Fernando Geurrero getting that ass beat by Grady brewer..
Zab was more than a prospect by this time, but a younger and huge favorite. Kostya took him to chin school.
That KO was the first time I've ever seen a guy get up and then fall after looking like he got hit again. The fall after was harder than the actual contact fall. He did the stanky leg. He even looked te wrong way, away from his opponent. I love Zab , but that's an all time memory burnt into my brain.
There's a big difference between prospect and contender. Not to mention prospect and former champion. Prospect and actual champion? I'm not even gonna bother with that one. Damn near all the ones mentioned don't even apply.
Joe Calzaghe-Jeff Lacy
Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik/Felix Trinidad
Michael Grant-Lennox Lewis
Ray Mercer-Jesse Ferguson/Larry Holmes
Jesse James Leija-Juan Lazcano
Reggie Johnson-William Guthrie
Carl Froch-Lucian Bute
Wladimir Klitschko-David Haye
Lacy, Bute, Haye and Trinidad where actual champions when they lost. Pavlik, Mercer and Guthrie were former champions. Lazcano (who didn't even lose) and Grant were contenders. None of them were close to being consider a young prospect.
Leija-Bojado. Guerrero-Brewer and Thompson-Haye apply. Those are good examples of prospect vs verteran. The rest are just moronic examples
Not when he lost to Thompson. Thompson had been around years and been dropped in nearly all his later fights, lost 6 times KO'd 5. He had just beaten Rothman but took an absolute hiding before stopping Rothman and he then retired. Haye was coming through and brought Thompson out of retirement to have his name on his record and the concesus was that Haye would rip right through him but after throwing everything at Thompson and failing even to drop him, he started getting tagged himself. He got dropped and was on shaky legs while Thompson wailed away and the ref had to jump in and save him at the same time Booth was throwing the towel in![]()
I dunno meing, Guthrie had a trinket but in reality he was as pure untested 'prospect' as they come. Took courts and judges for a shot at a stripped gimme trinket and then pole axed by written off inactive, totally unranked veteran in Johnson, who was jumping up not one but two weight classes. Poor dude peaked and crashed for good all in 4+ rounds?! I got Rubio clowning Bojado above Leija pulling it off.
What some here fail to realize is that because fighters are protected nowadays, and only fight maybe 4 times per year, and there's not too many fight-teachers anymore, the result is guys nowadays become champions without learning the nuances of their trade. When they do finally end up in deep waters, they don't have an answer. They literally don't know what to do when there reasonably-limited way of fighting isn't working.
The old way, guys fought every month on the way up against all kinds of styles which meant they really learned their trade before getting a title-shot, they usually took a couple of early losses because they were over-matched or the test was a little too much for the undeveloped fighter at the time. They learned how to switch gears, to be multi-dimensional. Take Floyd Mayweather, a well-schooled boxer who baffles his more unrefined opponents, and and whos skills seem extraordinary to some young fans. In the 80s, Floyd's skills wouldn't have been seen as anything out of the ordinary: they were seen as skills every boxer is supposed to work on and develop in that profession. There were guys that were better defensive boxers too like Pernell Whitaker for example. I blame America and their bizarre fixation on being undefeated. The old way, as long as the 2 men fought bravely and put on a great, entertaining show, it didn't matter too much who lost: they'd pay to see him again.
Point being, young fighters used to learn their trade early; they didn't become champions while still undeveloped like nowadays...
Mathews did not school Could but he did hand him his first defeat.
Do not let success go to your head and do not let failure get to your heart.
Randall Bailey flattening Mike Jones was a big recent one that I see nobody has mentioned. I know Randall can bang, but I never saw that outcome.
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