Fights that ruined a fighter's career , irrespective of win or loss?

Perez was also never the same. Both men gave it all in that fight and neither recovered.

 

Breazeale versus Wilder

Breazeale put his whole career on hold for that fight, in part not wanting to risk his fortuitous mandatory status but also having to wait on Wilder (PBC). Then he disappeared again for a second 18 month stretch following the KO, returning as a resume builder for Wallin (PBC).

He went from durable though limited fringe contender grinding out wins to a joke figure over night.

I hope they paid him well for that KO loss (which I recall wasn't on PPV), as it would have no doubt been a PPV in the UK had he fought Whyte.

 

Bradleys win over Provodnikov imo. Dont think he was the same fighter after that brutal war.

 

I would say Ivan baranchucks last fight against Zepeda. He had no punch resistance against love, his corner bailed him from another multiple knockdown back and forth fight of the year type battles again.

I would also have to say the obvious Fernando Vargas, after his whipping from Tito Trinidad

And then these days, aj to a certain extent lost his mode from fat slob Ruiz who beat it outta him.

The one I'm NOT hoping for is WILDER- fury. I am a deontay wilder fan and I hope he has most of his mojo for the rematch.

 

Mind you, fighters that could never wilt or break: jmm, Manny Pacquiao. No Floyd and Cotto nor Hatton! Pbfm hands are ruined. 1st Margarito fight face turned to bloody mess crying tears of blood. Hatton: ruined mentally on the booze and all. Jmm and PAC indomitable will power and toughness. Look what jmm did to Diaz: turned him pannicky over a cut caused by a punch. Look at Manny: broke down the great Erik Morales and so on and so forth

 

Wilfredo Gomez ruined Carlos Zarate pretty badly after giving him a humiliating beating. Lost that aura of invincibility. Ironically Gomez also lost his aura of invincibility after receiving a thrashing at the hands of Salvador Sanchez.

Jeff Fenech is also another fighter that got ruined after getting robbed of a win against Azumah Nelson, who would then KO him in the rematch. Fenech was no longer the force of nature he once was after the Nelson rematch.

 

Brutal fight between Robert Quiroga and Akeem Anifowoshe where both guys were completely ruined after the fight, with Anifowoshe succumbing to the punishment and later brain damaged to death.

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How would it makes sense to mention Sanders or Brewster? Vlad went on to reign for an unprecedented amount of time after those losses. Not exactly a "ruined" career back in the mid 00's

 

If that's true, then that's the sign of a mentally weak fighter. I would point out that many of his fans argued that the stoppage wasn't legitimate in the Ward rematch and that Kovalev was on his way to winning again in their mind before he was hit low repeatedly as they claimed and the fight was stopped too soon. That whole narrative doesn't really jive with the idea that he mentally unraveled after the first fight and decided not to train for the rematch.

It makes much more sense that the two fights vs Ward themselves took a lot out of Kovalev, particularly the rematch, rather than the decision of the first fight being what caused him to spiral out of control. Fans who make that kind of argument that a close decision loss would destroy a fighter sounds like spin to blame Kovalev's post-Ward career on the judges rather than what Ward did to him.

 

No. Barrera roont him. Roont.

 

Before my time but following his career in films it always seemed to me that Joe Frazier lost something after he beat Muhammad Ali in their first fight.

 

Sure, but back then people said that Sanders/Brewster had finished him. I meant in the past sense.

 

It helps when you are juiced to the gills like Mosely.

 

In this day and age most would be. The longevity of modern fighters is inexplicable otherwise.
Training camps would ruin many of these ancient boxers.

 

True.