Strange thing, pride.
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So often responsible for steeling your mind when the body isn't willing, so often enough to force your body to find that extra inch.
It is pride that will draw Anthony Mundine back into the ring after he so vehemently declared no amount of money could.
It will offer him one more chance to go out on his terms. It will set two of Australian combat sport's finest on a collision course in the twilight of their careers.
Mundine has one more chance for salvation in the form of Australian Muay Thai great John Wayne Parr on the Gold Coast or in Brisbane in November.
Some will ridicule the bout, but many wait eagerly in anticipation for what two veterans dish up. Rest assured it should be 44-year-old Mundine's final shot.
In the wake of his 96-second knockout at the hands of former world welterweight champion Jeff Horn this past November, the sun had seemingly set on his career.
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"I'm done. It proved there is a new generation now. I knocked on father [time's] door for a long time," Mundine said.
For Mundine's sporting career to end in such a flash seemed something of a shame, but at 43 and in the ring against a man looking to rebound from a world title defeat, it was hardly the most staggering show boxing has put forth.
He was far removed from the 18-year-old footballer blessed with raw talent and athleticism that came from the bench for St George at Penrith Park in 1993.
No longer was he the flamboyant Super League premiership winner, no longer the face of domestic boxing.
Stories about the end of the Mundine era closed with the words "never before, perhaps never again".
But "perhaps never again" was more a thought that perhaps Australian boxing would never unearth a larger than life character with a cape of bravado as flashy as Mundine's.
It certainly wasn't anticipating the prospect of Mundine lacing up the gloves and getting in the ring one more time. Not after Mundine had declared "I've had a great career, 25 years, I just want to give back and empower people now".
But no, Mundine couldn't go out like that. Pride sunk its claws in and had him lobbying for a rematch with Horn, one that would never come given the latter had nothing more to prove.
Talks with Michael Zerafa's camp broke down as the Victorian boxer sets his sights on a date with Horn in Bendigo next month.
Now comes a former Muay Thai world champion in Parr, who at 43 has remained very active in pursuit of a 100th win across combat sports.
He has not competed in boxing since 2003 when he lost an Australian middleweight title bout on points to Sakio Bika, closing out his record at 10-3.
But that is all about to change after his bout with Mundine was officially announced in Brisbane on Saturday night.
"He's a deadset legend," Mundine said.
"He's internationally known. I've got nothing but respect for the brother. But I'm going to show him who's his daddy in the boxing ring.
"I want to make sure I'm in tip-top shape because John Wayne Parr will be. This is Australia's version of the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight - two champs from different fight sports and we know how that one finished. The slick boxer won easy."
But Parr is far from easy pickings.
"Crazy to think after fighting Muay Thai all over the world, it's a boxing fight against another Australian that's going to finally put me on the map," Parr said.
"I'm not doing this as a quick money grab, although the money is a bonus. I'm doing this to secure my legacy as one of Australia's greatest."
After pride lured Mundine back for one last dance, one can't help but hope he gets the finish he deserves.
In a sport in which your legacy is defined by wins and losses, perhaps neither of those are what matters most here.
What matters most is walking away with the one thing that pushed you back into the ring.