really hurt your rep? I say they do in some way because now they remember the good with the bad and the image you used to have start to fade away. This seems to be the case with just about everyone I know.
At the time it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I was at an age where I only really remember Ali/Holmes and Ali/Berbick, but time is a great healer and in due course them bad memories are wiped out and the good ones come back. Obviously the longer a potential great hangs on, the longer it takes to wipe the memory out (hope you are reading this, Evander), but in the end the good stuff always comes to the top.
Seeing holmes get his head nearly ripped of by a young vicious tyson was quite sad,holmes for me should have never took the fight on,i agree that some guys need to stop when they are past it. Problem is though,when do you know your past it?,look at holyfield he still will not accept that fact,guess also if your in money problems and the only good thing you can do is box,then thats what you need to do. Thats why im glad rocky marciano never came back,to fight liston or patterson,if he had got a bad beating(id have picked him over patterson just,but not against liston then,a younger rocky would have been a good fight imo)it would have ruined his record and public image.
Late losses didnt affect Louis, ali, Leonard, Robinson etc etc etc. its apart of the game and always has been. Fighters should be remembered for their prime, not there decline.
It would obviously be better if they didn't have the late losses, but I think it doesn't affect too much the reputation.
I think Terry Norris's losses to Laurent Boudouani, Dana Rosenblatt and Keith Mullings hurt his legacy very badly. Especially because he was actually in his prime when he fought them. Therefore, one could reasonably conclude that he sucked......
I dont think a loss late in a fighter's career (or past his best weight) should hurt his atg ranking or rep . But a win in the same circumstances should enhance a fighter's legacy . If a fighter is beaten by a bigger guy , then it can be blamed on size , if a fighter beats a bigger guy , then he has done something special . In terms of legacy , moving up in weight or fighting past prime can be a win-win situation . In terms of it being a sad spectacle to see though, it is far from win-win. It hurts to see Tyson fighting past prime without any head-movement . Still everytime he would sign for another fight , he would make a believer out of every real fan of his , we were just thinking wishfuly , it would be the best thing ever if he could turn back the clock
This is pretty much my view of things. As much as I recognize that fighter's age and aren't always at their peaks when they fight, they are professional fighters, which to me means anytime they get in the ring the results count, period. This applies to Tyson, to Lewis, to Ali, to them all. Yes one can give them some leeway if they loose late in their careers, but the bottom line to me is that if they don't want the results to count, then they shouldn't get in the ring. They outcome can't be only upside, meaning if they win it counts, but if they loose it doesn't.
I don't like setting double standards myself, but this is one possible area where a rare double standard could be set. If a fighter wins at an advanced age and after returning from a layoff, such as in Larry Holmes' case, a win over a young ranked fighter like Mercer, is very impressive especially given the disadvantage of being past prime. If he losses under such circumstances, then I agree it should count, but not without making an allowence.
I understand your point , and quite right aswell , but only in theory . The reallity is not the case , it is wrong to hold Aaron Pryor's 1 loss against him when assessing his atg legacy, or to hold Holmes' mauling against Tyson over him . But when Duran triumphed over Davey Moore and when Eder Jofre came back at 126 , they are very significant in a great way . Like I said , you are right in theory only (just my opinion) here
No, it affects your standing in the eye of the public for maybe a few years or so, but they soon forget all that. People are already looking at Roy Jones's ATG standing while writing off what happened to him, and he's still fighting! I think you're the only one who sees Leonard for his losses to Norris and Camacho.
Agreed. You're supposed to lose when past your prime, but if you can somehow pull off a great win when the odds are stacked against you, it's a great accomplishment.