Sport of Boxing. Who was or is your favorite Fighter? (Rocky Balboa not included)
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My favorite fighter as a kid was Livingstone Bramble, who upset Mancini. I was devastated when he got wiped after a defense or two by Edwin Rosario. After that, I never really had a boxer that I was a fan of, in the sense that I'm a fan of FSU, where I rooted hard for them or had that emotional connection.
However, I certainly have had guys that I considered must see and so I've had my favorites. I took about a decade off from boxing in the 1990s, in the 1980s it was the usual suspects everyone has mentioned.
In the last couple decades, I think I'd say my favorite fighter would be Juan Manuel Marquez. I probably didn't appreciate it as much at the time, but he fought so many good fighters and was in so many great fights, and was just such a highly skilled boxer-puncher.
Over the years there's been other guys I'd consider favorites...Vernon Forest, Paul Williams, Kelly Pavik, GGG, Glen Johnson, Sergio Martinez come to mind.
Right now my guy is Terrence Crawford, and it's not even close. I just love the way the guy fights and his ruthless mentality. I'm dying to see him in the ring with top guys. Second favorite is Naoya Inoue.
After that, there are guys I like who's careers are kind of on the back end like GGG and Pac and young fighters I have an I on, but at the moment my favorite fighters list isn't too deep.
However, I certainly have had guys that I considered must see and so I've had my favorites. I took about a decade off from boxing in the 1990s, in the 1980s it was the usual suspects everyone has mentioned.
In the last couple decades, I think I'd say my favorite fighter would be Juan Manuel Marquez. I probably didn't appreciate it as much at the time, but he fought so many good fighters and was in so many great fights, and was just such a highly skilled boxer-puncher.
Over the years there's been other guys I'd consider favorites...Vernon Forest, Paul Williams, Kelly Pavik, GGG, Glen Johnson, Sergio Martinez come to mind.
Right now my guy is Terrence Crawford, and it's not even close. I just love the way the guy fights and his ruthless mentality. I'm dying to see him in the ring with top guys. Second favorite is Naoya Inoue.
After that, there are guys I like who's careers are kind of on the back end like GGG and Pac and young fighters I have an I on, but at the moment my favorite fighters list isn't too deep.
Your right. I had forgotten of his mother's passing (3 weeks before the fight) and how much inspiration he said it gave him.
Sanchez was really good, Died way too young, A couple other really great ones were Alexis Arguello and Julio Cesar Chavez.
Gatti/Ward. Their first fight was the best damn fight I've ever seen.
Hearns/Hagler. Just non stop action. Delivering and taking a beating. Made me a fan of both of them that night.
Tommy was so much fun to watch as he came to beat ass. He was absolutely robbed by Sugar Ray who had a knack for using his flair to win decisions rather than skill. I never liked Leonard due to that. He screwed Hagler as well.
I never liked Tyson that much. Guy never beat anyone but so many who grew up in the 80's/90's think he's the greatest. Nah...just whipped a bunch of punching bags; Evander picked him apart.
Hearns/Hagler. Just non stop action. Delivering and taking a beating. Made me a fan of both of them that night.
Tommy was so much fun to watch as he came to beat ass. He was absolutely robbed by Sugar Ray who had a knack for using his flair to win decisions rather than skill. I never liked Leonard due to that. He screwed Hagler as well.
I never liked Tyson that much. Guy never beat anyone but so many who grew up in the 80's/90's think he's the greatest. Nah...just whipped a bunch of punching bags; Evander picked him apart.
My cousin fought Tyson when he was still an amateur. Tyson was probably 15 years old and my cousin was about 23. He said it was the most painful 15 seconds of his boxing career.
Holyfield for me. It was great back then. I had Showtime which had all of Holyfields fights and my buddy had HBO which had all the Tyson fights. So we got to see them all.
I always thought if Holyfield could withstand the 1st round he would have beaten Tyson in his prime. Nothing I ever saw gives me reason to change my mind. Holyfield was better than Tyson.
I always thought if Holyfield could withstand the 1st round he would have beaten Tyson in his prime. Nothing I ever saw gives me reason to change my mind. Holyfield was better than Tyson.
Cus D'Amato's passing, Robin Givens and Don the King snake picked Mike apart. Your right tho Evander had his number.
Gatti/Ward. Their first fight was the best damn fight I've ever seen.
Hearns/Hagler. Just non stop action. Delivering and taking a beating. Made me a fan of both of them that night.
Tommy was so much fun to watch as he came to beat ass. He was absolutely robbed by Sugar Ray who had a knack for using his flair to win decisions rather than skill. I never liked Leonard due to that. He screwed Hagler as well.
I never liked Tyson that much
Hearns/Hagler. Just non stop action. Delivering and taking a beating. Made me a fan of both of them that night.
Tommy was so much fun to watch as he came to beat ass. He was absolutely robbed by Sugar Ray who had a knack for using his flair to win decisions rather than skill. I never liked Leonard due to that. He screwed Hagler as well.
I never liked Tyson that much
Sugar Ray Leonard and Ali. They both were champs during a golden age in boxing.
Also receiving votes, tho I never saw any clips of his fights, is Rocky Marciano. My brother got his picture taken comparing fists with the Rock shortly before his plane went down in Iowa. Looking at his wiki page, I never realized how old some of the guys he fought were.
Marciano has the highest knockout percentage of any heavyweight champion in history (over the period of a career) with 87.76%. In his professional career, he was only knocked down twice. The first occurred in his first championship against Jersey Joe Walcott, 38, and the second occurred against 38 year-old Archie Moore.
On the bootleg tapes of the Beatles in session in 1965 recording "Think For Yourself", John Lennon can be heard reflecting and joking about a meeting he had with Marciano in which Marciano talked about Joe Louis.[citation needed]
Marciano's punch was tested and it was featured in the December 1963 issue of Boxing Illustrated: "Marciano's knockout blow packs more explosive energy than an armor-piercing bullet and represents as much energy as would be required to spot lift 1000 pounds one foot off the ground."[29][30]
So many greats. Ali, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes! Loved Dwight Braxton (later Dwight Muhammad Qawi). Leon Spinks over Ali was shocking! Not a Duran fan at all, Sugar Ray Leonard was fun. Tyson was incredible. So much fun stuff outside of the ring, like when Tyson and Mitch “Blood” Green scuffled on the street and Green told reporters “Like a sissy, a homo, he ran!” Boxing was the best. Howard Cosell and The Fight Doctor! Bob Arum and Don King!
Hearns was my favorite. Ali a close second. The first round of Hearns/Hagler was amazing. I think if Tommy doesn't break his hand in that round he wins the fight.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones, Michael Nunn, Ali.
Lots of my favorites already mentioned...one that has not been: Vasyl Lomachenco...he may have the greatest footwork of any fighter all-time.
I don't believe for one second Holmes would beat Ali, for sure, or Foreman in their prime. Ali, in his prime, didn't get hit. I don't think people understand how great pre suspension Ali was.
His 1970s fights were generally on ABC's Wide World of Sports.
Hagler didn't get robbed. Not in my view. Leonard outpointed him when people thought Hagler would walk through him. That didn't happen.
Foreman hit guys like his arms were actually tree trunks...that's what it looked like to me.
I'm going to throw Shavers and Ron Lyle into this...here's one of the most brutal heavyweight fights I have ever seen. Nothing but haymakers being thrown and landed.
Rocky Marciano was a fierce fighter.
He was a genuine champion always
defending his title. He stayed out of
the headlines and was not trying to
made a political statement.
He was a genuine champion always
defending his title. He stayed out of
the headlines and was not trying to
made a political statement.
Holyfield had Tyson’s number, but Tyson has Holyfield’s ear.
Hagler. is my favorite fighter of all time, someone I rooted for to win and was upset when some idiot judge said that Leonard fight was 118-110. It is a fight, not a game of patty-cake
couple fighters I dont think have been mentioned that I was a big fan.
Mark Breland-pure talent that didnt translate to what many thought he would be as a professional, even though 35-3-1 is not terrible. But he was all world as an amateur. 1982 to 1984 was a hell of a run -the lead up to the Olympics and winning the gold , he was special
Pernell Whitaker- The Chavez loss is perhaps the biggest screw job in boxing ( and that says something) and De La Hoya was also bad, but not as bad. The guy was a huge talent that didnt get his due because he was on the wrong side of a couple bad decisions
couple fighters I dont think have been mentioned that I was a big fan.
Mark Breland-pure talent that didnt translate to what many thought he would be as a professional, even though 35-3-1 is not terrible. But he was all world as an amateur. 1982 to 1984 was a hell of a run -the lead up to the Olympics and winning the gold , he was special
Pernell Whitaker- The Chavez loss is perhaps the biggest screw job in boxing ( and that says something) and De La Hoya was also bad, but not as bad. The guy was a huge talent that didnt get his due because he was on the wrong side of a couple bad decisions
Sorry but this was a professional championship fight....not an amateur bout. Hagler clearly won this fight if it had been scored consistent with professional title bouts with Hagler being the champion and Leonard the challenger. Leonard was in survival mode and was running for his life. It was the only chance he had. Yes, he did land more punches than Hagler but they were meaningless punches that were thrown with nothing on them and zero impact on Hagler. In an amateur fight where you get 1 point for basically touching your opponent with the white part of your glove with zero judging for effect or aggression Leonard did play patty cake enough to have gotten a win.....but clearly this was not an amateur fight.
Hagler never stopped being the aggressor and pushing forward. Leonard's weak taps did nothing to him while the fewer punches he did land on Leonard had an obvious greater effect causing Leonard to run even harder. You do not take a fighters title away from him when his opponent picks a strategy of playing keep away or we would see boxing matches becoming nothing but boring dance a thons. Can you imagine basketball without a shot clock? A team could wait till they get a 2 point lead and then put in a lineup of 5 ball handlers to run the clock out. How would you like to watch an NCAA title game with Ray Leonard dribbling the ball nonstop for 3+ quarters?
I will whole heartedly agree with you that the expectation was that Hagler would destroy Leonard like he did Hearns and Mugabi. The fact that he didn't seemed to have a big influence on the judges and some watching. Even boxing analysts at the time noted this situation of Leonard beating the expectation he would get stomped so if he survived he must have won...right? Wrong.
Hagler did get the last laugh. He claimed on the spot he was done and everyone (myself included) figured there is no way he wouldn't fight Leonard in a rematch. Hagler said he thought Leonard needed the rematch more than him and walked away and as few fighters do......stayed retired. Leonard on the other hand did what most fighters do and hung around too long. After Hagler he had 5 more fights and only won twice ending his career getting knocked out.
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I want to kick your ass as bad as Holmes would have taken apart Liston, Tyson, Frazier!
He would have outworked a young Foreman!
He would have had no problem going the distance with ALi because Ali would have never hit him!!!
It would have been a decision now corporate elites and people wanting to make money would have rigged it for ALi!
Liston took a dive in the rematch and quit in the first fight. Liston ruined boxing for me. After that was never as interested.
