Psychological tough guys

By which I mean guys who it'd be impossible to psyche out, intimidate, flap, inside or outside the ring. Not just in a purely sporting sense, but in a totally general sense, too. Who you'd expect to be least shaken by an opponent confronting them in ally, by a dog attacking them, etc. Silly stuff like that.

Two come to my mind as Vitali Klitschko & Marvin Hagler.

Vitali could most likely make a stuffed Dodo blink. That guy gives eye contact so piercing you can see atoms compressing in the stillness & it's slightly terrifying.:: Seriously. If he hadn't been a boxer you could picture him rising through the Ukranian secret police or becoming a local mafia don.

Hagler was Hagler, no explanation needed.

Any others come to mind?

 

Aaron Pryor

 

Ali

 

I can't find that video of Vitali flipping out during some sort of governmental session, so I'd have to disagree with choosing him.

Bhop would probably be my choice.

 

great choice.

 

How could we forget...Roy Jones.


























:giggle:

 

the unflappable derrick gainer

 

Sorry I shoulda specified what I meant better, I agree that Ali would never let nerves negatively effect him in the ring, but that wasn't quite what I meant. I've edited the OP. I don't think Ali's a good candidate in terms of being really unflappable. Ali was incredibly BRAVE in the ring, but I think what Ai did brilliantly was convert all the nervous energy he naturally had into something positive. But I definitely think he could be psychologically shaken up/intimidated.....I think he was very, very scared going into Zaire for instance.

 

On the contrary old chap, Ali is the perfect candidate for this thread. Every fighter feels a little fear going into a big fight but Ali was psychologically though and that fear didn't take away his self-belief.

Zaire is a bad example for your position and the perfect one for mine.

 

Ali was the first person I thought of, but if you meant emotion-less titans, I agree that Hagler is a good choice.

 

Vitali was the first guy that came to mind for me too

 

I was gonna say Joe Frazier, but he thrived on emotion, so it's not a good call really

Hagler is an excellent choice, but he deserves some negative attention for the way he took Leonard so lightly

 

Leonard hadn't fought in 3 years, never once fought at 160lbs, last we knew of him he was decked by Kevin Howard. Had recovered from Retinal re-attachment surgery.

Why wouldn't he take Leonard lightly?

 

I liked when Vitali jumped out of his seat, bewildered and all full of panic right after the first knockdown of his brother against Corrie Sanders. That was pretty funny stuff. Vitali was about to cry.

 

Yup. He didn't look so scary then. I think the stuffed Dodo would have been able to handle him.

 

Im not sure taking Ray Leonard lightly really counts against him in this particular one :: 'Im so hard I don't even have to try hard against Sugar Ray f'n Leonard'.

He certainly never looked intimidated or shaken up mentally. Just really pissed off by the end.

 

Evander Holyfield was the 1st Guy that Sprung to REED's Mind...



REED:dancingBaby:

 

because it was immensely important that he defeat the man... because 20 years after the fact, guys like you were/are still trying to use that fight to diminish him

In my opinion, he DID beat Leonard... BUT, Leonard, as shrewd a showman as there has ever been, did enough cutesy things in there, flashy things to convince many that he won... he created the illusion of victory... I can argue with someone that Hagler won the fight, but it isn't something that I can necessarily CONVINCE someone of, because Leonard did everything right and Hagler didn't.

Hagler should have issued a no-doubt-about-it beating... instead, he gave away every possible concession in negotiations, came out folling around right-handed and gave away 3 or 4 rounds from the outset, so confident was he that Leonard would crash as soon as he got to him... it was an idiotic display on his part.

 

Oh, I agree with you there, Hut

But why was he pissed off? because he didn't focus, didn't take the man seriously and gave away too much early, all of which made the decision debateable in the first place... Had he gone out there and set to work on his man right form the get-go, he would have won it clean and people would have been saying "great job by Leonard" for competing hard and losing gallantly instead of "great job by Leonard" for show-bizzing his way to victory

 

all of that said, it doesn't detract enough form him to make him in any way a poor choice here

He's as good as any, just want to make that clear

 

Fair point.

 

Maybe Hagler couldn't do anything more at that point. Remember Hagler was relatively inactive at that time and in his last fight almost went the distance with Mugabi.


Interestingly Hagler retired after a split decision fight against the cash cow of his generation, capping a long successful career. No one criticized him for it.

Floyd did the same and everyone whined about him not waiting for Cotto, Margarito, Williams and Cintron.

What about Hagler fighting McCallum, Kalambay, Benn, Nunn and Herol Graham?

 

Chavez

 

Yes but is that because he is so immensely retarded?? I mean, I've never seen a scared slug. You poke it with a stick and it just sort of does nothing. Is it a psychological tough guy of the mollusk world, or is it just so far down the food chain as to be incapbale of being afraid.....Lou Duva used to say Evander as a dummy who would do what he was asked when he was asked.

 

Fought Braxton in just his 8th Pro Fight, Fought Bowe 3x, Lennox Lewis 2x & Mike Tyson (When the Boxing World LITERALLY FEARED for his Life Going into the 1st Bout) 2x...& DIDN'T Show the LEAST Bit of Fear in ANY of those Instances...

Holyfield DEFINITELY Qualifies...



REED:dancingBaby:

 

Fully agree on Holyfield, his fights and demeanor against Bowe and Tyson both proved it beyond a doubt.

For my money, give me Roberto Duran.

 

To me Duran was a guy who would intimidate, often deliberately.....those who live by the sword often die by the sword, in that area I think. He was scared against Hearns and I can imagine him definitely dealing with fear quite a bit. Another kinda high energy, high nervous energy type of guy, like Ali.

 

Nonsense...The "No Mas" Fight is the QUINTESSENTIAL Psychological LOSS...



REED:shit:

 

Lets not got through that again, but suffice to say fuck Ray Leonard and 24ft clown rings.

 

erik morales. holyfield's another great example.