Can Quitters Ever Be Forgiven Or Is It "Once a Quitter Always A Quitter"?

[MODAPHUKA]

99.9% of the people who criticize "quitting" would have quit in the 1st training session. And if they would have made it through the training camp , they would have quit after the 1st punch or 1st round.

So why take their opinion seriously in the first place.

It's them who go up in the ring. I believe every fighter has confidence until they get hit or see something we don't see once they are in the ring.

The word quitting makes it seem like something to be ashamed of. I like to think of it as a realization , accepting reality. If they can't go on or feel they can't win then it's their decision.

[I Love Jesus!]

Retire is not quiting! Dawson tried his best to get on track and be competitive but he had nothing to give! He retired! Cotto also, theres a time to loose the fight but try and come back to right the wrong.

I agree what someone else said about people here getting in the ring and actually experiencing when things turn "red" and your breathing is interupted and your arms become heavy beyond belief! This sport isn't soccer or tennis the consequences in boxing are life threatening! Ray

How many fights did you have?

[MisterHardtop]

Quitting during a boxing match is generally considered taboo and usually frowned upon by the audience, the critics and even the boxers own team. It is a decision which often lingers with a fighter for much, if not all, of his career.

A few examples include Devon Alexander who quit against Bradley, Vitali Klitschko who quit against Byrd, Chad Dawson quitting against Ward and, perhaps the most prolific in recent times, Victor Ortiz quitting against Maidana. The list goes on, quitting isn't the most uncommon act in the ring, this is a brutal sport.

But can quitters ever be forgiven and can they eradicate the label of being a "quitter" or is it something that is permanently engraved onto their legacy and in fact has a direct impact when considering that fighters resume and historical status? Is it "Once a quitter, always a quitter" or do certain fighters remove the "quitter" label through their subsequent achievements?

First of all, watching the sport as long as I have and I'm sure many other members here have, we know what boxers go through, in fact I've seen their training regiments first hand. I watched Benn go through hell for Eubank and I saw the great Leonard struggling to get into his best shape for Camacho. Being a boxer is hell, it's solitary and when you win everyone basks in the glory, when you lose, you are on your own.

Quitting, giving up, stepping back when the going gets too tough happens in all sports, we've seen it in football and we've seen it very recently in cricket. In fact, we see failure or momentary loss of motivation in everyday life...in boxing, the manliest and more brutal of sports, it is amplified a thousand times. Giving in is seen as absurd, even though it may be the most logical thing under the circumstances. How many men can truly fight with a broken jaw? A broken hand? A broken nose? I've been in my fair share of what yanks call "bar room brawls" and breaking a nose is not a pleasant experience.

There are instances when a fighter quits and it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, a young Ortiz in a war against Maidana, Duran against Leonard and for intents and purposes, Harrison not turning up against Haye. They were all quits in the worst sense of the word but of all those names, Duran acquitted himself, Ortiz fell further into the well of irrelevance and Harrison hung around like a bad smell. Some can be forgiven, most can not.

I have never believed a fighter who is legitimately injured and suffering greatly from a break or dislocation, who decides to stop fighting, should ever be labeled a quitter. It isn't fair, Vitali tore his rotator cuff, how is that a quit? That is in complete contrast to Alexander who, although cut was not badly injured or hurt yet he just didn't want to fight and seemed ready to quit 2 rounds before he actually did.

There is a difference and we has fans must learn to recognise it.