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Losing But Winning

Joey LaMotta once told his brother Jake, “You win, you win. You lose, you still win.” He was alluding to Jake’s next fight against inept Billy Fox. Throwing the fight would get him a shot at the champ, Marcel Cerdan. This was a nod to the dark side of boxing.
The expression can have other meanings as well. When Miguel Cotto lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr., his face reflected the many blows Floyd had landed. However, Cotto walked away with enough money to never have to worry again financially. He lost but he won big, and that scenario has been repeated many times in this modern era of PPV and big payday fights
However, the expression as used below reflects something more soulful—something that touches upon the fighting spirit of boxers.
Paulie Malignaggi
After Paulie Malignaggi lost a brutal fight to Miguel Cotto in June 2006, Lou DiBella said, “I think everyone knew (Paulie) was flashy and had a big mouth and was a cocky kid. I don’t think anyone knew he had that kind of grit and heart….I think in defeat he made the biggest statement of his career — that ‘I am a real fighter and I can stand up to anybody, even a bigger, stronger guy.’ ”
Despite a broken orbital bone that made his cheek look grotesque, he fought to win and in the process won over Cotto’s tough Puerto Rican fans who applauded him after the fight. Paulie lost, but he really won because now everyone knew that in addition to all the flash and bling, there was true grit. Paulie gained more from that loss than Cotto did from the win.
Azumah Nelson
Going back all the way to 1982, Ghana’s Azumah Nelson exploded onto the scene even though he was knocked out in the 15th round by Salvador Sanchez in front of relatively few fans at Madison Square Garden.
The crowd was small (5,575 paid) because few knew who Nelson was. That would never be the case after the fierce and furious war in which Nelson gave the legendary Sanchez all he could handle and then some. After an even battle in the early rounds, “Chava” was able to turn the tide to some extent in the seventh when he floored “The Professor” with a short hook. However, Nelson fought back and even won two late rounds using sheer aggression and grit. By the 14th stanza, the buzz around ringside was that a possible upset was in the making. Nelson had shocked onlookers by his ability to win several fierce exchanges and even shake up Sanchez.
In the 15th round, Nelson again pressed the action but a right and then a left hook rocked the gallant challenger and he was now ripe for the taking. Out on his feet, he continued to punch aimlessly and was put down hard, but incredibly he got up ready to continue until referee Tony Perez stepped in and performed a mercy stoppage.
This would be Sanchez’s last fight before he was fatally injured in a car crash. As for Nelson, his remarkable career then took off and he would eventually join “Chava” in the International Boxing Hall of Fame
As Michael Carbert poignantly writes in Fight City: “The truth remains that a young Azumah Nelson gave an electrifying performance that night, an astonishing exhibition of heart and determination that could only have been withstood and overcome by a boxer of equal courage and even greater talent. Salvador Sanchez had already proved himself a truly great boxer, but on that summer night in New York City he put the finishing, final touch on a Hall of Fame legacy just before it all came to an end. Before the young Salvador….fatally underestimated a risky maneuver on a dusty, narrow Mexican road, and left boxing fans to forever speculate as to what might have been.”
Azumah Nelson lost but he also won on that night in New York City. He had gained the respect of aficionados, writers, and other fighters.
Others
There have been other fights where the loser actually increased his stock, turbo-charging his career. When recently retired George “The Saint” Groves fought fellow Brit Carl “The Cobra” Froch in the first of their two fights in November 2013, he almost upset Froch, dropping him in the first round and then being stopped in a highly controversial and seemingly premature fashion in the ninth round.
Ray Mancini’s late round loss to Alexis Arguello in 1981 and Emanuel Augustus’s losing effort against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2000 did nothing to hurt their careers.
Fast Forward
On January 26, 2019, undefeated welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman defended his WBA title with a majority decision over grizzled veteran Josesito Lopez who has fought extremely stiff opposition over the course of his career. Judges Tom Schreck (117-109) and Steve Weisfeld (115-111) both saw it for Thurman, while judge Don Ackerman somehow had it a 113-113 draw—apparently giving Lopez rounds for stalking.
Thurman was expected to shake off ring rust caused by a two-year hiatus from the ring and halt Lopez in the late rounds, and “One Time” did control matters until the seventh when the stalking Lopez suddenly came to life and almost stopped Thurman. A Lopez left hook, followed by a straight right, hurt Thurman who then went into survival mode. Lopez, however, would not let up, also winning the eighth as he landed more hard shots on a backtracking Thurman. Finally Keith regained control and went on to win.
While Thurman may get a great payday if a fight against Manny Pacquiao is made, it was Lopez who got the cheers from the fans. Rather than be a patsy (i.e. a designated loser), the “Riverside Rocky” left Barclays Center in Brooklyn with his tough guy reputation well intact. He left with more than he came in with and that’s what boxers do when they lose but “win.”
Editor’s note: How many other examples can you think of? We welcome your input.
Ted Sares is one of the world’s oldest active power lifters and Strongman competitors and may compete in the Ukraine in 2019. He is a lifetime member of Ring 10, and a member of Ring 4 and its Boxing Hall of Fame. He also is an Auxiliary Member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
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Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.
Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.
Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.
The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.
In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.
Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.
Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.
From the seventh until the 10th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.
“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”
Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.
Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”
Other Bouts
Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.
A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.
The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.
San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
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Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.
Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.
Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.
With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.
Co-Feature
Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.
Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.
Other Bouts of Note
New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.
In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.
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‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.
It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.
Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.
In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.
The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.
As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.
Other Bouts of Note
In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.
Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.
A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.
It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.
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