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by David P. Greisman - Fighters who have been defeated aren’t necessarily left at a loss. Few retire unbeaten. Nearly all go on with their careers after suffering their first blemish, or a second, or a third. Many find a way to thrive afterward.
This isn’t a grand revelation. The heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, fought a month ago, notching his 18th straight successful title defense in a reign that began after he’d suffered his third loss by technical knockout. Canelo Alvarez, who lost a clear decision in 2013, drew more than 31,000 people for his fight two weeks ago and pulled in the biggest rating for boxing on HBO since 2006.
This past Friday brought Alexander Povetkin his third straight knockout and earned him another shot at the heavyweight title, an opportunity that comes after a lopsided loss to Klitschko in one of the most aesthetically dreadful heavyweight title fights ever. The next day had James DeGale, who’d come up short against fellow prospect George Groves back in 2011, win a vacant super middleweight title by topping Andre Dirrell, who had lost a split decision to Carl Froch in 2009.
And the next handful of weeks will see several fighters get a major spotlight, competing in bouts where wins could propel them to heights that may have seemed unreachable when they were at their lowest points. (There’ll be more on some of those bouts later on in this column.) [Click Here To Read More]
This isn’t a grand revelation. The heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, fought a month ago, notching his 18th straight successful title defense in a reign that began after he’d suffered his third loss by technical knockout. Canelo Alvarez, who lost a clear decision in 2013, drew more than 31,000 people for his fight two weeks ago and pulled in the biggest rating for boxing on HBO since 2006.
This past Friday brought Alexander Povetkin his third straight knockout and earned him another shot at the heavyweight title, an opportunity that comes after a lopsided loss to Klitschko in one of the most aesthetically dreadful heavyweight title fights ever. The next day had James DeGale, who’d come up short against fellow prospect George Groves back in 2011, win a vacant super middleweight title by topping Andre Dirrell, who had lost a split decision to Carl Froch in 2009.
And the next handful of weeks will see several fighters get a major spotlight, competing in bouts where wins could propel them to heights that may have seemed unreachable when they were at their lowest points. (There’ll be more on some of those bouts later on in this column.) [Click Here To Read More]
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