Fighters who got more respect after the way they performed in a loss

Yeah I guess getting koed without winning a round is a good thing. It wasn't a great fight, it was a one sided beating. The first round was really the only one competive.

Duran against Hagler is a much much better answer.

 

Holmes after the spinks fight.....

 

The hell...!?

There's a reason why Lewis-Klitschko has been debated for the past seven years, Suzie....And that's because of the way Klitschko managed to exceed expectations going into the fight.

Before stepping into the ring, Vitali was considered to be little more than robotic Euro-trash with limited heart who would quit in the face of the slightest amount of resistance. But, regardless of whether you think he was winning the fight, should have won the fight, or would have won a rematch, the fact remains is that he fought hard and pretty well, and hung tough after sustaining one of the worst cuts in history.

That makes this a classic example of gaining respect after a loss, whether you want to admit it or not.

 

I do not think Ruddock's defeat to Tyson has been mentioned yet.

Andries' defeat to Hearns seemed to get him more kudos than any of his previous wins.

Dave Boy Green's defeat to Palomino.

Camacho certainly gets credit for taking his licking against Chavez like a Macho Man...

Azumah Nelson became a presence in losing to Sanchez.

Mugabi was never more respected than after his defeat to Hagler.

 

I disagree here, Holmes lost a lot of support with the jockstap speech in the post fight interview.

 

i meant in the long run ....

 

Ruiz/Holy 1--Ruiz was thought of as a one of the worst ever to challenge for a belt leading up to this. He wasn't well respected after, but his standing was higher than before.

Hall/Dariusz

 

nah dude, if anything Tyson gets severly underrated for that loss and gets lots of **** for it

i think he redeemed himself against Lennox

 

Foreman got a lot of mileage out of his gallant loss to Holyfield. He took a licking, and kept on ticking. This was different that the loss to Young. That defeat ended his first career. This defeat made his second.

Not really sure I agree about Mugabe. Yes, the loss to Hagler was probably the highlight of John's career, but not and unexpected result. The Beast was already established as a lethally powerful and exciting contender with televised wins over the likes of fellow NBC stars Fletcher, Parker and Green.

Yes, Dempsey did get more respect after the beating he took in blowing his title to Tunney. Jack had been dogged with the draft dodger charge of being a slacker ever since that charge came to light following his sensational coronation in Toldeo. When he entered the ring to defend his title against decorated French war hero Carpentier, the American crowd of over 80,000 attendees blasted him with a withering barrage of boos and jeers. If the radio broadcasts of some of those defenses were to ever be heard, we could listen to those antagonistic reactions for ourselves. But in blowing his title, he took his beating from Tunney like a man. Then:

Wife Estelle Taylor: "What happened Ginsberg?"
Jack: "Honey, I forgot to duck!"

That forever reversed his image and cemented him as a sentimental favorite for the first time.

 

...i guess respect is an okay word for dempsey after tunney I....but i think affection comes closer. he had props as a fighter but was disliked....until the defeat by tunney.

 

Has anybody mentioned Taylor-Chavez?

I've never seen half the boxing world go to bat for the loser like that before. It was one of those rare situations where the fans nearly wrote Chavez's win out of history as a robbery.

That would have been criminal, as Richard Steele did his job, tragically, and Chavez did his, but I'd say Mel earned possibly more respect for that losing effort than any fighter ever.