Boxers’ Perspectives on Experiencing a First Professional Defeat

A professional boxer, regardless of their skill level, will almost certainly encounter a defeat at some stage in their career. This could stem from facing an overly experienced opponent early on, the natural progression of age, or, as exemplified by Tyson Fury, competing against a generational talent such as Oleksandr Usyk. In May, British boxer Fury experienced his first loss in a 35-fight career, being outpointed by Usyk. Following the bout, a visibly bruised but optimistic Fury stated, “It was what it was, I tried my best in there.” While an undefeated record carries significant importance in contemporary boxing, it is uncommon for top-tier fighters to conclude a distinguished career without experiencing a defeat; notable exceptions include Rocky Marciano, Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward, and Joe Calzaghe. Anthony Joshua’s aura of invincibility was shattered by a surprising loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. Similarly, despite Amir Khan’s accomplishments, an early career defeat to Breidis Prescott significantly shaped his perception for several years. BBC Sport interviewed current and former boxers to explore their perspectives on maintaining an undefeated record and their strategies for recovering from their initial professional loss. On Saturday, 21 December, at 21:00 GMT, Nathan Heaney, a significant draw with a devoted fanbase from his hometown of Stoke, lost his British middleweight title and his previously undefeated record to Brad Pauls in July. Heaney recounted, “My immediate reaction was that I felt like a let the whole city down and that I didn’t want to go back to being a teacher. Rationality kind of goes out of the window and you fear the worst. But my fans who have supported me throughout my career all stayed in the arena and were chanting ‘there’s only one Nathan Heaney’ – I couldn’t believe it.” He added, “After a few weeks I decided to crack on. My dad had taken his own life weeks before my first title fight and I had to get over that grief, which really does put it into perspective. I love boxing, it means the world to me, but it is just a sport. I knew where I went wrong and I’ve learned from the defeat.” Richie Woodhall, from Birmingham, experienced his initial defeat in his 22nd professional fight, competing against Keith Holmes for the WBC super-middleweight title. By his 24th fight, Woodhall secured the belt by outpointing Thulani Malinga. Woodhall commented, “All boxers are scared of losing and every fighter thinks they’re better than what they are. So when you stay undefeated you are in a situation where you don’t think it will end. Then when that time comes, it can be a big shock to the system. “He further explained, “For me, the best way to deal with it was to get back in the ring as soon as I could. I knew I was good enough to win a world title so I was training after an operation on my elbow and my mind was reset. Two fights later, became world champion.” Super-flyweight Shannon Ryan, who is affiliated with Joshua’s management company, sustained an unexpected loss to Emma Dolan in June during a contest for the British and Commonwealth title, following an initial streak of seven victories. Ryan reflected, “I feel like I handled the defeat with grace, more than I thought I would. But it took me about two weeks to get over it. I didn’t know what to do. I would get thoughts like ‘is my career done?’ I’d be getting on with my day and suddenly start crying.” She added, “But my mantra is ‘trust the process’ and ‘everything happens for a reason’ which allowed me to get through that hardship. I know that loss was meant for me to elevate me on my journey.” South African boxer Kevin Lerena, a sparring partner for Fury, was defeated on points in his 12th fight by fellow countryman Johnny Muller, a loss he avenged three fights later. In 2022, Lerena knocked down current heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois three times in the first round before being stopped in the third round. Lerena stated, “I don’t really count my first loss as a loss. I was a youngster with no experience but I came back and knocked Muller out so I learned from it and it was so important for my development. “He continued, “My defeat to Dubois is what I consider my first real adversity. I’d never been on the canvas before in my career and I realised what it was like to lose at the highest level. I also had to cope with the trauma of losing a fight I was winning. “He concluded, “I’ve since gone on to become the WBC bridgerweight champion, so the most important lesson I learned to to turn any loss into the biggest victories in your life.” Hannah Rankin, from Scotland, suffered a defeat in her third professional fight against Joanna Ekedahl in Norway. She subsequently achieved the light-middleweight world champion title, accumulating a record of 13 wins and eight losses. Rankin recounted, “My first loss was so early on in my career and an absolute robbery. Everyone had me as the winner. I wasn’t demotivated, I was just absolutely furious and determined to get back in the ring and show everyone that it shouldn’t have been a defeat.” She added, “The most important loss for me was against WBA champion Alicia Napoleon in New York when I stepped up to super-middleweight. It was at world-title level and cemented to me that I belong at that level. I just needed to work harder and push myself. It lit a fire in my belly and I realised you always learn more from a loss than you do for a win.” Heavyweight prospect Itauma, a Kent-based fighter with 10 professional victories, remains undefeated and is widely regarded as the future of British boxing. He is scheduled to compete against Demsey McKean on the undercard of the Usyk-Fury event. Itauma stated, “I don’t pay any attention to my undefeated record – it means nothing. When I look at a fighter’s record and see one or two losses, I feel like they’ve had a proper career. When someone is 33-0 it might sound good but it means they haven’t overcome adversity.” He continued, “You have to take your hat off to someone like Anthony Joshua who has come back from losing fights. It’s part of the game. The likes of George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, lost fights but that’s what made them great and shows they’ve overcome adversity.” He concluded, “I’m not saying I want losses on my record but if it happens it happens. I’m not going into a fight to lose but you have good days and bad days, that’s boxing.”