Who was your First Boxing Hero?

Clubber Lang.

 

Growing up in an Italian family, my grandfather would always tell us about the Italian greats, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep, Jake Lamotta, ect so they were my first because they were his. The 1st fighter I ever read about on my own and put on a pantheon was ( other than his ridiculous racism) John L Sullivan I absolutely loved reading about John l Sullivan.

 

It was 1982 and I was 8 years... Rocky Balboa because of Rocky III

 

I was 16 and LOVED that movie. But I was already the world's biggest Larry fan by that time.

 

Ali-Frazier 1 was my 1st ever fight to see at age 10 my friends and I started a boxing club and whenever we fougth each other everyone wanted to be Joe Frazier.
when he was on Tv he came off as such a cool guy, smart, dressed cool for the time, and very nice, polite guy.
Took me a few years to figure Ali out and start liking him.

 

Yes he did//MAB became one of my ATG after that night..that ***** Hamed had KOd the guy who got me into this game..Vuyani The Beast Bungu.
Marco a brilliant sustained boxing-agressive style that fight..completely fearless was Barrera that night..fought a brilliant masured fight to bamboozle The Prince./

Good call on that one.

 

Def George Foreman. I remember playing the Game Gear game as a kid. Probably the first boxer I ever knew about. The first boxer I ever watched videos of as well

 

Rocky Marciano.

I was 6 years old when he died in the plane crash, and the UK papers were full of the story. Marciano was considered one of the generally accepted (at the time) 5 heavyweight greats (Johnson, Dempsey, Louis & Ali were the others). The papers were full of the wins over Walcott (particularly the 1st fight) and Charles 2 - the cut nose & being given "1 last round" and then knocking Charles out next round! The undefeated record, his toughness, the way he dealt with adversity in the ring, the never give up, blue collar attitude..."The Rock".

I found the whole thing fascinating and awe-inspiring - what 6 year old boy wouldn't be impressed???

I would ask my Mother & Grandad about Marciano and the stories they told me made him seem like a mythical, god like figure.

Yes, Rocky Marciano was my first boxing hero...

 

Willie the Worm Monroe

I was about 5, not sure if it was my first fight or not? But it is my earliest memory of a live fight. My Pop Pop was a big Eugene Cyclone Hart fan....I knew nothing, but I was an ornery kid so I picked Monroe to beat him...and he did! Been a Monroe fan ever since. And as a fan boy I still think on the night he beat Hagler he was the greatest and best single MW to ever enter a ring

 

I had a few at once...
Marciano. Fun to watch, ALWAYS pushing for that fight ending punch, willing to take pain to give it. Made the absolute most of what he had. Phenomenal work ethic and by all accounts was good to be around outside the ring. Very good knockout highlights to cap it off.

Hopkins. My first PPV buy was him vs Tarver. Was routinely reading about him and trying to look his fights up in the year or two prior. The only fighter to establish himself as the man to beat when well into his 40s, a weight division (or two, depending how you see middle vs super middle) above his best, and doing so while literally at least a fully decade past his best.

Holmes. Good to watch, determined to the very end in every one of his fights, from the home area, great reputation outside the ring. Good mix of being both a boxer and a puncher.

 

Floyd Patterson

 

Was your family fans of Carmine Tilelli?

 

Never had any heroes but young Mike Tyson aka Kid Dynamite aka Iron Mike seemed superhuman to us back in elementary school. Never got to see his fights back then though, just highlight clips.

The boxer who actually got me hooked on the sport though was Pernell Whitaker. He was just a wizard in the ring, and I was amused by his cantankerous attitude.