I'm naturally not talking about fights where you were distracted by other people or events so didn't get to focus properly.
I agree it ages extremely well and if you saw it the first time knowing the result already, then it fits. However I doubt any rerun can surpass the excitement and climax of the end if you have seen it live (I haven't). Out of the fights I have seen live, some masterful beatdowns might qualify. In bouts like Hopkins vs Johnson, where there is no question about the outcome at any point, it is easier to pick up and pay respect to the nuances when you rewatch.
I rewatched stretches of Lewis-Tua recently and found it less awful than the first time. I suppose a decade+ of wlad stink beat down my standards in the intervening time
This is a good point too. A fight that is a letdown at the moment it happens can seem better after a while. Lewis vs Holyfield II was actually a very good fight but at the fight time the main narratives were Lewis' inability to score a knockout and the bullshit about a bad decision
Trinidad vs Vargas I was a nervous wreck, biting my nails watching the bout at a friend's house, surrounded by a crowd of drunken boricuas, who were howling non-stop the whole time, plus with the curvy latinas in micro skirts it was very difficult to concentrate on the actual bout. When the fight was then repeated a week later on HBO I was able to watch it calmly by myself at home and enjoyed it more than the first time.
