Whenever you go to even some of the best boxers at the start of their careers you will see boxers with losing records? Some for even a longer period of time.
I think of many years ago when a heavyweight boxer named Lamar Clark, out of Cedar City, Utah, fought starting in January of 1958. He won all five fights, 4 by stoppage, that month with his opposition’s total record of 1-2 and three making their debut.
Clark won all thirty of his fights with twenty-eight by stoppage with a combined record of 5-34, with twenty opponents making their debut.
In 1959 Clark went 10-0 with opposition 10-8-1, including Tony Burton 10-2-1, the first opponent with a winning record and Clark improving to 40-0 with 39 stoppages.
In 1960 Clark won his first two matches by stoppage and then in April of 1960 with a 42-0 record he was stopped by Bartolo Soni, 12-2-1, in the ninth round in his first ten round scheduled match.
In his next match Clark faced 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist Pete Rademacher, 6-3-1, being stopped in the tenth and final round.
Next Clark stopped Chuck Wilburn, 6-13-5. Then came his final fight against his biggest opponent named Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali, 3-0, being stopped in the second round.
Clark ended with a 43-3 record and 42 stoppages, being stopped 3 times. He lost his only amateur bout to Jimmy McCarter, 5-3.
As a comparison, 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist “Big” George Foreman won his first thirty-seven matches before winning the world title from “Smokin” Joe Frazier, 29-0, against the opposition’s record 19-15-3 (37 fights, none making their debut).
Foreman was 21-5 in the amateurs. Ali 70-6 per www.boxrec.com though other records have been mentioned.
When both faced Ali, Clark was 43-2, and Foreman was 40-0.
Ali was 31-0 losing for the first time to “Smokin” Joe Frazier, having fought all fighters with winning records except one in his fourth fight being Jimmy Robinson, 6-6-2. He was 44-2 when he defeated Foreman, 40-0, as mentioned.
Compared to Clark and Foreman certainly had the tougher opposition during his career. As previously mentioned both Ali and Foreman were Olympic Gold Medalists.
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