It’s Not Over Until I Say So: 10 Boxers Who Avenged Kayo Losses By Martin Mulcahey, MaxBoxing (May 30, 2012) Special to Doghouse Boxing - Tweet
I am a bit of a contrarian. Therefore, as writers
and fans compose the obituary to Lucian Bute’s career after his first loss, I
am of the mind that one setback does not doom a person to the scrap heap of
history. Admittedly, Bute endured a sound drubbing in which he was never able
to gain a foothold and even seemed out of his depth. As the 10 instances (and I
could have listed many more) I will refer to show, it is not impossible to
reverse a knockout loss. In fact, many boxers have established Hall of Fame
careers for themselves in doing so. Remember, it is not a loss that defines the
man but how he bounces back from it.
This is not a definitive list; instead, I chose
match-ups that spanned the long history of boxing, so as not give the
impression that this type of thing only happened in the early part of the 20th century. Of course, that would have been easy since there were many more
revenge matches in the 1920s through 1950s. Why? Because a knockout loss in
those eras were not something to be ashamed of since boxers were matched tough.
Too often in this day and age, in search of perfection, boxers are not given an
opportunity to assess a loss and improve from it. These boxers faced tremendous
mental hurdles, making their triumphs over a previous conqueror all the sweeter.
Some noteworthy rematches I omitted are Ike
Williams against Bob Montgomery, Archie Moore versus Jimmy Bivins, Gene Fullmer
over Sugar Ray Robinson, Terry Norris against Simon Brown, Ruben Olivares versus
Jesus “Chucho” Castillo and Daniel Zaragoza over Paul Banke.
1. Joe Louis
KO 12 by Max Schmeling (1936)
The First Fight – It was a one-sided but exciting affair, with Louis
rallying but consistently running into a Schmeling right hand that put him down
in the fourth and 12th rounds (three times total). It was voted “Fight
of the Year” by The Ring magazine and
Schmeling confidently stated, “I see something” when asked why he should not be
a 10-1 underdog. What he saw was that Louis brought back his left hand low
after a jab, which he countered expertly with a right hand over the top to win
the fight.
The Rematch – Maybe the most brutally comprehensive destruction of
one Hall of Famer by another with Louis only taking one round to dispatch his
previous conqueror. Louis landed a right hand that fractured two vertebrae in
Schmeling’s back and it was all over after that punch. Louis followed up and
pounded Schmeling to the canvas twice more. Schmeling was unable to rise after
the third knockdown and in so much pain that the German radio broadcast was cut
off so his groans of agony could not be heard by the German public.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Social and political
intrigues aside, Louis wanted personal redemption. With great boxers, you can
point to one night where everything came together to make them unbeatable and
this was the night for “The Brown Bomber.” Schmeling had other worries like
Joseph Goebbels holding his Czechoslovakian wife, Anny Ondra, hostage to ensure
Schmeling would not defect while in America. Even if Schmeling was 100%, he could
not have beaten this laser-focused Louis, it was never going to end
differently. Louis had everything to fight for while Schmeling suffered from
many distractions entering the fight and just plain suffered afterward,
remaining hospitalized for 10 days.
2. Henry
Armstrong TKO 12 by Fritzie Zivic (1941)
The First Fight – In their very first meeting, Zivic won a questionable
15-round decision and the world title with a big 15th round,
dropping Armstrong just before the final bell. In the second fight (three months
later), it was in the 12th round where Zivic battered a bloodied and
exhausted Armstrong until referee Arthur Donovan stepped in. In both fights,
the naturally larger Zivic made use of his strength on the inside as well as a
vast arsenal of borderline and outright illegal tactics.
The Rematch – This time, Armstrong was more effective on the inside,
using an unrelenting body attack against the less mobile Zivic, staying close
to protect cuts to his eyes opened by Zivic’s head. The bodywork got to Zivic,
who resorted to headhunting and was not able to land against an Armstrong
consistently falling in with his punches. It was a close fight but the judges
ruled for Armstrong unanimously.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – In previous fights,
Armstrong wilted late (amazing given his reputation for stamina) against Zivic,
unable to outwork a foe who was a trickier boxer then given credit for. This
could have been down to Armstrong’s hectic schedule, where Armstrong defended
the welterweight title five times in six months, moving up in weight to
challenge middleweight world champion Ceferino Garcia as well. In their final
meeting, the fight was only 10 rounds, allowing Armstrong to keep his high pace
for the entire fight.
3. Rocky
Graziano KO 6 by Tony Zale (1946)
The First Fight – Graziano was caught cold, knocked to the canvas in
the first round but rebounded in the second, knocking Zale down at the bell.
Over the next four rounds, Zale and Graziano took turns beating on each other
in a see-saw affair. In the sixth, a right to the stomach followed by a left
hook ended the fight in favor of Zale. It was The Ring magazine’s “Fight of the Year” and voted “Fight of the Decade”
by the same publication.
The Rematch – This time, it was Graziano scoring the knockout,
happily on the winning end of the fight voted 1947’s “Fight of the Year” by The Ring magazine. 10 months had passed
and it looked like Graziano was going to lose again after getting floored first
in the third round. Zale continued having the better of the fight but a left
hook put Zale on Queer Street and Graziano saw his chance. A desperate Graziano
attacked wildly with a stream of punches ringsiders estimated to be 30
unanswered blows.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – One punch was the
difference as it looked like Zale was going to get the better of Graziano
again. However, Graziano had the mindset to risk his entire reserve of stamina,
knowing this would be the only chance for victory. Graziano’s willingness to
risk everything when the opportunity presented itself was the deciding factor.
4. Willie Pep
KO 4 by Sandy Saddler (1948)
The First Fight – A surprising blowout of a defensive genius like Pep
was not supposed to happen but Pep was knocked down twice in the third for nine
counts and counted out in the fourth round. Pep had been champion for six years
and entered with a 135-1-1 record but said he was complacent and underestimated
Saddler afterward. However, there is no underestimating the murderous punch
Saddler caught Pep with to begin the downfall.
The Rematch – Pep was a great competitor who was mortified by the
way he lost; it crystallized Pep’s focus for a rematch three months later. It
was a career-best performance, considering it came against an opponent who had
Pep’s number and was a stylistic nightmare. Pep employed a herky-jerky,
unorthodox style throwing punches from wild angles and confusing Saddler into
inactivity. That changed once Saddler found his own rhythm (busting up Pep’s
face) but it came too late to save the title with Pep winning by scores of
10-5, 9-5-1, and 9-6.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Pep went against his
tendencies, forgoing a beautiful boxing style to befuddle Saddler and win early
rounds that were crucial to winning on the scorecards Pep assumed it would come
down too. This was a case of Pep deviating from what was expected of him,
understanding that defusing an opponent’s strength is just as important as
enforcing your own.
5. Floyd
Patterson KO 3 by Ingemar Johansson (1959)
The First Fight – Everything was going according to plan for the
speedier Patterson until the third round when Johansson exploded, scoring seven
knockdowns! Johansson only had one plan entering the fight: do whatever it took
to land his big right hand. Once it did, Patterson was unable to recover and
Europe had its first heavyweight champion in 25 years.
The Rematch – So perfect and impactful was the punch that Patterson
knocked Johansson out with that some veteran boxing writers thought Patterson had
killed him with the punch. This time, Patterson fixated on Johansson’s overhand
right, avoiding it long enough to score a fifth round kayo. The rematch was
voted 1960’s “Fight of the Year” by The
Ring magazine and Patterson became the first heavyweight champion to ever
regain the world title.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Being the heavyweight
champion in the 1960s was much different then, the distractions more encompassing
with Johansson making cameos in movies and getting engaged to girlfriend Birgit
Lundgren. Johansson was never a dedicated trainer and found the distractions
too much. Meanwhile, Patterson (like a “Rocky” movie script) was training like
a man possessed to get his crown back. One man was simply better prepared to
win the rematch.
6. Bobby
Chacon TKO 9 by Ruben Olivares (1973) and TKO 2 by Olivares (1975)
The First Fight – Olivares was a hard-partying former champion whose
scalp the undefeated kid wanted on his résumé. The plan backfired after
Olivares survived the first two rounds, then took Chacon into deep waters to
drown him. From the third round on, Olivares timed and countered a perplexed
foe, knocking down Chacon in the ninth and brutalizing him to force Chacon’s
manager to stop the fight. Two years later, it only took Olivares two rounds to
stop Chacon, knocking him down twice in the second round and swarming him until
referee Larry Rozadilla stopped the fight.
The Rematch-Rematch
– It took Chacon two years to
overcome the first loss and another two years after the second kayo before he
got Olivares in his sights a third time. The third fight was all Chacon,
knocking down Olivares in the second round and pushing him on his back foot
with forward momentum. Olivares had his moments in the middle rounds but never
sustained his punch output, resorting to potshots.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Chacon matured while
Olivares got old and the fight took place one weight class above the other two
Chacon setbacks. Another factor was that Chacon had hired master trainer Eddie
Futch. Chacon also reversed a kayo loss to Cornelius Boza-Edwards. In the final
analysis, Chacon was a hardheaded little SOB with a mentality that he would
fight you until he beat you.
7. Humberto “Chiquita”
Gonzalez KO 7 by Michael Carbajal (1993)
The First Fight – In another The Ring magazine “Fight of the Year,” Gonzalez showed superior, early punching power,
knocking down Carbajal in the second and fifth rounds. Gonzalez was bossing the
fight but taking chances, going for the stoppage, he pinned Carbajal along the
ropes when a vicious counter left hook sent him to the canvas. Gonzalez never
recovered from the punch he didn’t see coming and with one second remaining in
the seventh round, Carbajal knocked out Gonzalez while trailing on all
scorecards.
The Rematch – Gonzalez figured out that discretion is the better
part of valor, using his legs and counterpunching to box his way to a victory
against an overaggressive foe trying to emulate his first kayo victory. The
strategy worked twice as Gonzalez outboxed Carbajal a second time, winning their
three-fight series 2-1.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Intelligence trumps
emotion. Gonzalez accepted the crowds boos, keeping distance between him and a
hotheaded Carbajal, trying to take his head off while countering beautifully.
Carbajal was every bit the intelligent boxer to Gonzalez but wanted to
replicate the first fight at the expense of losing the last two. Carbajal can
console himself knowing fans only remember their first fight which was one for
the ages!
8. Lennox
Lewis KO 5 by Hasim Rahman (2001)
The First Fight – The distracted champion flew to South Africa late
(after shooting a boxing scene with Wladimir Klitschko for the “Ocean's Eleven”
movie) and un-acclimating to the elevation showed as Rahman found his range.
Lewis even began taunting Rahman, which stopped when Rahman landed a flush
overhand right that sent the 15-1 favorite on his backside. It was an even
fight to that point, with both men’s defense suffering and each fully
committing to punches because of it.
The Rematch – This time Lewis was in shape and focused, showing the
kind of attitude and aggression his trainer Emanuel Steward always wanted but
rarely got. Needing revenge, Lewis got a rematch seven months later and scored
a stoppage one round sooner than he was stopped. This time Lewis dominated, his
timing much improved and he entered with the confidence of a champion despite
being the challenger.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Lewis was no longer the
complacent champion and, understanding what a victory meant to his legacy, put
on a show. Lewis also reversed a kayo loss to Oliver McCall; an intelligent
boxer, Lewis learned from mistakes and took it out on the boxers who exploited
those faults in their first meetings.
9. Felix Sturm
TKO 10 by Javier Castillejo (2006)
The First Fight – It seemed Sturm had recovered from a hard, second round
knockdown, edging ahead on the scorecards, when Castillejo caught Sturm in the
10th round again with a barrage of punches. This time, a tiring
Sturm did not escape and Castillejo chased Sturm with a barrage of punches (a
short left hook followed by left uppercuts) until referee Mark Nelson caught
Sturm as he fell to the canvas, helplessly. A great jabber, Sturm fought
Castillejo’s inside fight, falling prey to the Spaniard’s superior physical
power.
The Rematch – Nine months later, Sturm played the role of matador
to Castillejo’s bull, jabbing and pivoting around his charges, landing
counterpunches. Sturm did not have it all his way; because of Castillejo’s
constant forward movement and bullying, he inched his way back into the fight.
After catching a second wind in the 10th round, Sturm reasserted his
jab and won a decision.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Distance. In the first
fight, Sturm could not control it and suffered the consequences, eating short
hooks he could not block. Sturm was also knocked down hard in the first fight
and it took him a while to recover and find his legs expending a lot of energy.
That came back to haunt him in the championship rounds and did not play into
the rematch.
10. Miguel
Cotto TKO 11 by Antonio Margarito (2008)
The First Fight – Margarito ate punches for six rounds before
bludgeoning a damaged Cotto, catching up with his fatiguing opponent whose face
became a horrible mass of blood and swelling. As Margarito caught up to Cotto,
he began to brutalize his immobile foe, finally enforcing his size and strength
advantages. The controversy for this fight did not surface until six months
later, when Margarito was exposed as a cheat, attempting to load his gloves
with illegal, hardened padding in his hand wraps against Shane Mosley.
The Rematch – This time, there was no late-round fade or massive
facial damage to Cotto and a confident Cotto stayed on his toes the entire
fight, moving and hitting Margarito at will. Margarito was unable to catch
Cotto or put him to the ropes and corner. Unable to stay in range offensively,
Margarito followed Cotto eating punches instead of cutting off the ring. A
comprehensive beating which resembled the first six rounds of their first fight.
Why the Outcome Was
Different – Revenge! Cotto honestly
felt he was the better fighter if both men entered the ring on even terms and
showed it with a brilliant display of movement, accuracy and swagger. This
fight is, for many, proof that Antonio Margarito had been entering fights with
loaded gloves for much of his career.
