Vince Lombardi once said "Winning isn't everything, its the only thing". For most of the mainstream sports media, that couldn't be more true. Countless hours on sports talk radio are spent deriding NBA players like Charles Barkley and NFL players like Dan Marino for never winning a championship. Simply stated, no one remembers the runner up and the mainstream sports media helps reinforce this 'frontrunner' mentality.
At the same time, the mainstream sports media takes every opportunity available to bash boxing, but the reality is that the 'sweet science' more so than any other professional sport places a great emphasis on the quality of a fight as much as its eventual outcome. Fights like the Gatti-Ward trilogy, Hagler-Hearns, Hagler-Leonard are considered classics, and in most cases were very tightly contested bouts. A great case in point is the 2004 'fight of the year' between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquaio. Despite nonstop action, the official verdict in the bout was a draw.
In that context, an undefeated record for a veteran fighter is almost a mark of derision. After a fighter has a dozen fights or so under his belt, an undefeated record is often construed as a reflection of a poor quality of opposition and not a sign of dominance. There are exceptions, of course: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a zero in the loss column and thats due to his ungodly skills as a prize fighter. Assuming that Mayweather doesnt stay in the game longer than he should, hes got a decent shot at retiring undefeated. Nevertheless, simply being undefeated wont earn him the mantle of greatness in the eyes of boxing historians. That has to be earned in the ring.
The true greats distinguish themselves both by how they 'play the game' as well as their championship accomplishments. Few fit that description more aptly than Mexican welterweight great Carlos Palomino. The native of Sonora, Mexico rose to prominence by holding the welterweight title during the late 1970's. During this time, he set a laudable example by becoming the first reigning world champion boxer to earn his college degree.
Palomino immigrated from Mexico as a child and began to train in boxing as a teenager. He showed a lot of promise as an amateur, but delayed his professional debut until 1972 in order to serve in the US Army. While enlisted, he became All Army Welterweight Champion and won the national AAU championship. After turning pro, he worked his way up the ranks steadily until he finally won the title in June 1976. Palomino scored a TKO victory over Englishman John Stracey in London, England and would defend his belt seven times before dropping the title via split decision to another first rate champion in Wilfred Benitez. He lost his next fight to yet another great in Roberto Duran, and decided to retire from the ring. He posted a credible 4-1 record during a late 1990's comeback before deciding to retire for good.
Palomino got into acting after his boxing career came to a close, and has worked steadily both in television and film. He's also done a number of commercials, most famously the early Miller Light Beer 'tastes great/less filling' TV spots.
In the ring, Palomino was something of a hybrid of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales"a very intelligent, technically sound fighter with deceptive power. His best power shot was a left hook, but hed more frequently break his opponent down with a punishing body attack. He may have been a more tactical competitor than the prototypical blood and guts Mexican fighter, but a worthy claimant to the proud tradition of great fighters from south of the border. - 30300
At the same time, the mainstream sports media takes every opportunity available to bash boxing, but the reality is that the 'sweet science' more so than any other professional sport places a great emphasis on the quality of a fight as much as its eventual outcome. Fights like the Gatti-Ward trilogy, Hagler-Hearns, Hagler-Leonard are considered classics, and in most cases were very tightly contested bouts. A great case in point is the 2004 'fight of the year' between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquaio. Despite nonstop action, the official verdict in the bout was a draw.
In that context, an undefeated record for a veteran fighter is almost a mark of derision. After a fighter has a dozen fights or so under his belt, an undefeated record is often construed as a reflection of a poor quality of opposition and not a sign of dominance. There are exceptions, of course: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a zero in the loss column and thats due to his ungodly skills as a prize fighter. Assuming that Mayweather doesnt stay in the game longer than he should, hes got a decent shot at retiring undefeated. Nevertheless, simply being undefeated wont earn him the mantle of greatness in the eyes of boxing historians. That has to be earned in the ring.
The true greats distinguish themselves both by how they 'play the game' as well as their championship accomplishments. Few fit that description more aptly than Mexican welterweight great Carlos Palomino. The native of Sonora, Mexico rose to prominence by holding the welterweight title during the late 1970's. During this time, he set a laudable example by becoming the first reigning world champion boxer to earn his college degree.
Palomino immigrated from Mexico as a child and began to train in boxing as a teenager. He showed a lot of promise as an amateur, but delayed his professional debut until 1972 in order to serve in the US Army. While enlisted, he became All Army Welterweight Champion and won the national AAU championship. After turning pro, he worked his way up the ranks steadily until he finally won the title in June 1976. Palomino scored a TKO victory over Englishman John Stracey in London, England and would defend his belt seven times before dropping the title via split decision to another first rate champion in Wilfred Benitez. He lost his next fight to yet another great in Roberto Duran, and decided to retire from the ring. He posted a credible 4-1 record during a late 1990's comeback before deciding to retire for good.
Palomino got into acting after his boxing career came to a close, and has worked steadily both in television and film. He's also done a number of commercials, most famously the early Miller Light Beer 'tastes great/less filling' TV spots.
In the ring, Palomino was something of a hybrid of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales"a very intelligent, technically sound fighter with deceptive power. His best power shot was a left hook, but hed more frequently break his opponent down with a punishing body attack. He may have been a more tactical competitor than the prototypical blood and guts Mexican fighter, but a worthy claimant to the proud tradition of great fighters from south of the border. - 30300
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a well known writer specializing in combat sports including boxing and MMA. He contributes UFC news to a number of online and broadcast media outlets. He is a frequent sports radio guest and MMA news blog contributor. He's currently working on a biography of pro wrestling announcer Gorilla Monsoon.
