Even the nice ones get stopped. Typically. A legendary chin may be cracked, simply ask; there are too many nice fighters to record – however examples of the seemingly unstoppable who have been, the truth is, stopped embrace George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Sonny Liston, Larry Holmes, and Muhammad Ali. And that’s simply the heavyweights.
Sugar Ray Leonard suffered only one stoppage defeat throughout his wonderful profession, and satirically, it got here by the hands of a fighter who was removed from referred to as a puncher. Hector Camacho (RIP) is the one man who ever managed to humble Sugar to the extent that he by no means noticed or heard the ultimate bell. This was in 1997, when Leonard determined, as soon as once more, to return again.
Apparently, Mexican nice, former welterweight king Carlos Palomino – a person who was by no means as soon as stopped throughout his lengthy ring profession – spoke with Leonard each earlier than and after the ill-fated struggle with Camacho.
Palomino, talking with Slater’s Boxing on YouTube, commented on the truth that even the nice ones can certainly get KO’d or stopped.
“When it comes to nice fighters getting stopped, [Roberto] Duran acquired stopped, Manny Pacquiao acquired stopped – he was knocked out on his face,” Palomino stated. “Sugar Ray Leonard even……I imply, Ray Leonard, we used to work out on the identical health club after retirement, simply staying in form, you recognize. He had been retired, I believe, six years, perhaps. He came visiting at some point, and he requested me if he might ask me one thing. I stated, ‘yeah.’ He informed me he had simply acquired a proposal to struggle Hector Camacho. I stated, ‘What, how lengthy have you ever been retired?’ And he stated, ‘Nicely, they’ve provided me $ 4 million.’ I stated, ‘Nicely for those who don’t wanna take it, I’ll take it!’
“Anyway, I stated to him that he [Camacho] actually can’t harm you, that he actually can’t punch. And Ray agreed. And Ray Leonard had by no means been stopped. After which he takes that struggle and Hector Camacho knocks him out. He’d been in with Tommy Hearns, an amazing puncher, after which he finally ends up getting knocked out by Hector Camacho. He got here again to the health club, and he was like, he was simply so down after that. I put my arm round him, as a result of I knew I’d by no means been stopped and that was one thing I used to be actually happy with. However, yeah, there’s numerous good fighters……Ali acquired stopped, Mike Tyson, yeah, even George Foreman….”
Certainly, it’s a shock when sure fighters get taken out. However did anybody come near stopping Palomino?
“I acquired dropped a few occasions, however they have been flash knockdowns. I by no means took a depend on the bottom. However the one time I used to be actually buzzed, I didn’t go down, however I used to be not clear, was when – and I didn’t go down, however I couldn’t actually see my opponent – I fought Dave Boy Inexperienced. He hit me with a proper hand, my legs wobbled, and I didn’t go down, nevertheless it was like a fog was in entrance of me. Then I recovered, attempting to not get knocked out.”
Fascinating stuff; I hope you agree. Typically, the less-feared puncher can rating the KO over the confirmed warrior.
What do YOU rank as probably the most sudden, certainly surprising KO ever?
It was, to make certain, each unhappy and surprising seeing Sugar Ray Leonard get stopped in 5 rounds by Hector Camacho all these years in the past.
