Is there a fighter you didn't like in the past that you like now in hindsight?

Roberto Duran. After he beat Leonard in Montreal the way he acted after the fight was reprehensible to me. But year after year of watching him, going back and watching some of his fights during his lightweight yrs. Seeing how truly brilliant the man was in the ring, he became one of my favorite fighters, and a textbook model of how to be aggressive and defensive at the same damn time lol. And I still haven't seen the fighter below 140 to beat prime Duran. But Whitaker would've given him fits.

 

i still go back and forth on DLH based on his career as a promoter.

 

Lennox Lewis.

 

Amir Khan

 

Marlon starling .beat up Lloyd honeygunn on my 16th birthday hated that guy but latter realised what a good fighter he was and became a fan.

 

Pernell Whitaker, and ray leonrd

 

funny. i have recently developed a huge appreciation for andre ward.

maybe not 'past' enough for a thread on this section of the forum though.

 

Michael Spinks and Julio Cesar Chavez.

 

Manny Pacquiao. It's the most bizarre case for me.
I remember in 2006 and 2007, youtube wars vs Pacturds.
Just didn't care that he was the 'nice guy'.
Hated the trinity of Arum, Roach and Pacquiao.

After he was brutally knocked out by Marquez, I saw how he fought on afterwards. I saw a picture of him as a kid in poverty and pondered.

Randomly I watched Manny vs Margarito. Manny Steward commented on how there hasn't been a fighter like this before being so dominant against such big guys. Larry Merchant's words just rang in my ears - 'we thought he was great, but he's better than what we thought'.

 

Coincidentally, Khan and Canelo.


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There was a few for me.

Always disliked Larry Holmes but warmed to him after his first loss and now quite like watching his old fights. Damn good heavyweight.

Hated on SRL for years as i was a huge Hearns fan. I gradually accepted his greatness, especially after seeing a lot of Leonard hate on here many years ago. He was a very special fighter.

Duran and Monzon i underappreciated before finding this place. I didn't realise how truly great they were.

Ezzard Charles too. This joint taught me not to take boxrec records at face value. I used to see all those losses on guys records and write them off pretty quick, but upon closer inspection things were indeed very different back then. I followed boxing in an era where losses, even a single one, were often considered very telling or certainly involved a substancial dropping of stock.

 

camacho, i thought he just came along at the right time when the top guys were all old, but it isn't that clear cut and the guy could really fight.

 

I've always liked Pac.

 

Chris Eubanks.. I was a Benn fan so hated Chris, ate a lot of humble pie since Eubanks snr was very good.

 

Me too, Nigel Benn even eventually got to like him. I guess being in life and death battles brings two foes together.