The older you get in life the more the things that you love start getting taken away from you.
That’s just how it goes, everyone takes losses in life the longer you hang around.
But when it comes to professional boxers at the highest level of trained unarmed combat, pitting their wits, souls and skills on the line in front of the general population — their losses are perhaps the most heightened and magnified of any of those in society.
They fight to improve their lives for a shot at the big time. A shot at the title.
One single night where the impossible can sometimes be made possible.
Sometimes it comes off. Sometimes it doesn’t.
This weekend for previously undefeated welterweight champion Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman it didn’t quite pan out for him.
But he tested himself against one of the best fighters to ever live in the form of Manny Pacquiao.
A dynamite warrior who even at age 40 showed why he really is one of the best to ever do it.
Thurman’s reaction to the split decision points loss tells you everything you need to know about him, really:
Although he may have lost the fight, without doubt, the Floridian will be going back home to a hero’s welcome after the courage and humility he both fought with and displayed afterwards.
Afterall, we learn much more about ourselves from losses and defeats in life than we ever do in victory.
It’s in the taking these losses head on, overcoming them and becoming a stronger person that separates average fighters from the great ones and indeed — average people from the special humans in life.
A good friend of mine made a salient point the other day in that pursuing one’s passions in life is part of one’s realization of their purpose — ultimately.
As in reality, life is short.
Keith Thurman knows his purpose. Make no mistake about that. He’s writing his own book in life.
He’s a fighter through and through and showed it once again this weekend.
He also showed that undefeated records are not as important as they used to be.
The old adage in boxing of the undefeated record and ‘O’ being important for the marketability of a high level professional fighter in the sport has been gradually dispelled in recent years.
Largely due to the quality of A-level matchups being made on a consistent basis involving top tier pugilistic talent in front of the masses on a plethora of media players — once again.
In fact, Keith Thurman’s stock has only grown in suffering his first professional defeat this weekend.
His humility following the loss shows the strength of the man and in fact, why after all, boxing is and has always been the best sport of them all.
It just lost its way for a little while. That’s all.
This weekend’s big fight in the fight capital of the world between two of its premier participants at this time, who fought their hearts out, is indicative of why boxing is well and truly on its way back to the mainstream sport it once was.
Hats off and big respect to both fighters this weekend.
