BoxRec

This is an interesting question I’ve been thinking about for a while. All-Time Great fighters have suffered humiliating defeats before, but almost always either at the end of their career or (usually because they had to turn pro as a teenager)when they are first starting out. If they lose in their prime it’s usually a close decision loss or a late stoppage in a great fight where they were keeping it close or even ahead on the scorecards. Obviously “prime” and “ATG” are both subjective terms based as much on personal opinion as anything else, so go with your gut here. Personally, I am defining “prime” here to mean after they win their first world title but before they hit 33 or so.

The one that comes to mind for me right now is Rubin “Hurricane” Carter knocking Emile Griffith out in one round. Griffith was 38-4 coming into that fight and 25 years old. Only 1 other person was able to stop him and that was Carlos Monzon in the 14th round of their first fight, when Griffith was 33. Even crazier is in Griffith’s very next fight after this complete destruction by Carter, he would knock out Ralph Dupas in 3 to win what is recognized nowadays as the inaugural lineal/world Junior Middleweight championship. Really shows what an impressive display and flash-in-the-pan moment it was.

Other than that, I’m thinking of Sanders KO 2 Klitschko, McCall KO 2 Lewis, Foreman KO 2 Frazier, Roy Jones completely shutting out an undefeated James Toney on the scorecards, what Bernard Hopkins did to Tito, and obviously Floyd Patterson’s two 1st round KO losses to Sonny Liston.

Hearns/Duran, although Duran was a bit past it, but wouldn't have mattered.

Frazier/Foreman

Pacquaio v barerra 1

Some interesting ones mentioned. Here is another: Salvador Sanchez-Wilfredo Gomez.

Patterson's double 1st round KO loss to Liston tops everything.

DrDuke wrote: ↑01 Feb 2023, 21:45 Patterson's double 1st round KO loss to Liston tops everything.

Yep

Oogiebe's pick of Frazier-Foreman is the first one that came to my mind, but I'd have to agree Patterson's losses to Liston are worse because both fights made it seem like not only was he not competitive, but he couldn't ever have been.

Still, we are talking about Liston here. Same with Frazier Foreman. Nothing as humiliating or legacy damaging as Wlad losses to Purrity, Sanders and Brewster. Lewis vs McCall is a bad one. How about Tyson vs Douglas?

Carlos Zarate's loss against Wilfredo Gomez comes to mind as does Ruben Olivares's KO defeat to Rafael Herrera for the bantamweight title.

Zab Super Judah wasn't really an ATG, but he was certainly an elite fighter and the jolly going in.
His loss to Kostya was pretty humiliating.

Same for Left Hook Lacy

Terry McGovern being KO'd in the 2nd round by Young Corbett II.

Vilomar Fernandez W10 Alexis Arguello.

Vilomar Fernandez W10 Alexis Arguello.
Max Schmeling WKO12 Joe Louis

Wilfredo Gomez getting KO'd by Salvador Sanchez

Douglas doing a number on Tyson in Tokyo, February 1990.

It was not a short, early take-out but it was most assuredly brutal and emphatic.
Tyson took some huge lumps and got a hiding.

Tyson was an ATG for me, he was undefeated and nobody had even heard the bell against him since Tucker in the summer of 1987. Iron Mike remained 'the man' and Douglas was the hired hand for a Don King goes 'on tour' promotion.

That's the one for me......but Honeyghan going straight through-and-over Don Curry in six rounds for the WBC, WBA, IBF and The Ring belts was a case of an exceptional fighter (Curry) getting badly taken apart and in short order.

Henry Armstrong getting KO'd by Fritzie Zivic

skanksta wrote: ↑02 Feb 2023, 12:21 Zab Super Judah wasn't really an ATG, but he was certainly an elite fighter and the jolly going in.
His loss to Kostya was pretty humiliating.

Same for Left Hook Lacy

If we’re throwing in fighters who were very good/great/elite but not quite all-time, Jorge Linares suffering a 1st round KO and a 2nd round stoppage within a few years of each other is up there. People were talking about how he was the next P4P #1, a lot of the early mentions of him in boxing media actually reference him as having a good chin, which is obviously weird to hear in retrospect. He never reached those expectations but given all the humiliating early setbacks, very respectable what he did at 135.

Good shout Linares.

PacMan vs Marquez - not really humiliating, but shocking and Pac WAS ATG.

John L. Sullivan getting KO'd by Jim Corbett.

Lou Ambers getting KO'd by Lew Jenkins.I'm on a roll

Pep losing to Saddler.

Bob Montgomery getting knocked out in round 1 by Bummy Davis.

goose 5 wrote: ↑02 Feb 2023, 19:54 Pep losing to Saddler.

Goose
That fight certainly crossed my mind but the reason I didn't list it was because Pep's fights with Saddler were after Pep was in that plane crash. The docs said he might not walk again so those dagos on the Southwest Side of Chicago would always bring that up when someone said that Saddler was the better fighter.Pep was not himself after the crash,they claimed,,thus he was past his prime.However,there's not enough film of Pep,at least for me,to back that up.

Bodyshot3 wrote: ↑02 Feb 2023, 15:03 Douglas doing a number on Tyson in Tokyo, February 1990.

It was not a short, early take-out but it was most assuredly brutal and emphatic.
Tyson took some huge lumps and got a hiding.

Tyson was an ATG for me, he was undefeated and nobody had even heard the bell against him since Tucker in the summer of 1987. Iron Mike remained 'the man' and Douglas was the hired hand for a Don King goes 'on tour' promotion.

That's the one for me......but Honeyghan going straight through-and-over Don Curry in six rounds for the WBC, WBA, IBF and The Ring belts was a case of an exceptional fighter (Curry) getting badly taken apart and in short order.

I remember hearing Curry was at his peak the P4P #1, and that there was once a planned super-fight between him and Hagler. Also that he was going through hell to make 147 by the time he fought Honeyghan. Real shame how stuff like that happens.

ya the honeyman beat the tar out of curry didnt he