This part of the game is never easy to deal with.

George Kambosos Jr. remembers when he was counted out against Teofimo Lopez and Lee Selby. The oddsmakers didn’t like his chances against either man but like he’s done on countless occasions, Kambosos showed up and showed out. Lately, however, things haven’t gone his way.

There’s no other way around it, Kambosos didn’t have a memorable birthday this past weekend. For as long as it lasted, Richardson Hitchins treated his man as he pleased until it was eventually called off in the 8th round.

Immediately after, the 32-year-old went through a wave of emotions. Ultimately, he found it hard to put it all into words but there was no need to. Outside of the bruises he suffered in New York’s Madison Square Garden, there was a deeper pain etched on his face.

Kambosos isn’t old but the wars, the arduous training camps, and the beatings he’s been on the wrong side of have taken their toll. Hitchins didn’t help things. In fact, he may have taken a small piece of his soul that night.

Considering how it all went down, it would be easy for Kambosos to mope around feeling sorry for himself. However, that isn’t how he rolls.

“I keep my head up, I keep my head high,” Kambosos told several reporters after getting stopped against Hitchins. “Losing is always a bitter pill to swallow.”

Kambosos (22-4, 10 KOs) isn’t spending any time in the gym over the next few weeks. He’ll enjoy the fruits of his labor by taking his family on vacation. But once he comes back and reality sets in, he’ll need to make a decision.

Was the money enough? Did he win enough titles? Is he done throwing on his gladiator gear and going to war? Those are the type of questions he’ll wrestle with. For now though, he doesn’t have the answers.

“We’ll see what’s next.”