Its not whether you win or lose, its how you play the game. That may be the oldest sports cliche in the world, but for the mainstream sports media, and the fans that depend on them for their information, its just not true. Its all about whether you win or lose. Turn on any sports talk radio show and you'll be subjected to all manner of banal discussion to reinforce my point. Karl Malone and Dan Marino weren't truly great because they never won a championship. The Utah Jazz and Buffalo Bills weren't great teams because they were unable to take their sports ultimate honor. If teams and players aren't being berated for a failure to win, they're simply forgotten. If you can name the losing team in the past ten NBA championships you've got a disturbing knowledge of meaningless sports trivia.
At the same time, the mainstream sports media takes every opportunity available to bash boxing, but the reality is that the 'sweet science' more so than any other professional sport places a great emphasis on the quality of a fight as much as its eventual outcome. Fights like the Gatti-Ward trilogy, Hagler-Hearns, Hagler-Leonard are considered classics, and in most cases were very tightly contested bouts. A great case in point is the 2004 'fight of the year' between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquaio. Despite nonstop action, the official verdict in the bout was a draw.
In that context, an undefeated record for a veteran fighter is almost a mark of derision. After a fighter has a dozen fights or so under his belt, an undefeated record is often construed as a reflection of a poor quality of opposition and not a sign of dominance. There are exceptions, of course: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a zero in the loss column and thats due to his ungodly skills as a prize fighter. Assuming that Mayweather doesn't stay in the game longer than he should, hes got a decent shot at retiring undefeated. Nevertheless, simply being undefeated wont earn him the mantle of greatness in the eyes of boxing historians. That has to be earned in the ring.
Carlos Palomino was a fighter who earned the respect and admiration of fight fans both for his championship skills as well as how he played the game. A native of Sonora, Mexico, Palomino was the welterweight champion of the world for over two years during the mid to late 70s. During this time, he became the first world champion boxer to earn a college degree (from Long Beach State University in California).
Palomino immigrated from Mexico as a child and began to train in boxing as a teenager. He showed a lot of promise as an amateur, but delayed his professional debut until'72 in order to serve in the US Army. While enlisted, he became All Army Welterweight Champion and won the national AAU championship. After turning pro, he worked his way up the ranks steadily until he finally won the title in June'76. Palomino scored a TKO victory over Englishman John Stracey in London, England and would defend his belt seven times before dropping the title via split decision to another first rate champion in Wilfred Benitez. He lost his next fight to yet another great in Roberto Duran, and decided to retire from the ring. He posted a credible 4-1 record during a late'90's comeback before deciding to retire for good.
Palomino turned his attention to acting following his boxing career, and has worked steadily in a variety of roles both in movies (mostly forgettable action films) and television (shows like Taxi, Star Trek Voyager, Highway to Heaven and Hill Street Blues). He appeared in some of the early Miller Light tastes great/less filling TV commercials. Hes also done some live theater work, in addition to generating publicity for a number of charities.
As a fighter, Palomino was much more technical and deliberate than the 'blood and guts' stereotype of a Mexican fighter. He had deceptive power, and a left hook that could end a fight, but would more often break his opponent down over the course of a fight with a punishing body attack and relentless pace. While he might not fit the mold established by men like Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales, Palomino no doubt rates among them as one of the greatest fighters in the proud history of Mexican boxing legends.
At the same time, the mainstream sports media takes every opportunity available to bash boxing, but the reality is that the 'sweet science' more so than any other professional sport places a great emphasis on the quality of a fight as much as its eventual outcome. Fights like the Gatti-Ward trilogy, Hagler-Hearns, Hagler-Leonard are considered classics, and in most cases were very tightly contested bouts. A great case in point is the 2004 'fight of the year' between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquaio. Despite nonstop action, the official verdict in the bout was a draw.
In that context, an undefeated record for a veteran fighter is almost a mark of derision. After a fighter has a dozen fights or so under his belt, an undefeated record is often construed as a reflection of a poor quality of opposition and not a sign of dominance. There are exceptions, of course: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a zero in the loss column and thats due to his ungodly skills as a prize fighter. Assuming that Mayweather doesn't stay in the game longer than he should, hes got a decent shot at retiring undefeated. Nevertheless, simply being undefeated wont earn him the mantle of greatness in the eyes of boxing historians. That has to be earned in the ring.
Carlos Palomino was a fighter who earned the respect and admiration of fight fans both for his championship skills as well as how he played the game. A native of Sonora, Mexico, Palomino was the welterweight champion of the world for over two years during the mid to late 70s. During this time, he became the first world champion boxer to earn a college degree (from Long Beach State University in California).
Palomino immigrated from Mexico as a child and began to train in boxing as a teenager. He showed a lot of promise as an amateur, but delayed his professional debut until'72 in order to serve in the US Army. While enlisted, he became All Army Welterweight Champion and won the national AAU championship. After turning pro, he worked his way up the ranks steadily until he finally won the title in June'76. Palomino scored a TKO victory over Englishman John Stracey in London, England and would defend his belt seven times before dropping the title via split decision to another first rate champion in Wilfred Benitez. He lost his next fight to yet another great in Roberto Duran, and decided to retire from the ring. He posted a credible 4-1 record during a late'90's comeback before deciding to retire for good.
Palomino turned his attention to acting following his boxing career, and has worked steadily in a variety of roles both in movies (mostly forgettable action films) and television (shows like Taxi, Star Trek Voyager, Highway to Heaven and Hill Street Blues). He appeared in some of the early Miller Light tastes great/less filling TV commercials. Hes also done some live theater work, in addition to generating publicity for a number of charities.
As a fighter, Palomino was much more technical and deliberate than the 'blood and guts' stereotype of a Mexican fighter. He had deceptive power, and a left hook that could end a fight, but would more often break his opponent down over the course of a fight with a punishing body attack and relentless pace. While he might not fit the mold established by men like Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales, Palomino no doubt rates among them as one of the greatest fighters in the proud history of Mexican boxing legends.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
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