[tps_title]Some Fighters Never Recover From Huge Losses[/tps_title]
It wasn’t that long ago that another UK heavyweight hero, David Price, was poised to take over the boxing world. Price, back in 2012, was hailed as the next great heavyweight champion, earning honors as ESPN.com’s Prospect of the Year.
Right about then was when the wheels came off, and it all started with a knockout loss to Tony Thompson.
Like Ruiz was against Joshua, Thompson was a significant underdog in the fight. But Thompson stopped the undefeated giant in just two rounds in what was considered a shocking upset at the time.
The parallels are a bit eery, because like Joshua is planning to do against Ruiz, Price sought an immediate rematch against Thompson. He got his wish, but maybe–just maybe–he never really recovered from that first knockout loss.
Thompson stopped him again in the second fight five months later. It took five rounds the second time, but at the end of the bout, it was clear that Price’s life as a professional boxer had forever been changed by Thompson.
Joshua’s might similarly been changed by Ruiz in June. We’ll know more after the second fight.