Thread: Fighters unfairly attached to a loss.

I know I am new here and this may have been done to death but if not I will throw it out there (and hopefully not get massacred by the masses) How many fighters can you name that no matter what they achieve there will be the one loss that they can not escape. In a way where it is almost unfair the way the loss follows them around for the remainder of time. I'll start out with a few.

Mike Tyson's loss to Buster Douglas. People who do not even follow the sport will bring this up. Other then his prison record it is the one thing he can not escape. Even people who praise him feel the need to mention it.

Joe Louis loss to Max Schmelling. Have you ever seen a documentary about Louis that did not mention the loss?

Roy Jones KO loss to Tarver. Sometimes it seems like Jones did nothing in his career but lose to Tarver by brutal KO. I remember seeing Tarver on Friday Night Fights and they introduced him at the studio with Brian Kenny at least 5 times and each time they mentioned he beat Roy Jones.

Wladamir Klitschko and his KO loss to Cory Sanders. It forever labeled him as glass jawed.

Anyone have a few to add

Roberto Duran quitting against Ray Leonard. He never lived it down

Cintron/Margarito I and just about as bad fight II. In my eyes, I'll only ever remember him for sitting down and quitting, then crying like a school girl in the corner. At least in the rematch he didn't cry{at least not for the whole world to see anyways, maybe in the locker room}

Hatton may be remembered for his loss to Mayweather. No shame in losing to Floyd, but getting used as a pinball and bounced off the post is something people don't forget.

Liston /Ali......Both fights



How about Ketchel/Johnson.......every time Ketchel comes up its "He had a set up deal,went for sucker KO &Johnson got pissed and played dentist" ...............Shit,I just did it

Good topic

I think Lennox Lewis is unfairly criticised for his two losses, and many people mention these when trying to make an excuse for him not to be an all time top 5 HW.

Larry Holmes vs Michael Spinks 1.

Nate Campbell losing to Peden was the first one that came to mind, though it was more the manner in which he lost than the fact that he lost.

Meldrick Taylor / Julio C. Chavez 1......

Duran V Leonard 2 -Is probably the most famous for the way it ended.

Hagler v Leonard -The controversy over the decision seems to overshadow
Hagler's reign as a long time champ at 160.


Tszyu v Phillips- Tszyu has copped a lot of flak for losing to Phillips in this one and i think unjustly, shit happens as they say and KT was doing a lot of that pre -fight with a big dose gastro the night before the fight. He cameback strongly after that.

Alexis Arguello vs Aaron Pryor I and II, i think Arguello is far too known for these two fights, and not known enough for his great career at the lower weights.

Great topic in such dry conditions for boxing.

I don't like to think about topics like these, because personally, I don't want to be remembered for one failure of my life. So I hold that to boxers to, at least I hope I do. heheh

I think the guy who said, Roberto Duran just hit it on the nail. It's sad because Duran would have been a champ in any era, but at the same time he did it to himself when he quit, he purposely made the mistake himself albeit a quick decision mistake.

Scares me what one mistake can do to your legacy, but then again, who cares what others think. I'm sure Duran regrets quitting.

I always kinda feel sorry for those rising stars you see greatness in but never get a completely fair crack of the whip because they lost a couple of 4round split decisions early in their careers.

Maybe controversial but Naseem Hamed with his loss to Barrera. His achievemets often get over-looked because he lost to MAB.

I also think David Haye was attached to his loss to Thompson unfairly. To me he learnt so much in that fight. It helped make him the fighter he is today. I think that fight is forgotten now anyway, but for a while people used to use that fight as an example as to why he'd never be a champ.

Originally Posted by ono

Maybe controversial but Naseem Hamed with his loss to Barrera. His achievemets often get over-looked because he lost to MAB.

I also think David Haye was attached to his loss to Thompson unfairly. To me he learnt so much in that fight. It helped make him the fighter he is today. I think that fight is forgotten now anyway, but for a while people used to use that fight as an example as to why he'd never be a champ.

Barrera was the first naturally gifted fighter to take on hamed and naz got found out against his 1st genuine world class opposition.

Naz had plenty of chances to let his punches go and take the plunge to see whether he or marco was the better fighter - he chose to paw his left hand for 12rounds even after being told endless times by steward he was losing on points!!