How much weight do you give early-career losses?

See Mike Weaver.

 

It's not a big deal, more important is what they learnt and how they come back.

 

Zero, none, nada, zilch, to me the 0 on the record is extremely OVER RATED, case in point Bernard Hopkins lost his first pro fight, Manny Paq was knocked out early in his career, and Wladimir Klitchko was beaten and stopped by Ross Purrity way back in 1998, and look where he is now, it's all how you come back that matters..

 

As long as that particular fighter achieved his potential not really sure if it does matter at all. Magoo made sense when saying maybe in an all time comparison tie breaker it might make sense. Holmes lost his ass to Wells twice and Bobick once but that obviously didn't matter in the long run except maybe Larry gaining the knowledge to avoid southpaws at all costs.

 

It depends on the circumstance, sometimes we see a flaw that will be repeated under the same style or circumstance and sometimes we see flaws or mistakes that can be adjusted or corrected. Boxing as well as life is a learning experience, sometimes we can learn by others mistakes and sometimes we learn from our own and sometimes our correction can not remedy

 

:deal. Klompton was arguing with me the other day about George's Carpentier and he jumped on a couple of brave losses when Carp was only 18 (and only just!) to guys who were 28 and had fought like a 100 fights against a who's who of the era as some kind of proof that he was not all that - bugs the hell out of me when people don't even take the time to put things into context or think outside the box that there may have even been over riding circumstances either

 

I agree.

Often though it's match Making. There is only so many times any fighter can be evenly matched and be expected to win. that's why during the development stage matching is extremely shrewd for all successful fighters. Young boxers should not be evenly matched until they have found their level. Profesional boxing has become more about keeping prospects winning until they find their level. Otherwise If he is still developing any great fighter can be beaten at any given time.

For any fighter to reach their potential, even the greatest of them all need to be matched gently with all the advantages to begin with and gradually step up the matching as they go on. If a journeyman has a good night against a great fighter in the making, good for him, but he did not beat the best version?