Classic Examples of Boxers Brutally KO'd Who Overcame a Major Setback

It was early in both of their careers but lightweight Joe Brown and middleweight Tony Zale went onto thrive after getting starched.

It proved the changing point in each's career.

 

Rocky Lockridge

 

PAC was brutally ktfo twice in his early career, one of which was a low blow and he went on to accomplish greatness.

 

Wladimir Klitschko, of course.

In 2004, who would've thought what he would have accomplished in the next nine years?

Other examples are:

Joe Louis
Jack Dempsey
Sergio Martinez
Manny Pacquiao
Jack Johnson
Thomas Hearns (after the TKO 14 during Leonard I, he achieved even more)

 

Vitali v Pele Reid

 

Sumbu Kalambay
Marlon Starling
Iran Barkley

Loads and loads of fighters.

 

John Ruiz, to be fair.

 

Eusabio Pedroza

 

There are loads of examples and the OP is either too lazy to think of some or has no clue about boxing.

 

Lennox

 

Lucky punch :rasta

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Yep. It's ironic in a way because I wonder how much of an effect the result actually had on Laporte devolving into the inconsistent, one punch at-a-time, lazyarse that he often became, particularly against lesser fighters. He supposedly scraped by Edwin Luis Rivera unconvincingly in his next fight, but then battered Alberto Collazo, ran Pedroza to the wire and convincingly beat Miranda and Castillo. It was against Hayes and De La Rosa that the rot began to really set in just before the Gomez fiasco, and two of his better efforts after then came against Chavez and Nelson, so it supports the notion that he usually brought more of his game to the table against the big guns while coasting against the lesser names. I mean, if you can ice a skilled hardnut like Lockridge with one punch, why put in consistent effort?

 

Rafa Herrera got greased in 3 against Chucho in '69 but went on to have a great career, and Chucho himself had a torrid year 65-66, going 4-4, before going on to do the same.

Carlos Hernandez dealt out a couple of of starchings to Davey Moore (TKO 7) and Carlos Teo Cruz (TKO 2), both of whom went on to good things. Broke Davey's jaw and decked him about 8 times iirc.

Incidentally, I think Teo Cruz is pretty underrated and unfairly dismissed these days. He looks really good on film imo: sort of a smaller, Qawi-like operator with the slick countering overhand right from the low stance. A bit slipperier and more boxing-orientated in the typical Central American/Caribbean mould than someone like Qawi, and with good feet and movement, but without notable punching power or physical strength, which was probably a hinderance considering his style. He was supposedly always in tremendous shape too, had a good chin and was working his way back into contention at the time of his death despite being 32.

 

Though not a particularly good fighter per se even by today's diluted top level standards, I think Matt Macklin has reacquitted really himself well in recent years, considering how brutally his brilliant British title scrap against Moore ended. Scary KO, that one.