"It is cruel because it is founded on dreams but remorselessly destroys them. It doesn't care and you work with thieves, liars and silver-tongued larcenists. Indeed it's' almost bad as politics in that way, except politics doesn't' spit you out minced up and broke." Brutal sport indeed. What boxers have backstories/careers (tragic ones, if it ain't obvious) that make you shed a tear?
When Juan Laporte's son died in 1986, he was buried along with his father's WBC world title belt. When Jose Suleiman heard this about this, he presented Laporte with a second belt.
It's hard not to cheer for Steve Cunningham when he is trying to pay for his daughter's medical bills.
Not so much backstories but, any fighter that ends up punch drunk and penniless, in particular the fighters that have been champions, too many to single out but the likes of , Chacon, Saad, Gavilan, Wolgast, Kid Mcoy, brave and true champs one and all, so sad... keep safe.
Not a tearful ending so much as beginning, but the thought of little boy Matthew Franklin being abandoned on the street by his parents is heart-wrenching. Someone else can correct me on details, but all he knew was that his name was Matthew and he was given to the care of nuns in a convent — they gave him the name Franklin because he was found on Franklin Street. Grew up, took up boxing, became a Muslim and was a celebrated world champion with as much heart as anyone has ever seen — Matthew Saad Muhammad.
Unfortunately there are far, far too many tragic stories. Johann ‘Rukeli’ Trollmann murdered at Wittenberge always stood out for me. A brave and decent man.