Episode 47 — Second Acts
What exactly counts as a second act?
This week on The Stand Up Guys, we look at fighters whose careers didn't follow a simple beginning-middle-end trajectory. From Muhammad Ali and George Foreman to Sugar Ray Leonard, Bernard Hopkins, Vitali Klitschko, Samart Payakaroon, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Alistair Overeem, we explore the many different ways a fighter can return, reinvent themselves, change directions or find success in an entirely new chapter.
And somehow Rodney Dangerfield made the list.
Yes. Seriously.
That discussion leads us into bare-knuckle boxing, which has developed a fascinating second act of its own. We go all the way back to boxing's bare-knuckle roots before the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, because bare knuckle isn't some strange modern offshoot—it's part of boxing's genetics.
From there, we trace its journey from boxing's earliest days through the viral-internet era of backyard fighting and Kimbo Slice, and eventually into the organized bare-knuckle promotions we know today. Along the way, it's also become something of combat sports' “senior tour”—a legitimate place for established fighters to reinvent themselves and write another chapter of their careers.
That includes Victor Ortiz, who recently made his bare-knuckle debut and sat down with Edge at Napa Knock Out to talk about his career, his inspirations and his own second act. Our full interview with Victor is available on our YouTube channel.
Before all of that, we remember Prichard Colón, who passed away after nearly eleven years living with the devastating injuries he suffered in his 2015 fight, and former world champion Zolani Tete, tragically murdered outside his home in South Africa. Tete leaves behind his own piece of boxing history: the 11-second knockout that remains the fastest finish in a world championship fight.
We also take a deep dive into the idea that losing in Zuffa Boxing could get you fired. With invaluable assistance from our newly appointed Head of Research—a random guy in the Facebook comments—we discovered that fighters being released after losses certainly isn't unprecedented. The difference may be that with Zuffa, it appears increasingly likely to be a feature of the system rather than an occasional outlier.
And after some disappointing discourse surrounding George Foreman, we discuss why boxing conversations deserve more than the sports-talk formula of forcing every generation into a winner-and-loser debate.
🥊 We also cover:
- Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua
- Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu
- Emanuel Navarrete vs. O'Shaquie Foster
- Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Charly Suarez
- Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao II
- Vergil Ortiz potentially moving to middleweight
- Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Janibek Alimkhanuly
- Nabil Anane's pursuit of Olympic boxing
- Suriyanlek getting hit by a van... because apparently that's a story now
- GLORY's heavyweight landscape
- Don King turning 95
- Teofimo Lopez vs. Rolly Romero
- Pet Garfield vs. Netpayak
- And a preview of Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgović
Some careers end.
Some careers restart.
And some fighters find an entirely different way to keep going.
Episode 47: Second Acts.
No hot takes. Just honest conversation. 🥊
Podcast Links
Vitor Ortiz Interview
https://youtu.be/MhMS5KctsXY
One Friday Fights 167
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6RGqeoQ5-g&t=6547s
Rolly Romero vs Teofimo Lopez: (Highlights)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqgdf9TgvfQ
Pichard Colon vs Terrel Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1ykhcZJFJg&t=1866s
Zolani Tete vs Siboniso Gonya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUXUedFxTQE
Larry Holmes vs Trevor Berbick Brawl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zlQqSCzRrA
