Even the ones that won didn't have it easy. My sister ran into him at a local tourist site in Michigan some years ago. Even though her heart meds had ballooned her up to 400+ pounds and put her in a wheel chair, The Champ was as excited to see a fan as the fan was to see him. He sent his body guard over to see if Sis would like to have her pic taken with him. I have a copy of it. It was shortly after that meeting that she took weight loss seriously.
But I'll remember that, while he was the champ in the ring, he was a bigger champ in the real world.
