They say your first defence is your hardest

Is it?

Hear comentators saying it all the time, yet I watch quite a lot of boxing and don't remember a tough first defence!

They said it for Haye, Hatton, Khan amongst others I have seen very recently and they all blew out an opponent.

I doubt it, look at some other first title defenses....I guess if you're Hasim Rahaman its true

well the same could be said for Jermain Taylor

You think Hopkins was more difficult than Pavlik at that stage of JT's career?

Ali surely doesn't qualify for this, neither does Larry Holmes

I was racking my brains trying to think of tough first defences, but I guess you have to go back further than my memmory works. Back the the old days when titles really meant something and you had less choice over who you fought.

Can't be true for Welterweights can it? Isn't there a curse surrounding unified champs in that division? They can't make more than 2 title defenses before losing? The names that pop out to me in that instance: De la Hoya, Mosley, Forrest, Mayorga, Spinks


Perhaps they mean "Your first EVER title defense is the hardest" I can kind of see that being the case as if you just achieved your goal of winning a world title you may get complacent or preoccupied with fame and fortune and forget to train hard etc.

Are "they" also the ones who says a fighter becomes 10% better after he wins a title??

I think they are saying mentally you have climbed the mountain and motivation wise it is hard to find a new challenge so you are more likely to slip up if you are not ready like Bruno. :)

Carl Froch.