The Jeff Fenech Appreciation Thread

After Fenech was compared to Ricky Hatton on another thread, I felt perhaps he's become underappreciated, because he was a completely different level fighter than Hatton.

Let's give some recognition to the Aussie GOAT. He was one of the best pressure fighters ever, and his skills/ring IQ were a lot higher than he gets credit for.

Here are some of the best performances - with Payakaroon and Callejas his two very best. I should note, Payakaroon was an excellent super bantamweight champion, and Victor Callejas was a MURDEROUS MURDEROUS puncher who's quite overlooked himself. Marcos Villasana was both granite chinned, and a murderous puncher - no one beat him up the way Fenech did.

As for the McCrory fight I'm posting - that was Jeff's last fight at 118, and he was weight drained, but he still beat the piss outta McCrory in highly impressive fashion.

Fenech was almost unrivaled as an infighter, he had fast hands, threw great combinations, had an excellent chin, one of the best motors of all time, and was a lot better defensively than he gets credit.

Ricky Hatton can't compare in the least bit.

 

I've heard fenech had an unhealthy, borderline stalkerish admiration for/ fascination with mike tyson

 

I never heard that. Details?

All I know that Jeff and Mike are very good friends and have been since both were at their peaks.

I never heard the stalker/fascination part.

I know that Fenech's idol was Duran - I never knew he idolized Tyson.

 

Fenech has or at least had l 1 room in his house dedicated to tyson. Pictures, memorabilia, etc wall to wall

 

I don't think that's too creepy. That's his boy.

I'd venture to say there's a shitload of people in the world who have rooms dedicated to Tyson, and have never met him a day in their lives.

 

Fenech would get fucked up by Hamed

 

If Fenech had fought Zarate 2 years earlier,..he gets stretched

 

Fenech would kick Hamed's ass all over the ring.

 

Fenech mauls and stops any Zarate above 118.

 

Agreed.

But prime Zarate smokes the green Fenech at 118.

 

I love Jeff. He's so fun to watch. He's a whirlwind, and he had some very good skills. His head-movement was quite good, albeit a bit flawed. His punching form wasn't wild or crude. He didn't feint much, but he didn't need to as he just threw so many punches. He was fast, huge for 118/122 and extremely tough. Decent pop too.

Very good wins over Zaragoza, Callejas, Richardson, Martinez, Samart, Shingaki and a should-be win over a prime Azumah Nelson. The performances vs Samart, Richardson and Zaragoza are his best IMO. Thought for a while that at 122, he beats everyone but Gomez.

Not a lock for Aussie GOAT though. I'd be completely happy hearing a case for Lionel Rose, who definitely has a better résumé.

 

How much weight was he cutting?

 

Fenech was a fuckin bum who feasted on cab drivers and Australian dishwashers

 

Lok, stop...

He had an excellent resume.

 

I'm thinking Fenech is a handful for most super bantams and featherweights in history, with the only really bad matchups for him being Gomez at 122, and guys like Sanchez, Arguello, Pac, and Saldivar at 126.

Arguello and Sanchez, in particular, would be very bad for him.

Peak Fenech beats Barrera and Morales, imo.

 

He was one fecking heck of a fighter. Beast. Yeah, it's an insult comparing Hatton to him, and I went to many of Ricky's fights over the years cheering like a loon whenever the Man City shirts weren't making me sick up my own liver.

 

You sound like my Grandad

 

We're probably a similar age tbf mucker.

 

He'd be 54 this year. I'm fairly certain that's like 15+ years older than you mate. You're closer to my dad's age

 

I was punting on there being loads of granddads under 40 in Manchester if I'm being honest, and I distinctly remember you saying that you're 7.

 

They’re also friends, so I don’t know if it’s some weird thing. Tyson had memorabilia of Fenech before they worked together. Tyson said that Fenech was so mean in the ring but nice and protective when it came to being his trainer.

I loved jeff’s response to Don King to getting screwed against Nelson, on the undercard of Tyson-Ruddock 2.

Don pats Jeff’s shoulder and says “you did it” and Fenech says “fuck you!!”

Fenech’s excuse for losing the rematch was having weak legs from fucking 5 woman a day during camp

 

My dad is 40. I assume you're younger than that if you're a couple years older than flea

 

Fenech did look very flat in the rematch. Not to diminish Azumah's performance, but Fenech looked like he poured everything he had into that first fight.

 

Fenech vs Lil Red Lopez sure would have been one savage affair.

 

I've read his love for boxing completely evaporated after that decision. I don't think any Nelson could do that to Fenech from the first fight.

 

Jesus, I’ve been posting on boxing message boards from before you were born.

Getting old!

 

I know. It makes me feel old too .

 

Sorry, just fuckin with ya'll