Phoenices: Greatest stretches between defeats.

A less discussed metric, but one that is worth celebrating in a sport that places such a high premium on both consistently producing over lengthy periods, as well as overcoming adversity.

This is pointedly excluding fighters that retire undefeated, so don't bother mentioning JCC Sr.'s initial run of 89-0-1, nor the blemish-free records of PBF, Marciano, Wanheng Menayothin (still active but 34 and likely to hang them up soon without many stark risks on the straw landscape), or Joe Calzaghe. We're looking for streaks with losses as bookends, during which a fighter staked their claim on greatness. Prioritizing not just longevity but activity; not just quantity but quality.

1. Joseph Louis Barrow, 6/19/36 (
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   14 years, 3 months. 34-0 (29). Won the NBA, NYSAC, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles and made 25 defenses. Avenged the loss to Schmeling via KO.
   
   
2. Bernard Humphrey Hopkins Jr., 5/22/93 (
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   12 years, 2 months. 24-0-1-1 (14). Won the IBF middleweight title and made 20 defenses (later adding the WBC title with 7 defenses and the WBA, RIng, and lineal championships with 6). Avenged the loss to Jones, albeit not within this unbeaten streak.
   
   
3. Wladimir Wladimirovitsch Klitschko, 4/10/2004 (
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   11 years, 7 months. Won the IBF heavyweight title and made 18 defenses (later adding the WBO with 14 defenses, the Ring and lineal HW titles with 11 defenses, and WBA title with eight defenses). Avenged the loss to Brewster via KO.
   
   
4. Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, 3/9/76 (
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   11 years, 1 month. 36-0-1 (32). Won the WBA, WBC, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles and made 12 defenses (later adding the IBF title as the organization's inaugural middleweight champ, with 5 defenses). Avenged the loss to Monroe twice over.
   
   
5. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, 7/11/96 (
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   11 years, 1 week. Won the Lineal & WBC Flyweight titles and made 17 defenses. Avenged the loss(es) to Pahayahay once, by UD on the road to becoming champion.

 

Ah! Thank you, knew there was another recent one.

 

^ and the last five years of that (Darchinyan through Arce) was shit-hot, just chock-a-block with excellent wins.

 

That was 8 years, 5 months. But yeah, whole chronologically a bit short of the rest of these guys there is a hell of a lot accomplished in that span (including vengeance over LaMotta 4x over..)

 

Bookends, mate. As in they lost at least twice in their career. Examining the space between losses here.

 

The idea being "you not only came back from defeat, but you came back and dominated at the highest level of competition available for quite a while".