debuts. This is crazy--and dangerous.

But every once in a while, the tables are turned. This past weekend at Kyuden Gym, in Fukuoka, Japan, heavy hometown favorite Kazuyoshi Niki (25-3-1 coming in) went up against winless Thai Chattorn Kiattorborubol. Showing an atypical willingness to fight outside of Thailand, all of his losses have come in Japan. Niki last lost in 2003 and had gone undefeated in his last 17 fights, though five of his wins came against Thai fighters making their debut.

This time, however, it was Kazuyoshi Niki who was on the losing end, as he was stopped 1.35 into the seventh round. No, this one won’t go down as a Michael Bentt-Tommy Morrison-type upset, but there was something very satisfying about it. You see, if Kiattorborubol can do it, then there is hope for just about anyone on any given night, and that‘s one of the many reason I have a passion for this thing called boxing.

For example, Harry Arroyo became one of the most recognizable boxers on television and regularly appeared on the covers of boxing magazines in the 80‘s. In 1984, Arroyo, with fellow Youngstown native Ray Mancini, was listed among the nation's top 10 contenders by the World Boxing Association. When he beat Terrance Alli in 1985 in a savage and punishing affair, he was 25-0. He then went 14-11 to finish with a 40-11 mark. Against Alli, he won the war but lost the battle.

Can you name any?

As one example, Big Courage Tschabalala, whose overhand rights were being comparedby Larry Mercahnt in their devastating effects to Mike Tyson's, turned out to be anyhting but courageous after being whipped by Darryl Wilson and Bryan Scott.

As someone else said, "once that aura of invincibility has been shattered, they never are the the same. Sometimes, they even disappear forever, or, at best, go on to fight a few more times against guys we never heard of with 20-15 records, and then retire. It's kind of sad."


Miguel Cotto might never be the same after that loss to Margarito. I don't believe he will be back in the same contention as he once enjoyed. That loss was more of a psychological trouncing, one that he had never experienced before. The guy just took 2 knees, and showed he was spent. Couldnt even stand up to fight. He has to wonder about his stamina, his willingness to stand and fight to the end, like Norton and Holmes and Frazier and Ali did.


What do you think? Any examples?

I mean a legit title, not the one Botha and Holyfirld are fighting for. IBO, IBF, WBC, WBA, Etc. To strat things off my favorite in Michael Watson hands down. His almost fatal injury prevented him from going on to win a title. Another might be Carl 'The Cat" Thompson who fought in the mold of Brit wariors of the past and who once stopped David Haye in a closet classic, I have some old schools guys as well, but I'll hold off for now, Who are yours?

Some guys never really got the respect due them until they proved their mettle in the ring, albeit in a losing efoort which then defined their career to that point and perhaps positioned them to bigger and better things. Certainly, Vital's loss to Lennox Lewis might have been one, and for sure Rogers "The Tiger" Mtagwa game but losing effort against Juan Manual Lopez was one. Can you identify any others? Well, can you??

Maybe Mijares and Cotto seems to be working at it. Pittsburg Steelers, of course, but thiis is boxing. Roy has gone 5-5 and has been starched 3 times badly. My own theory is that it has a lot to do with the muscle mass he lost after the Ruiz fight coming down for Tarver. He looked guant and hallow in that  first Tarver fight. He should have waited until his body fully recovered, but that's just a theory. What do you think?

How about you

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