Quitters...

So many people quit on the brinck of success.. Don't!

If at first you don't succeed... you're not Chuck Norris.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will When the road you're trudging seems all uphill When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh When care is pressing you down a bit Rest! If you must- but never quit! Life is queer, with it's twist and turns As every one of us sometimes learns And many a failure turns about When he might have won if he'd stuck it out Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow- You may succeed with one more blow Success is failure turned inside out- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt- And you never can tell how close you are It may be near when it seems afar So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit- It's when things seem worst that you musn't quit...

That said, if you do choose to give it up in the ring it should only be at a point where you are 100% convinced you are seriously fucked up and cannot continue without permanent or long-term injury, or death. What gets me is that even fighters who are in that position are ridiculed by keyboard warriors and the fight press for wanting to, you know, live to see their loved ones again. Their reasons for quitting are questioned and doubted and considered to be excuses and the fighters are absurdly labelled as cowards, despite their job being to get into the ring one on one with a trained fighter and attempt to knock him out. Like I said earlier muscling through a fight with a serious injury is an admirable thing to do, but failing to muscle through with a serious injury does not make you a coward.

The fighter is in a helluva lot better position to know when he needs to quit on his stool or take a knee than those watching the fight. That said, if you do choose to give it up in the ring it should only be at a point where you are 100% convinced you are seriously fucked up and cannot continue without permanent or long-term injury, or death. You could see McClellan's mind was clouded for the entire round before he chose to let the count slide by, and he didn't look quite right in the round before that. Brows furrowed, reactions slowed...The corner could've stopped it too, if they noticed he wasn't quite right between rounds, but even if they had, maybe they were thinking too much about that golden punch landing.

Tszyu had 2 opponents that night. Hatton and Parris. He does not follow into this category. Got a source for the swelling of the brain? News to me. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21313264-5001023,00.html scroll down to the 6th/7th paragraph.

I agree that the corner should be more willing to step in and help. Re Kostya's swelling on the brain, it was pretty well publicised, here's a source: Kostya Tszyu says he is willing to end his 18-month boxing sabbatical if someone makes him the right offer. Tszyu hasn't been in the ring since June 2005, when he lost his junior world welterweight title to Britain's Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton in 11 rounds. Trainer Johnny Lewis was forced to throw in the towel and Tszyu subsequently received treatment in hospital for a swollen brain. from http://www.abc.net.au/sport/thesportsdesk/posts/20070130.htm

Your making two conflicting points and dont even know it. Ali should have qiut @ a certain point in the game...no doi!:dunce: The author is talking about quitting on your stool or during the fight. Which I totally agree with. I've fought AM's and sparred w/major belt holders. My 1st sparring session was with Ricky Gonzalez...Ams star that beat Joey Gamache. I was gassed and hurt and wanted to quit and stopped for a second....know what he did? Punched me and told me to never quit. Its the same thing. When Golotta quit againts tyson the crowd was very angry but months later it was justified because Golotta could been serously injured if he had continued. Thats the name of the game. Quitting is cowardice and weak. One punch can change a fight and if your not strong enough to accept that and have quitting inside you, then you should hang up the gloves and never bring up that you boxed out of fear that you might get exposed. Remember when Gerald McLelan was on his knees againts Benn? Its Obvious that he can beat the 10 count but he chose to stay down. He immediately stand up after the he was counted out and proceeded to his corner. It was too late. Im sure he'll be hated by the whole world if he quits without being knocked down but guess what? the whole would have quit a few rounds earlier if they're in the same situation and knew what would have happened. If the SAFETY of the Fighter is on the line. would you let hit walk away? Its all about being hurt, and how you react when the shit hits the fan. Thats why storys of boxing are so great. I'm not saying not knowing when to quit taking fights...quitting in the ring is forbidden. If it looks like you might die...then sure...quit...your not a coward. I'm speaking within reason gents. LOL I ve responded without finishing the entire post. :( again if it looks that a fighter can get seriously injured or even die in there then quit. The corner should do this to at least save the fighter some reputation.

I have respect for anyone who steps into the ring, period.

I absolutely hated that book. Just the way it was put together and its really small print and all those damn pages. lol And i hated what was written as well. Didnt get very far

Fretias quit like a bitch against Diaz, he needs a heart transplant. I like that one...heart transplant. Noted!:fing02:

I wasn't referring to ali 's career in any way, just his current physical state. I can't stand the criticism tszyu gets for quitting against hatton, despite the fact that doctors discovered swelling on the brain after the fight. In situations such as this, quitting should not be frowned upon. Tszyu had 2 opponents that night. Hatton and Parris. He does not follow into this category. Got a source for the swelling of the brain? News to me.

It's a slippery slope. I give respect to anybody who steps in the ring, but there are occassions when it feels like a fighter can go on, but decides just to take that check.

Fretias quit like a bitch against Diaz, he needs a heart transplant.

Its all about being hurt, and how you react when the shit hits the fan. Thats why storys of boxing are so great. I'm not saying not knowing when to quit taking fights...quitting in the ring is forbidden. If it looks like you might die...then sure...quit...your not a coward. I'm speaking within reason gents. Agreed. Take Gerald McClellan for example, he quit fighting on because he was about to die. But things like fear, and punishment(not extreme) should not be reasons for a real fighter to quit.

I agree with you Mcnulty, fighters who quit on the stool should just retire, if you are fighting just for the money, and to make it past the 12 round, dont discredit your legacy and cheat the fans.

I wasn't referring to ali 's career in any way, just his current physical state. I can't stand the criticism tszyu gets for quitting against hatton, despite the fact that doctors discovered swelling on the brain after the fight. In situations such as this, quitting should not be frowned upon.

I'd rather a boxer was intelligent enough to quit when he's hurt as opposed to ending up like ali. Your making two conflicting points and dont even know it. Ali should have qiut @ a certain point in the game...no doi!:dunce: The author is talking about quitting on your stool or during the fight. Which I totally agree with. I've fought AM's and sparred w/major belt holders. My 1st sparring session was with Ricky Gonzalez...Ams star that beat Joey Gamache. I was gassed and hurt and wanted to quit and stopped for a second....know what he did? Punched me and told me to never quit. Thats the name of the game. Quitting is cowardice and weak. One punch can change a fight and if your not strong enough to accept that and have quitting inside you, then you should hang up the gloves and never bring up that you boxed out of fear that you might get exposed. Its all about being hurt, and how you react when the shit hits the fan. Thats why storys of boxing are so great. I'm not saying not knowing when to quit taking fights...quitting in the ring is forbidden. If it looks like you might die...then sure...quit...your not a coward. I'm speaking within reason gents.

I'd rather a boxer was intelligent enough to quit when he's hurt as opposed to ending up like ali.