The Scorched Earth Double Lick-Back: Single Wins Avenged In Dominant Fashion Twice (Or More) Over

Examples:

Johnny Saxton defeats Carmen Basilio via UD15 to lift his welterweight championship...only to drop it via TKO9 in their rematch six months later, and then get squashed inside two rounds in their immediate rubber match in a failed attempt to rebottle lightning and regain the gold.

Likewise, in 1976 a young and still developing Marvelous Marvin Hagler would lose to Willie "Worm" Monroe not long after also losing to Boogaloo Bobby Watts. He would avenge both (his only defeats until SRL well over a decade later) but Bobby only had to suffer the "Destruct & Destroy" wrath the once for his MD upset. Willie got crushed an extra time for good measure for the crime of taking a unanimous decision.

Et cetera.

 

Perfect examples.

Tarver may not have stopped Jones in the "got any excuses tonight, Roy?" rubber match but he did dominate - lapping RJJ in both punches thrown & landed. Classic double lick-back.

As for Pacquiao, yeah, he was upset fair and square by Morales the first time but wasn't satisfied with knocking him out to even the score. Their final encounter was difficult to watch, Morales battered around the ring like a cat toy until finally slumping down to a seated position glancing imploringly at his father and looking utterly finished as a fighter.

 

Very good, but I'm hesitant to co-sign the Ali mention just because II & III can easily IMO be scored for Norton (especially the latter) - while the great one came moments away from losing in Manila but for the actions of his and Frazier's coaches. Joe wanted to head out for the last round, and Muhammad didn't. Dundee and Futch decided that contest. Either way, it wasn't a domination - although Ali was up on the judges' scorecards.

 

In the 42nd round of their maiden contest on September third of 1906, Joseph Gant, nicknamed "The Old Master" and better known as "Joe Gans", defeated "Durable Dane" Oscar Mattheus Nielsen (aka Battling Nelson) via DQ to retain the world lightweight title. Incidentally, as of this bout Gans was the reigning "colored" world titlist and Nelson had just captured the "whites' championship" - both of which would see their lineages phased out before the decade was through.

In the summer of 1908, however, the Dane would claim the main prize of the 133lb division (as it was then delineated) by knocking out the American in the seventeenth round. Not even two months later - six days after the anniversary of their 1906 meeting, Nelson would knock Gans out again to retain the belt in round 21.

80 rounds in the ring together, mind you. That's equivalent to at least a pair of trilogies in the modern era.

Lest you think Gans' victory was some chintzy affair, btw - he was the rightful victor in '06, putting on a counter punching clinic despite being weight drained and dropping Nelson multiple times until the desperate and sun-blinded challenger landed an enormous accidental low blow to foul out. That said, Nelson vs. Gans II and III both saw the pendulum swing all the way in the other direction. One star was ascendant; the other winding down. Nelson's career would extend nine more years; Gans' barely even another six months.

 

I know there's a tiny bit of footage of Gans vs. Nelson I, and there is mention of a four reel film of their "battle in Colma, CA" that played nationwide in theaters (but that could refer to either the rematch or rubber match, both taking place in the same venue) but does anybody know if there's more to be found?