Don't Call It A Comeback, I Been Here For Years

Glad that bans over.

Anyway, who in the world of modern day boxers have returned from a defeat with an emphatic win that has not only put them back in contention at elite level, but made them a potential P4P'er?

Let's go from the year 2000.

Here's my top 5 in no particular order.

1. B-Hop

Just before he fought Pavlik people thought he was done. A great who would become a gatekeeper. No way.

2. Carl Froch

A very recent pasting of a P4P star has given Frochy the biggest fight of his career. Deserved.

3. Glencoff Johnson

Ko'ing Roy Jones earned him the title of fighter of the year when he did it and who can blame him. Glencoff J has been old for so long i doubt he was ever young.

4. B-Hop (part 2)

Beating Pascal in his own backyard was nothing short of amazing, and IMO deserves another resurrection on my list.

5. Salido

I think his wins over Lopez were huge. Especially when you consider he'd lost to several rising stars already. A big win, both times.

Who else men?

Marquez? He got totally Dominated by Floyd Mayweather, then went back down to lightweight and proved he was still the man.

He then goes up to welterweight and gives Pacquiao the scare of his life, getting robbed in the process and then gets the rematch and pancakes him.

Shane Mosley is another good shout, he was in no mans land before the Margarito fight. Margarito was flying after beating Cotto, Mosley was given no chance by any boxing experts and he absolutely obliterated him.


Sure enough that was his swansong...

Both excellent shouts IMO. Who else? Any crafty ones out there?

Good picks boys! Struggling to think of better ones than those in recent years

Think darn it!

Not so much on the p4p scale, but many people thought Malignaggi had nothing left to give after the Khan fight, only for him to move up in weight and beat the very capable Senchenko, in his back yard nonetheless, to win a world title.

Most of the bang up to date names have been mentioned, so we're going to have to go back a wee bit further now, but Terry Norris basically did it three times over.

Flattened by Jackson on the way up, gets back on track and establishes himself as a top pound for pound operator. Sparked by a single (albeit, arguably illegal) shot by Brown, comes back and puts on a masterclass against that same man to regain his place as one of the best fighters in the world. And then, of course, came the two farces against Santana, before he got it right third time out and, for the final time, worked his way back on to everyone's pound for pound list.

Doesn't get much of a mention on here, but my Lord, how good was Norris on his day? Insane hand speed, cat-like reflexes when he was sharp, always came to fight, deceptively hard to catch cleanly when his head was screwed on (even while outpunching his opponent) and virtually impossible to outpoint as well thanks to his brilliant engine - and that left hook must have been forged in the fires of hell.

Two performances in particular (Castro and Brown II) really stand out for me. How Castro saw the final bell in that one is beyond me; Norris was all over him, particularly in the first six rounds, and it was one of the most remarkable displays of attacking virtuosity I've seen. Castro was no mug, as his subsequent tenure as WBA Middleweight champion showed, but he couldn't hit Norris with a handful of stones that night. And of course, to come back and put on such a dominant boxing display against Brown, given that the Jamaican had humiliated him just months before, took some serious doing.

Amazing talent, just a shame the lad was completely off his rocker!

Barrera had to come back from the Junior Jones defeats and put himself back on the map with the 1st Morales fight (which he deserved the win). Strung soe great results together after that and was a P4P fighter.

Also Sergio Martinez dropping a decision to Williams and then next fight dethroning Pavlik at Middleweight followed up by the brutal KO of Williams.

Having lost the fight of the year to Barrera in 04, Morales came back to beat Pacquiao in 05.

Great ones these, all of them. Who can go deeper?

Steve Collins taking out Eubank? He had losses on his record, and was not considered the best SM. Then he beasts Benn and Eubank. Okay, he didn't 'beast' them, but he won.

Sugar Ray Robinson coming back to beat Bassilio.

I suppose Zoomy, from recent(ish) times, deserves a mention here as well. Looked to be long in the tooth and on the slide when he was given his lucky draw against Fenech, goes to the Australian's backyard aged thirty-four and gives him an absolute spanking in the rematch, in his career-best performance. Struggles with Ruelas and loses to Leija, disappears in to an assumed retirement for eighteen months.....And then comes back to dominate and make short work of both of those men while in his late thirties.

Id definately throw Wladamir Klitshcko in there.

Was knocked out Brewster and Sanders within an 18 month period.

Came back to hammer the likes of Samuel Peter (when he was prime and avoided in the division), Chagaev, Byrd, Haye, Chambers, Thompson, Wach,Ibragimov not to mention avenging his defeat of Brewster by a 6th round TKO


Now he is sitting at the top of the HW tree and is a top 10 p4p fighter.

Great shout on Wlad, no one could have thought he'd rule the HW division for so long after those losses.

Perhaps Khan could be included after being pancaked inside the first round by an unknown fighter only to then, a couple of years later, be considered in the top two fighters of a higher weight class and more talent rich division of the light welterweights. Obviously he now in the process of proving people wrong a second time although I don't think he will reach the heights he did before.

Malignaggi has fought back a few times. Wins over Diaz, Senchenko etc.

Matthew Macklins done alright after that hideous Jamie Moore knockout. That should have been a career finisher

Ryan Rhodes as well.

Has always been around a decent level but always came up short. He turned it around in a thriller against Moore, before going on to fight Saul Alvarez for yet ANOTHER world title shot.

Had he not won the Moore fight, he would have probably retired, so that win gave him one last shot.

Vitali Klitchsko as well, he retired for a while, came back and dominated the heavy weight scene.

Valero's Conscience wrote:Great shout on Wlad, no one could have thought he'd rule the HW division for so long after those losses.

True, the dramatic decline in HW talent didn't hurt though. Stick him in with the 90's lot and he would have been kapowed a few more times

Kapow!

Lewis coming back after a brutal KO, twice? Sorry if he's already been mentioned.

I would say the first time was a much better one than the second comeback, Lewis rebuilt himself and stopped looking awkward and ponderous and without an authoratitive jab and started to turn into the complete fighter after Steward took him over.

Manny Steward was a boxing genius. Fact.

Manny Steward was a boxing genius. Fact.