A man who never gives up is hard to beat

Are we looking for just specific nights, or broader cases of great in-ring juggernaut comebacks following someone going through personal or professional trials?

 

PEDs helped him

 

Beau Jack against Ike williams.....

 

Battling Nelson

 

See, now this is a disrespectful comment (even if you are of the opinion that he was on stuff for a significant portion of his career, that changes nothing of the willpower he showed in that period...there are no such things as "mental toughness" enhancing drugs, after all) - yet everybody jumps on me for tongue-halfway-in-cheek bringing up a legitimate instance of him reaching the point of giving up, even if very late in his career and even if under circumstances where he can technically say he didn't quit even though he was clearly about to. :-(

 

Yes it does because EPO improves your stamina - so you can 'dig deep' - steroids give you extra strength - as a combo pretty decent.

 

but you still have to make the choice to dig deep or not, regardless of if you are on epo or not. That choice is made by character, and no drug can replace that character.

in fact, use of epo indicates a lack of ability to dig deep, because you need to cut corners.

epo represents the opposite of never giving up.

 

and almost every other top fighter over the last 25+ years.

 

Loads of examples...boxing is the truth serum after all.

I forget the guy's name (hell, even his opponents name) but many years ago an American journeyman was brought to these shores as a record-padder for a local prospect.

The guy was getting a pasting and after the 4th round, the broadcast cut to his corner.
His trainer asked him if he wanted to quit, and the journeyman almost jumped off his stool in outrage.
"No, hell no!" He shouted emphatically.

There was no fairy-tale ending. The journeyman lost every round and received a hammering.
BUT he went the distance and finished the fight on his feet. His courage and pride impressed the hell out of me, especially since he could have justifiably quit on his stool or looked for a spot to lie down after a while.
He could have taken the easy route but he stuck it out.

Not quite what the thread is about I know, but that fight will stick with me forever. I just wish I could remember his name.

 

End thread!

 

I think Ali and Holmes are the best examples.These guys never gave up.
The Tyson-Holmes was a good example.Poor Larry how tried to survive-Tyson chased him
like a cold blooded hunter- and "punched back" in the corner before the last destroying Tyson punch.

 

Absolutely incorrect. Physical stamina and willingness to compete after taking damage and tiring are two different things. One can be artificially enhanced, the other can't.

 

Yes they are distinct. I am deeply against PEDs, but one can take them & still have great will.

Though if you have more stamina & strength it is harder to get to the point of being tested, & these factors & the "hyped up" energy can be masquerade as toughness.

Many used PEDs & you cannot prove a negative, anybody COULD have, just like all of us COULD be wife or GF beaters.

But I will not accept anything like most all top fighters since the 80's without evidence, & that evidence does not remotely exist.

 

Never a truer word spoken.

 

You are wrong here. As I said EPO vastly improves stamina and therefore when a fight goes into the later rounds an increase in stamina or 'energy' becomes a factor, a fighter can throw more punches and move better etc.

While I agree that physical effects of taking a punch can not be changed, the 'natural' boxer gets tired while the 'juiced up' fighter will not (so quickly) and has a chance to come back late in a fight - to the outsider this would look like a heroic performance.

I was a big Holyfield fan until I found out about this aspect of his career.