A right away return match after a troublesome loss could be a dangerous proposition. There isn’t essentially any bodily cause for this; the welts and bruises will fade away because the physique repairs itself. However the wounds of the thoughts, the injury sustained by a boxer’s psyche, can take longer to heal. Although the ego is soothed by the reassurances of trainers, handlers, and varied members of the retinue, and although the boxer might inform himself that subsequent time might be totally different, there’s no denying that when that point comes, the conquered pugilist could possibly be stepping proper again into the identical state of affairs that humbled him a number of quick months in the past.
Except the fighter has devised some new ways or ring technique (as, for instance, Sugar Ray Leonard did for his fast rematch with Roberto Duran), and except he actually believes all the tales he has informed himself, all the rationalizations for his defeat, the rematch can turn out to be merely a continuation of the primary assembly and the catastrophe performs itself out yet again. Suppose Jack Dempsey vs Gene Tunney; Ismael Laguna vs Ken Buchanan; Danny Lopez vs Salvador Sanchez; Ray Mancini vs Livingstone Bramble, or Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield.
One other glorious instance of why it’s typically clever for a dropping fighter to forego a rematch in favour of a restorative tune-up bout or two, came about on Could 15, 1953, when Rocky Marciano defended his world championship for the primary time towards the person he took it from, one Arnold Cream, aka Jersey Joe Walcott.
Walcott had misplaced the belt in sudden trend the earlier September in Philadelphia, concluding one of the vital thrilling struggles ever for the heavyweight title. He had been properly forward on factors when, early within the thirteenth spherical, Rocky determined issues with a single crushing proper hand. The vicious blow was completely timed and completely thrown and nearly eliminated Walcott’s head from his shoulders. If he’d needed to, the referee might have counted to 100 over the crumpled type of Jersey Joe. Rocky Marciano was the brand new heavyweight champion of the world.
The rematch came about in Chicago and anticipation was excessive. In spite of everything, Marciano vs Walcott I had been a titanic wrestle, one of the vital bruising and dramatic motion bouts in years, and the general public notion of Rocky was nonetheless unsure. Many within the struggle crowd had been unconvinced that this comparatively small and relatively crude banger possessed the ability to be a top-shelf champion. Walcott remained the extra confirmed commodity, a cagey and artful ring veteran, regardless of his superior years.
However neither dimension, nor ability, nor age had been the figuring out components on this rematch. As an alternative, confidence was. As a result of, as everybody would shortly discover out, Walcott’s had but to get better from that devastating proper hand clout six-and-a-half months earlier. (Both that, or, as some have speculated, he cashed in, going within the tank in what could be his closing struggle.)
Marciano vs Walcott II was a short and uneventful affair. For simply over two minutes of the primary spherical, the boxers milled about, Marciano lunging behind wild punches and forcing Walcott to sidestep or retreat, the challenger clutching and grabbing as Rocky tried to get to him. Few clear punches had related when a retreating Jersey Joe set, feinted, and threw a jab to arrange a proper hand. However earlier than Walcott might comply with via with the correct, Marciano countered with a large left hook after which leaped in behind it with a proper uppercut that despatched the off-balance Walcott sprawling on his again, his toes flying excessive above him.
The challenger pulled himself as much as a sitting place, one hand on the ropes, apparently unharmed. He then selected to take a seat there, like a person making an attempt to determine if he needs to get off the bed or not, and let the referee rely him out. As soon as the deadly ten was reached, Walcott lastly hoisted himself to his toes and promptly assumed the manner appropriate for a sufferer of injustice, gesturing and expressing disbelief, strenuously arguing that he was the sufferer of a quick rely, although this was clearly not the case.
As an alternative of a quick rely, Walcott was the sufferer of getting been put proper again into the ring, earlier than his nerve and combating spirit might restore themselves, with the identical man who had rendered him unconscious with a single vicious blow in Philadelphia. One thing greater than Arnold Cream’s world title had been separated from him that evening. Maybe in these empty seconds when he sat gazing at nothing because the referee counted off the ultimate moments of the bout, he was considering the scattered shards of his damaged confidence, nonetheless unmended months after that crushing proper hand, and now fully shattered. Walcott by no means fought once more.
— Michael Carbert
