PASSION!!!

Israel Vasquez
Tony Zale
Vassily Jirov
Marciano
Holyfield
Frazier
Gatti
Lamotta
Marquez
Diego Corrales

 

Johnny Tapia

 

1) Joe Frazier, Bennie Briscoe, Roberto Duran, and every other fighter who fight with that face-first style with the mentality of absorbing 5 of your opponent's shots to land 1.
2) Matthew Saad Muhammad, Benny Paret, Bobby Chacon, and all the other catchers who would let a guy beat the crap out of him 4 however long it would take 2 wear him out and snatch a quick and astonishing late KO.
3) George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Jake LaMotta, Carlos Monzon, and all the other fighters who were driven by rage.

Esp. the first two categories gave everything their bodies could literally handle in order to win. That's true passion!

 

Ali
Frazier
Holyfield
Marciano
Mosley
Pacquiao
Barrera
Morales
Quarry

 

Foreman, especially in his comeback.

 

I disagree, Kam. I thought Old George fought with an utter dispassion. He barely changed gear infight, even when he had his man in trouble, and didn't have a different expression whether he had won the heavyweight championship or lost. As cool and calculated a businessma..., er, I mean fighter as you could wish to see.

 

Duran didn't have a face-first style and never had to take five to land one. His defence, with his amazing head movement, was pretty solid.

I think he is far more at home in your third category; those driven by rage. Ray Lampkin, Ray Leonard and Ken Buchanan's plums would all back me up here.

 

That's true, it was hasty of me. He's still a pressure fighter, just as Frazier and Briscoe, but you're right. I just wasn't thinking. Two totally different types of pressure fighters.

 

Vito Antuofermo.

 

It takes passion to consider a comeback at his age, as for his warrior spirit look no further then his bout with Evander his calculated approach was a matter of circumstance not a preference as is evident in his original incarnation in the ring.

 

Frazier
Holy
Braxton when he was still Braxton
Parker
Fletcher
Miracle Matthew
Gatti
Mancini
Tapia
Amber's
Ross
Armstrong
McGuigan
Benn
Barkley
Morales
Chacon
Edward's
Graziano

 

JOE TATSUYOSHI!

 

Jeff Fenech says hello and that he's outside if anyone f***in wants some.

 

It says something about me that I find two fighters who fought with a real passion - Ricardo Mayorga and Vinnie Pazienza - really annoying. The pair of them could irritate coffee but I can't deny their passion.

He would never have exhibited it in the vulgar manner of the aforementioned duo, but the passion that my first boxing hero fought with was off the charts. Johnny Owen fought with the passion that only the rarest of breeds - those that live and breathe solely for boxing - could.