The Legacy Of Mexican Boxing Great Carlos Palomino
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.
The mainstream sports media also likes to depict boxing as a repository of sleaze, but the reality is that more so than other sports 'the sweet science' cares about 'how the game is played'. Boxing pundits place great emphasis on the competitive quality of a fight--great fights like the Morales-Barrera trilogy, Hagler-Hearns or Hagler-Leonard are considered such for the heart and resolve shown by the fighters, not because of who won. The 2004 fight between current 'pound for pound' king Manny Pacquaio and Juan Manuel Marquez is a perfect example--despite breathtaking action from start to finish the fight was ultimately ruled a draw.
At a certain point in a fighters' career, they can even be criticized for having an undefeated record. While exceptions are made for the best of the best--Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Rocky Marciano come to mind--having a 'zero' in the loss column often reflects poorly on a fighter's willingness to fight high level competition. Even for the best fighters, an undefeated record alone does little to guarantee a place in boxing history. Certainly, that is of much less significance that the manner in which these victories were earned.
The true greats distinguish themselves both by how they 'play the game' as well as their championship accomplishments. Few fit that description more aptly than Mexican welterweight great Carlos Palomino. The native of Sonora, Mexico rose to prominence by holding the welterweight title during the late'70's. During this time, he set a laudable example by becoming the first reigning world champion boxer to earn his college degree.
Palomino came to the US as a child and began to train as a fighter during his teenage years. After a stint in the Army (where he earned the All Army Welterweight Championship) and a National AAU title he turned pro in'72. Four years later, he become welterweight champion of the world by knocking out John Stracey in London, England. Palomino would defend his belt seven times over the next two years before losing it to another great, Wilfred Benetiz, via split decision. He retired from the ring shortly thereafter.
Palomino got into acting after his boxing career came to a close, and has worked steadily both in television and film. He's also done a number of commercials, most famously the early Miller Light Beer 'tastes great/less filling' TV spots.
In the ring, Palomino was something of a hybrid of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales"a very intelligent, technically sound fighter with deceptive power. His best power shot was a left hook, but he'd more frequently break his opponent down with a punishing body attack. He may have been a more tactical competitor than the prototypical blood and guts Mexican fighter, but a worthy claimant to the proud tradition of great fighters from south of the border. - 2361
The mainstream sports media also likes to depict boxing as a repository of sleaze, but the reality is that more so than other sports 'the sweet science' cares about 'how the game is played'. Boxing pundits place great emphasis on the competitive quality of a fight--great fights like the Morales-Barrera trilogy, Hagler-Hearns or Hagler-Leonard are considered such for the heart and resolve shown by the fighters, not because of who won. The 2004 fight between current 'pound for pound' king Manny Pacquaio and Juan Manuel Marquez is a perfect example--despite breathtaking action from start to finish the fight was ultimately ruled a draw.
At a certain point in a fighters' career, they can even be criticized for having an undefeated record. While exceptions are made for the best of the best--Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Rocky Marciano come to mind--having a 'zero' in the loss column often reflects poorly on a fighter's willingness to fight high level competition. Even for the best fighters, an undefeated record alone does little to guarantee a place in boxing history. Certainly, that is of much less significance that the manner in which these victories were earned.
The true greats distinguish themselves both by how they 'play the game' as well as their championship accomplishments. Few fit that description more aptly than Mexican welterweight great Carlos Palomino. The native of Sonora, Mexico rose to prominence by holding the welterweight title during the late'70's. During this time, he set a laudable example by becoming the first reigning world champion boxer to earn his college degree.
Palomino came to the US as a child and began to train as a fighter during his teenage years. After a stint in the Army (where he earned the All Army Welterweight Championship) and a National AAU title he turned pro in'72. Four years later, he become welterweight champion of the world by knocking out John Stracey in London, England. Palomino would defend his belt seven times over the next two years before losing it to another great, Wilfred Benetiz, via split decision. He retired from the ring shortly thereafter.
Palomino got into acting after his boxing career came to a close, and has worked steadily both in television and film. He's also done a number of commercials, most famously the early Miller Light Beer 'tastes great/less filling' TV spots.
In the ring, Palomino was something of a hybrid of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales"a very intelligent, technically sound fighter with deceptive power. His best power shot was a left hook, but he'd more frequently break his opponent down with a punishing body attack. He may have been a more tactical competitor than the prototypical blood and guts Mexican fighter, but a worthy claimant to the proud tradition of great fighters from south of the border. - 2361
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 12:45 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home