Why does it seem that being undefeated is the most important aspect of a fighter’s career these days? Through careful matchmaking and protection a fighter can go from pro debut, almost to world title shot, without ever really being tested or proven as a fighter. It seems after only a generation or so the importance of being undefeated has become king. There was a belief with old time trainers and fighters that your career didn’t really start until you lost. Then you really began to learn as a fighter. You learn more from losing than you do from winning. So why does it happen so often? Easy answer. Money. Promoters being, well…promoters. It’s much easier to market and sell a fighter when he’s undefeated. But we as fight fans are usually the ones who lose in the deal. You normally end up with marquee name fighters, taking on less than competitive competition, and it’s usually shoved down our throats as a “must watch” event. But at the same time, it’s our fault as fans at how quickly we turn on someone once they do lose. The most recent example I could think of is Kelly Pavlik. After beating Miranda and twice beating Jermain Taylor (which surprised many people), Pavlik had gained a lot of esteem as a dominant middleweight champion, and had earned a lot of respect from boxing fans. He entered the fight with Bernard Hopkins at 33-0, and few had Hopkins as a favorite to win. After Hopkins dominated him over a 12 round decision, Kelly all of a sudden became a bum. How? Because he lost to an all time great? If that’s the case then everyone’s a bum if they’ve lost. To give another example, there are certain fighters who are considered all time greats without argument. There is no debating their place in history or in the hall of fame. Muhammad Ali= 5 losses, Sugar Ray Robinson (by some considered the greatest fighter who ever lived) =19 losses, Sugar Ray Leonard= 3 losses, Willie Pep= 11 losses, Oscar De La Hoya= 6 losses, and the list goes on and on. What if people had given up on them after their first loss? Was their greatness tarnished by having losses on their record? The irony is that some of these losses came because they were fighting against the best, rather than avoiding fighting the best to stay undefeated. Greatness is determined by who you fought, and who you beat. Let’s not let losing get in the way of that.

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