Worst excuse for a loss?

Johnson's "fix" against Willard was pretty shallow, sad reaching.

 

It's "Silly" excuses are you not aware of the antioxidant benefits involved in the holy fruit?
Only juice real men have in boxing, is Blue Berry flavoured.

 

Not an overt excuse because he basically acknowledged Joe’s superiority, but after the Louis fight, Max Baer said there was something wrong with his legs and they “weren’t feeling right” AS IF it was totally unrelated to Louis and the massive shots he laid on Baer’s chin.

Max’s musing was a complaint a LOT of Louis’ victims could’ve attached themselves to. The old mysterious leg ailment, particularly pronounced when facing the Brown Bomber - no obvious dots to be joined there.

Galento saying If he was allowed to fight “his”‘fight, the “way” he wanted to fight, he would’ve “moidered” Louis - instead it was Joe who, fighting “his” fight, nearly found himself committing a homicide.

IIRC, Henry Cooper claimed that Ingemar Johansson cleverly manoeuvred Henry into a position where the sun shon directly into Cooper’s eyes - thereby blinding Henry for an instant and allowing my man Ingo to drop the hammer - I’m Ingo’s most blindly loyal fan - but Ingo being smart enough for that…? Hmmm. Sure, Ingo is the GOAT so his boxing IQ had to be high in perfect complement to everything else the Super Swede possessed.

In generic terms, all the fighters who appear to be resigning themselves to and welcoming a stoppage ONLY to vehemently protest same a millisecond after the ref waves it off. Each case is open to subjective interpretation but I think it’s fair to say that cases have existed where a “feigned” protest has been made after the fact has been merely to save face. This concept could include allegedly misheard counts when fighters coincidentally risen just after “10” is tolled - of course there would be legit cases but perhaps others, not so legit.

 

Actually, rather than excusing a loss, Old cash strapped Jack confessed to a “dive” purely for money, the prime motivator.

I imagine if he was offered the same amount of money to simply describe and legitimately reaffirm his loss to Willard, he would’ve done so.

Notably, Johnson never baulked or hedged on his KO loss to Choynski, a non filmed fight back in the dim dark pages of his career - the type of fight he could’ve injected doubt into if he was so inclined. It was certainly a fight often raised to put heavy question on Jack’s beard. Likewise re the Ketchel KD which I personally doubt the legitimacy of anyway.

 

I read an interview somewhere that Hearns claimed the day his match against Hagler, his legs were "gone". He said he doesn't know what happened but his legs weren't there that day so he said he knew the fight wouldn't last the distance and had no choice but slug it out with Hagler.

 

I watched one the other day - an early Rafael Ruelas fight - where he got up straight after the count of 10. It was weird because he looked fine so am still not sure if it was a genuine mistake or not. But the ref seemed to be counting clearly so if he couldn’t follow a count to 10, maybe it’s best he was not allowed to continue.

 

Just to keep it on point Steward claimed that and Hearns told him to stop it and let Marvin have his day or words to that affect when he first brought it up.

 

Excuses are like everybody's behind, everyone has one. My T.I. in Air Force Basic Training used to say that to us when I went thru Basic Training in August 1979 at Lackland AFB San Antonio, Texas. It is true, why can't a fighter that loses just admit they lost to a better opponent? Be a good sport?

 

Yeah he said that in the interview and told Emmanuel about it

 

Emanuel did find out about the massage but it was only Steward thrusting it forward. Hearn's just took his lumps like a man and moved toward a rematch.

 

"Gypsy magic has been cast on me."
After fight Wilder v Fury III

 

I was buffaloed by the press into thinking that I could knock him out early.

Jerry Cooney

 

I think

That was before the George Foreman fight.

 

Great saying, and I was right behind you - Basic in August 1983 at Lackland. Were you housed in old barracks or new? We - kind of - lucked out with the new "dorms." Lucked out in the sense they were brand spanking new, but when the AC quit, there were no windows to open for ventilation. Some rather uncomfortable nights there ...