What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

As another poster pointed out today, we are coming to the end of an era now, an era I feel I caught the beginning of, so this is how it looked at the time.Ok for me, I discovered eastsideboxing round the time the contender was on. That got me hooked onto boxing and they used to have an "eastside" and a "westside" team. I typed in eastsideboxing because that was my favourite team team thinking they'd have their own website and well here I am lol.

Here are my favourite divisions and the pound for pounnd list and how I remember it looking.

When I first got into boxing Bernard Hopkins was considered p4p number 1. People thought his time was nearing it's end though and many from America installed the self proclaimed best Floyd Mayweather top about a year later after Hopkins' defeat to Taylor abd Tsyu's loss to Ricky Hatton. Pacquiao had beaten Barrera at the time but lost to Morales, which was made to look worse around this time by morales' shock defeat to Raheem he was cosidered top 10 but not 3rd, if I had to compare people's estmations of him then, it would be similar to people's estimation of Donaire now. Winky Wright was probably considered in the top 6 after beating Mosely twice and Trinidad. I don't remember exactly how people had it (it's hardly ever agreed on) but it was like this.
1. Hopkins
2. Tszyu
3. Mayweather
4. Tarver
5. Wright
6. Pacquiao
7. Barrera
8. Corrales (this was just before his great clash with Castillo)
9. Cotto (thrilling but unproven)
10. Vitali Klitschko

(people's perceptions at the time)
Heavyweight.
1. Vitali Klitschko was the man. The division was poor in the wake of Lewis and nobody looked like they could beat Vitali at the time (in all fairness he still hasn't been beaten)
2.Chris Bryd was generally seen as the only man who'd give him some problems but most agreed that at this point in time Vitali was number one.
3. Lamont Brewster - stopped Wlad and Kranski, decent operater hard as nails but limited and at the time probably over rated.
4. Sam Peter - People really had big expectations of him, they thought he was going to be the next Tyson and the only man who might take down Vitali.
5. Wlad. This would probably be a high estimation of how people saw him at the time tbh, he was viewed as having a glass chin by most after being stopped by Sanders and Brewster and being dropped (I think) by Williamson. Nobody gave him a chance of returning to the top but that he did in a barnstormer and most entertaining fight of his career vs. Peter.
John Ruiz was a champ as well but regarded as a complete joke. Mike Tyson was still lingering around but he was finished.

Domestic
1.Skelton - unbeaten ex kick-boxing world champ. hard working slugger, but limited ability, the fighter I supported in the division at the time.
1.Williams - Erratic heavy weight who beat Tyson and ex challenger to Vitali. Him vs. Skelton was always the fight I wanted to see.
3. Harrison - seen as being a future world champion with the ability to be the next Lewis but who was not moving up fast enough Harrison

Cruiser
1. Mormeck WBC, WBA
2. Bell IBF
3. Nelson WBO

Domestic

1. Nelson
2. Thompson
3. Haye/ Macrinelli both unproven at the time

Super Middle

There was no real number one, Ottke had just retired and many had Reid, many had Calzaghe but almost evryone agreed that the ex Olympian amateur stand out Jeff Lacy who had a crazy am record of about 270- 15 would emerge as the leader of the pack. Mudine, Green and Kessler were nearing their peak and Beyer was still hanging around.

Domestic
This has always been our strongest division, other than the ones already mentioned we had Magee and Froch mainly, Magee looked decent but just like he was hovering outside the top boys (as he still is now) and Froch looked average, decent at the level but like he was without the tools to move up. People didn't see him making the improvments that he went on to given that he was about 30 at the time and was just domestic level.

Light welter
Great division at the time we had

1. Tyszu IBF/ just vacting WBA
2. Mayweather
3. Cotto incredible power but a fragile chin at the time.
4. Hatton
5. Gatti

Anyway, these were the glamour divisions for me at the time. There was also lightweight with Corrales, Freitas, Castillo, Casamayor etc. in and other great divisions but what did boxing look like for you when you first got into it.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

When I went to my first fight the Heavyweights had Ali/Holmes up the following week.

Roberto Duran was the finest fighter on the Planet, having upset the previously unbeaten American Olympian hero, Ray Leonard.

I was going to see a Marvelous fighter take on Britain's World Middleweight Champ.

As well as Minter, we also had Maurice Hope and this Lightweight having an Indian summer to his career, as he helped try fill a Roberto Duran size hole in the Lightweight division.

And sadly Johnny Owen lied in hospital a week away from death...

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

I remember watching Richie Wenton vs Belcastro and remember shadowboxing pretending i was facing Belcastro. I always remember McGuigan on commentary mentioning the horse leather gloves and how they really mark up and cut skin.

The era i was brought into boxing was great man, seriously fun times. Remember the news when Bradley Stone was taken into hospital. That's why i was angry about the belt being held over a bin the over week.

Can remember my dad baying for McClellan's blood and the crowd. I can remember sitting in kitchen listening on radio Eubank lose to Collins. Sat there in shock...

Then as time went on remember the fine LMW and LW divisions domestically and remember a little bit of hype around guys like Angel Manfredy and then Floyd beat him up.

I just wish i had loads of VHS of all of those memories and put them on DVD's. I'd sit there for whole of Christmas with loads of twiglets and coke and harp back to those glory days.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

Hatton was prepping for the Mayweather fight, got me right into the sport.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

My dad has always been a big boxing fan, so I was around it since I was a kid. I always knew who the big fighters were but I didn't pay any serious attention to it until I'd finished school, around 2004 or so. I always look at threads in the Classic Forum and I'm envious of those people who were around in the 50s, but I've convinced myself that the sole upside to aging is that I'll have a lifetime of boxing to sit through :lol:

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

lol thanks for the replies lads i know i went into a lot of detail. just great to relive what it was like through the fresh eyes you first watched the sport through.

interesting to here from the guys who were into it before me and from the guys who got into it after who saw my memories differently.

the old guard is fading now lol, hatton, cotto, klitschko, calzaghe, judah, mayweather, pacquiao, skelton, fraudly, marquez, margarito, paul williams, hopkins, wright, tarver, all the pretenders and true stars who made the last 10 years of boxing truly special have retired recently.

I think it's time the Mayweather Pacquiao fight happens so this era can get the send off it truly deserves.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

Yeah era's slowly coming to a end, sad to see these guys go.

I think Pacquiao vs Mayweather will never happen. TBH i fully expect Marquez to bash Manny rotten in the 4th fight this month.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

would be a cruel way for it for a wonderful thing to end but boxing has a way of doing that

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

Yeah, I agree. I think the odds on a Marquez win are very good. Pacquiao just isn't the fighter he was several years ago.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

My interest in boxing started in the early nineties when my day bought me the video of 'Champions Forever'; I watched it over and over again, I absolutely loved it and still do, still the greatest documentary on the sport IMO.

The first boxing matches I remember watching live (and having an interest in them) were both in 1993; I'm giving my age away here, I would have been in my late teens :nut

I remember Bruno Lewis from Cardiff; it was on really late and we had a lock-in at my mates parents pub - it was such a good night :happy

I then remember watching Holyfield Bowe 2; it was on ITV (great days!) and I stayed at my mates house and we slept in the front room, I couldn't believe it when the 'fan man' came in, we both were in shock!

When I went to Uni in late 94 I managed to see Foreman Moorer and my interest in the sport went up another gear then; 1995 was really the year that cemented my love of the sport.

Fights were still a regular feature on terrestrial and drew massive numbers, when big fights were on they were always in the pubs and the atmosphere was great.

1995 bought me Benn McClellan, Hamed Robinson and Holyfield Bowe 3; what a year! :admin

Since then I have been in love with the sport, I particularly miss Hamed, Benn and Bruno because their fights transcended the sport.

The Manchester era was fantastic and I really miss all the wonderful all-nighters Sky used to put on.

Judgement Night in 1996? It was nearly ten hours long FFS! :lol:

Anway thats my memories :good

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

I got into boxing after watching the Benn/McLellan fight on terrestrial TV. I remember thinking that the fight was absolutely gripping and that I had finally found my sport, I probably assumed that most fights were that exciting at the time!

Also, Lewis/Holyfield 1 sticks out in my mind as we had all stayed up late to witness the robbery that we got. In the late 90's I probably just tuned in for the "big" fights but in the last 10 years have watched everything I can pretty much and followed the domestic scene a lot more closely.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

Very grainy and very black and white

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

I cant believe nobody has mentioned Rocky.

That’s what got me into the sport. I cant say I knew much about the sport back in the day, and I certainly did have a clue about promoters and the politics involved. (ignorance is sometimes bliss)

Being British, I followed the Benn, Eubank & Collins stories, and of course Lennox Lewis. After that is the Nassem Hamed, man I loved watching him perform. (I am/was a WWF fan so I naturally gravitated to the heel tendencies of the Prince)

One of the first real international stars I started following was De La Hoya. His fight with Hopkins back in 04 was the first time “weight” was brought to my attention. That was when I really started to learn about the intricacies of the sport.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

My 1st boxing memories are watching a young Mike Tyson destroying everyone he faced, I remember being very upset when he lost to Douglas.

I loved Bruno as well but the Watson/Benn/Eubank fights are what got me hooked, the build-up to Benn-Eubank 1 was incredible.

Re: What did boxing look like when you first got into it? (nostalgia thread)
 

as i said the contender got me into it so that's another stallone product. although he aint a boxer he deserves his place in the hof for all the fans he's brought to the sport.