Recovering from a loss for the first time

Exactly what Anthony Joshua did.

 

The old timers often had losses in spades because every other year they were mixing it with the best so it was never a big thing unless they were a Robinson or Pep haha so for those old school scrappers it is what it is- Modern fighters of the Tszyu cloth learned a lot in defeat and became a better boxer for it same as AJ. Monzon had a pretty good rebound from a pair of losses I hear

 

Very true, Anthony Joshua with Andy Ruiz, he did prepare better and the strategy that was devised to defeat Ruiz was perfect, movement, and better use of the jab. Carlos Monzon suffered three decision losses early in his career, then went 82 fights without a loss dating back to Oct 9 1964, until his retirement as champion on Aug 29 1977.

 

I think that when a fighter tastes a loss for the first time, it is like a measuring stick. The fighter sees what he needs to improve on, learns of his mistakes. When the immortal Joe Louis lost to Max Schmeling in 1936, Max noticed that Louis dropped his guard when throwing a punch and was open for a right hand. Joe worked on that weakness, and in 1938 he destroyed Max in round 1. Sometimes with a defeat you grow.

 

RJJ was basically gone after his first proper loss. To be fair he was 35 and coming off a long and continuous amateur and professional career but his decline was shocking. A guy like Glen Johnson would’ve looked stupid against Jones a few short years previously but he turned his lights out.

Jeff Fenech was similar. Admittedly he fought in a gruelling style but he hadn’t had that many fights and was still relatively young when he got his comeuppance against Azumah Nelson in the rematch. He was a nonentity on the world stage afterwards.

Then again a guy like Holyfield after losing his first fight despite giving a lion hearted display with Bowe went back to the drawing board, remedied some faults and was a world class fighter for close to another decade despite an advanced age.

Ali was another who had the indomitable self belief to rebound and reach the top again after losing his 0 to Frazier and suffering a further setback with Kenny Norton.

Lennox Lewis’s comeback from the McCall disaster was one of the more impressive comebacks from a first loss I’ve seen. He was clearly tentative in his first few fights back from a one punch KO understandably but he grew, improved and learnt from that setback.

In a nutshell I think the toughest minds and characters who still have some physical capabilities left are more than capable of coming back from their first loss. A loss definitely doesn’t necessarily mean the end even in this era when people put undue stock in an unblemished record.

 

It really shouldn't be a big deal. If you are a fighter, and have been a fighter, long enough to become an undefeated pro, getting your butt kicked is nothing new. It has happened in sparring and in amateur fights; anyone that denies it is either lying or has been so coddled that they really have no claim to being a fighter.

What makes it so crushing these days is that a loss can be crushing financially- it can be nearly impossible to come back from. That takes the wind out of many guys on the way up. We live in an era where even supposedly knowledgeable fans think that a guy has been "exposed" if he goes the distance, loses a round or gets hit, much less lose a fight.

The days of taking a chance with a clever opponent and risking a loss for the education are long gone. You try to learn those lessons in the gym but it isn't even vaguely the same thing. Now, if you lose, you find the worst opposition that you can, get several blowout victories and say that you're back.

Learning how to fight, to really be a fighter, is a hard and bumpy road and nobody is going to risk it.

 

Great post Griffo.

 

Hey JT. How are you doing? We're all set to be back to normal by June 21st here which is a shame as I won't have an excuse for everyone keeping away from me then.

Have a look at the one under it, too, by @greynotsoold. Really good common sense post that sounds like there's a bit of experience behind it as well.

 

“Pain is inevitable, Suffering is optional”

 

Hi Ed. Been lucky here my city has not had a case in many many months. Possibly about 8 months.


GNSO has made quite a few top posts of late with that being another of course.

 

Yes, years ago back in the day, if a fighter lost he lost. He came back, got back on the road and started up all again.
Nowadays it just seems that bit harder and more of a big deal if a winning record goes south.
One man around now tho, who hasn't let it deter him is Pac-Man, he's proven you can come back from some prrety conclusive defeats.

 

Kostya Tszyu was another guy who really adapted brilliantly after his first loss. He underestimated Vince Philips, and he was badly, badly embarrassed as a result. That was one of the top 3 upsets of the 1990s. I think people forget what a big deal that fight was.

After that fight Tszyu trained like a monk for all of his fights. Too bad his body didn't hold up better because he wasted about a third of his prime doing physical therapy.

 

Excellent. He actually attributes this loss to his future successes saying it pushed him to become a professional athlete and not just a professional boxer.

https://www.theleader.com.au/story/...n-tim-to-learn-lesson-ahead-of-brubaker-bout/

 

It depends, there are so many variables. A fighter can lose a decision by a point or two and with a good trainer make strategy adjustments. Review the film and identify where it was lost. Maybe it was conditioning or focus.
If a guy gets brutally knocked out that brings another element. Overcoming that hurdle depends on the fighters personality, his team, where he is at in his career. Overall damage.
There was a time in boxing that the wise guys said if a fighter doesn't have at least 1 loss going into his first title shot he isn't ready. The chance to grow and learn from a setback. That is not the approach since boxing went Hollywood. Its all about the show.