as boxing fans we argue on forums over boxers excuses. some we accept and some we dont accept. these excuses are used as reasons for the boxers defeat. lets look at a few excuses and wether they are legit excuses or not. 1/. THomas Hearns broke his famous right-hand in the opening round against Hagler - Legit yes/no 2/. Jack Dempsey took a dive against Fireman Flynn for $400 after not eating for 3 days - Legit yes/no 3/. LaMotta threw Cerdan to the floor in the 1st round damaging his shoulder otherwise Cerdan would have beaten him - Legit yes/no 4/. Referee counted too fast/premature stoppage when Lennox could carry-on against McCall - Legit yes/no 5/. Muhammad Ali had his jaw broken against Norton in the 2nd round which resulted in his loss - Legit yes/no 6/. Holyfield had heart problem/murmer in 3rd Bowe fight - Legit yes/no 7/. Vitali injured his shoulder otherwise would have beat Byrd - Legit yes/no 8/. Golota would still have beaten Bowe twice if he did not commit all those fouls - Legit yes/no 9/. Johnson gave Langford worse beating of his career but because he would not give him a rematch means Langford could beat him - Legit yes/no 10/. Hagler won because Leonards punches was only pity paty punches - Legit yes/no Feel free to add other excuses you feel warrant debate
I think some are legit yes, but in the case of Golota for example, he went on to have a track record of folding under pressure, so with him, I would say no. Bowe did something to make Golota want to quit and get out of the fight and that was he just kept fighting back hard.
I don't believe any excuse is legitimate. However I feel circumstances can be looked upon differently. in the case of a successful rematch. In fact I do buy into injury excuses. Losing due to injury isn't a really loss in my eyes. Vitali to byrd, pea in his last fight, so on and so forth. If an injury prevents you fighting on the result shouldn't be held against you. Other than that I can't think of any valid excuse. For example I believe lewis is a better fighter than rahman but I don't buy into "it was a lucky punch as lewis proved in the rematch". The way I see it lewis lost to the better man, rahman did the same in the next match.
Who ever has there name before the W, UD, SD, KO or TKO wins. I don't want to hear anything else. Unless it is one of my favorite fighters.
One of the most ridiculous,is one made on behalf of George Foreman losing to Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Young. "George lost to these men because of the heat" Some wail. They forget that Muhammad and Jimmy did n't have air cons in Zaire and Puerto Rico either ! Definitley NOT legit.
1. Not legit. Hearns broke his hand hitting Hagler, something he has to do have a chance to win the fight. Hagler had a famously hard head, that's what Hearns was up against. Hearns was a power puncher. Something has to give. 2. Semi-legit. Dempsey might have taken a dive, that rumour was going around persistently since very early on. Who knows ? It's worth bearing in mind because the result goes against the form of both fighters severely. There were a lot of "dark tales" about Dempsey's pre-title years, I suspect much of which is true. He was a desperate man on the margins. Before he made it big and re-invented himself as a gentleman celebrity. 3. Semi-legit. The injury seems more of a "fluke" than anything. Maybe he missed a punch and ripped a muscle, maybe he fell and aggravated it, maybe he was pushed. It's all part of the game, and maybe his age was a factor too, so excuses don't wash it away - but it seems very unfortunate. 4. Not legit. The referee makes a judgment call for the fighter's own safety. Lewis fell in to the referee, suggesting he was in a very very bad way. 5. Not legit. Ali had a broken jaw because Norton beat him up. 6. Not legit. Bowe beat Holyfield up again, fair and square. 7. Legit. Vitali was ahead on points and Byrd's not KOing him. On the other hand, Byrd's win was legit too, because Vitali just quit. 8. Not legit. Golota deserved to lose those fights, and there's no telling why he did it or what extra effect it had on Bowe. Maybe Bowe psyched Golota out by taking all his LEGAL punches, so Golota quit in fear. Who knows ? The guy was a maniac and it's a disgrace that he got a shot at Lewis's title on the strength of the Bowe fights. 9. Not legit. Johnson would be favourite against Langford, in my opinion. 10. Semi-legit. It all depends on who's doing the scoring !
Just to expand, when I saw injury that obviously excludes injuries caused by punches. Norton broke ali's jaw with a punch. Legit. Lewis cut vitali with a punch. Legit. Louis knocked out walcott with a punch. legit. Broken ribs, jaws or anything by a punch in that fight is legitimate in my eyes. Vitali tearing a rotator cuff, greb breaking an arm, langford having a pre-fight detached retina etc. Those losses aren't really to be held against them.
Not legit. There's no rule against shitting between rounds, and they should have buckets in the corner.
