Who is your favourite fighter ever? And why?

Seems a simple enough question. Just interested in seeing who also has great taste.

I'll start.

Lennox Lewis - Was always my favourite because my dad was a Lewis fan, and I never got the Bruno love over here. I always was more of a Lennox fan, you could tell he was a man on a mission and it was cool that he accomplished it. I also liked the fact that whilst others done all this smacktalking he just kept it cool and calm, stared them down and you could see the opponents confidence just drain out of them. Good shit man, loved it. I like the fact one of the first fighters I ever followed has gone down as an all-time great. What abaaat youz?

 

This mo-fo is the reason why I became a boxing fan...



I grew up watching Benn spit bile at Eubanks, come back from defeat against Watson and show probably the most courageous, fearsome, indomitable side of a boxer I ever saw against McLellan. That's what got me hooked.

MTF

 

Julian Jackson: he was not a big middleweight, more of a Jr. Middle which is where he spent a large part of his career. That said, he had freakish power---possibly harder than Hearns at Jr. Middle and Middle. His fights show a type of power and lean athleticism that any man would want. He had killer instinct and finishing ability as well. His KOs were spectacles. He also had a winning attitude.

 

Mike McCallum--- I grew up watching Ali and then SR Leonard and really got tired of the flash and show. McCallum was all business. He was methodical. He was technically sound in all areas. It was refreshing to see a guy just apply solid boxing technique and dominate a division.

Even defensively the guy succeeded not because of cat-like reflexes or Pernell Whitaker's Matrix moves, but just by parrying blows, subtle footwork and almost always keeping his hands high.

The dude was a walking, talking textbook of boxing technique.

 

evander holyfield. the reason being he edged slice and dice's favorite fighter in the all important rematch, when he was well past his best.

 

Lennox Lewis - always considered him Canadian as a lad because of the Olympics. Don't care either way now, he's the reason I started watching boxing.

 

You can argue Evander won 5 of 12 rounds in that fight.

 

:bears:

 

Yup. its silly that he gets credit simply because the second fight, which was scored for Lewis, was closer than the first fight, which was a fix.

MTF

 

Lennox. Perhaps the most important person in the history

 

if the first fight was scored properly for lewis, then there wouldnt have been any backlash/overcompensation and holyfield would have (rightfully) received the decision in the rematch.

and obviously in a third bout holyfield would have won by decisive knock out.

 

Evander Holyfield before the Evan Fields scandal

 

My favorite beat your favorite. :nana:

 

Fields W12 Lewis II

 

Mike Tyson for the fact that he is the reason I got into boxing. If not him, I would probably say Diego Corrales. The dude was just a warrior, not the best guy by any means, but an exciting fighter and a great puncher.

 

pernell whitaker. he was from virginia.

 

Steve Collins.

He was from Dublin, had a chin, won some very big fights, gave Eubank his first defeat, finished Benn, beat Eubank again, and quit when the time was right, and did not make the mistake of fighting a prime Jones. A very good speaker who still has his marbles, I'm glad he's made the break into tv punditry. He did something that almost no fighters do today- he went to the USA to get good, instead of hanging around in England beating tomato-khans and getting bigged up by newspaper hacks. He was a sort of Froch in that he always fought the best, his resume includes fights with McCallum, Reggie Johnson, Kalamby, Benn X2, Eubank X2, which constituted around 20% of all the fights he ever had.

The Reggie Johnson fight was desperately close, 113-115, 114-114, 114-115, you see people like Khon moaning about the cards, Collins had no major promotional backing and was still able to stick it to some very very good fighters.

Oleg Maskaev would be a close second- the true Cinderella Man of recent years, but he got fuck all credit, cos he was a "Rooskie"....:wack:



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fields whipped your favorite also

 

Damn that Evan Fields!!!

It was the PED's. That's why Mike bit his ear, he took it back to the lab to have it tested. :rock:

 

Duran, for being just a bundle of pure, unadulterated awesomeness.

I don't trust anyone who could watch a prime Duran fight, exuberantly bouncing around, furiously attacking and mauling his opponent, with an evil yet satisfied grin on his face, his shiny floppy hair bouncing around as he unleashed the ultra violence, I don't trust anyone who could watch that and not get a boner, or at the very least feel an overwhelming amount of love and excitment for Duran.

My most hated fighter is Lewis.

Just a disgusting, boring, cowardly oaf.

 

The Duran.

That shiny black hair bouncing and the shear child like exuberance he had in what he did. Kinda erotic.

 

Yeah, pretty much beat me to that 'un

 

Like snap, or something ::

 

Honourable mention, Nicolino Locche

 

For me, I have to say Wilfred Benitez --- I have always been drawn to defensive wizadry, such a craft, above and beyond even the most educated offensive technique. Then theres his utterly compelling, made-for-Hollywood life story. I also appreciate the quiet way he carried himself in an age of braggarts.

Very close behind him in my heart lie Mickey Walker and Jack Dempsey.

The Marquez bros (moreso Rafael) have been the first fighters Ive really ridden their highs and lows with over the past several years since the halcyon days of De La Hoya.

 

Sorry, I dont follow...

 

Normally I'd say Muhammad Ali but I was a kid toward the end of his career. My favorite memory as a kid was watching the Rumble in the Jungle with my dad.

However, I voted Jones because we're pretty much the same age and I first took note of him fighting on ABC in amateur tournaments.

Surprisingly enough...it wasn't until last weekend that I saw him fight in person for the first time. Felt I'd seen his career go full circle.

 

::

Whilst I obviously disagree, I must say, I didn't think it was possible for me to have any more respect for Holyfield than I already did until that second fight. I was admittedly shitting bricks in that 7th round. Saying that, Evanders slow start cost him, he had me sweating as he kept closing the gap and clawing back rounds, but just as it looked like he may catch up Lewis would put a round in the bank to pull clear again. I never had the feeling whilst watching the fight that Lewis was behind in the fight.

 

Mex! You love spicy food, you hate Lennox Lewis, what the hell is going on?!?!?! :: :: :nono:

RE: Duran, he's obviously one of the greatest fighters ever and I love his style but I can't really call him one of my "favourites" as I didn't watch his career unfold in front of me like I did with Lewis.