"Don’t' call it a comeback, I've been here for years."-LL Cool J (from Mama Said Knock You Out)
The "comeback" element in boxing is an interesting phenomenon. The traditional definition is a fighter coming out of retirement or coming back from a loss. Perhaps the best example of the former is when George Foreman came out of retirement in 1987 and was considered nothing more than a sideshow. He silenced everyone, however, on November 5, 1994, when he knocked out Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.
Coming back from a loss is a different animal. Miguel Cotto has not been the same fighter since his brutal loss to Antonio Margarito in July 2008. Mike Tyson never truly bounced back after Buster Douglas busted him in 1990 (prison didn't help either). Conversely, Manny Pacquiao got better when he dropped one to Erik Morales in March 2005. He also avenged the Morales loss twice--winning both fights by stoppage. Four "comeback fighters" will do battle in the coming weeks. On April 17th, Sergio Martinez will face Kelly Pavlik in an HBO televised bout. The next comeback fight, on May 1st, puts Shane Mosley in the ring against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on HBO/PPV. All four are comeback fighters, but for different reasons, and they each desperately need of a big win.
Sergio Martinez. Martinez is a comeback fighter of sorts because he has not defeated a major opponent. Some will argue that he was robbed by the judges in both the Kermit Cintron and Paul Williams fights. Regardless, only two men have defeated him--Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito. To say he is a comeback fighter may be a stretch by traditional definition standards; however, if he can reproduce the version of himself who fought Cintron and Williams and avoid the version of himself who fought Antonio Margarito, then Pavlik is in for a very long night.
Kelly Pavlik. According to USA Today, Pavlik trainer Jack Loew describes the Martinez fight as "very serious" and that "everybody is going to finally be able to see the best Kelly Pavlik they've seen in a long time." Those are comeback fight words right there. Even though Pavlik has been battling injuries since his lopsided loss to Bernard Hopkins in November 2008, he has been around fighting club-level opposition. To make matters worse, he made us open up our wallets to watch him do so on pay-per-view. Next weekend he is back to his HBO roots and quality opposition. The more explosive the win, the sharper his launch angle back to being a fan favorite. A loss to Martinez may well be a deal breaker for anyone living outside of Youngstown, Ohio.
Shane Mosley. Sugar Shane has milked his destruction of Antonio Margarito for over a year. Say what you will about Golden Boy Promotions, but they know how to keep inactive fighters relevant. The reason why Mosley is a comeback is because we don't know what he brings at age 38. It is a given that he is an elite talent, but he is not at the top of his game. Cotto defeated him. He looked awful in his win over Ricardo Mayorga, and Nazim Richardson's Margarito sting operation probably had a lot to do with the win. Given the age and inactivity, the question is can Mosley come back to the fighter he once was? He has to show that he can be more than Oscar De La Hoya revisited on May 1, 2010, or he will lose and Mayweather will have yet another win over an old champion.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. For reasons right and wrong, Floyd is a comeback fighter. He took the better part of two years off and then fought Juan Manuel Marquez in September 2009. The hype is that he is the number 2 best fighter in the world. The reality is that we don't know what he has anymore or if his ability ever matched his marketing campaign. Defensively sound? Check. Fast? Check. Multi-divisional champion? Check. He also barely beat an old De La Hoya in May 2005. In retrospect, his win over Ricky Hatton is not that impressive. He screwed Marquez on the weight issue and then couldn't capitalize on the size advantage by knocking him out (granted nobody ever has, but come on). Of the four men, it is Mayweather with the toughest task. A loss to Mosley validates his critics and a lopsided win over an old fighter might do the same. He has to dominate Mosley and then Pacquiao. Do both and history will be rewritten.
Source: examiner.com
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