Fighters you just never took a fancy to...

What fighters just never interested you, even if they were were pretty good?
I'm not talking about hating a fighter or even disliking a fighter; just someone who left you cold watching them fight, or fighters that you could never be bothered with for whatever reason.

One for me would be Gene Tunney. I just have never taken to him in any way. I can recognize the fact that he was a very good fighter...but I didn't particularly fancy the way he hob-nobbed with society's elite.

There is no rags to-riches-tale for Tunney, no hard luck stories...he seemed to have it better than most pugs from the start, and committed the unpardonable sin of beating icon Jack Dempsey twice.
He didn't have a nickname that inspired violence or fear, like 'Manassa Mauler' or 'Hitman'. The Fighting Marine? No thanks.
In many ways, Gene had his cake and ate it too...oh yeah, and one of his sons became a politician, and who likes a politician?

"Gentleman" Jim Corbett is another...that thong was ghastly, and he had a monicker even worse than Tunney's.

Who else?

 

Chis Eubank. I was a massive Nigel Benn fan when I got into boxing.

 

Say no more.

 

Mike Tyson.

I still don't understand why people still make excuses for him, and his shortcomings.

 

What was it about him you didn't rate?

 

I have fighters that I don't enjoy watching, but I still respect their ability and achievements (two would be Emile Griffith and Wladimir Klitschko).

I have fighters that I do rate in terms of ability (some of them highly) but I can't have any real affection for them because my suspicion is that their careers have been too calculated rather than pursuing all challenges (many fighters through history, all the way from Jack Dempsey up to Mayweather & Calzaghe).

I have fighters that I am a little dubious that they were as good as many people think they were (eg Tommy Hearns, Naseem Hamed).

And there are fighters I just plain don't like and/or think were very overrated (eg George Foreman, Antonio Tarver).

 

Chavez.

 

eubank and pavlik

 

His overall mentality.

No question he had the physical gifts to become great, but lacked it upstairs - generally pretty much everything Teddy Atlas says on the subject of Mike Tyson I concur with.

Oh yeah, and Pavlik.

Perhaps it was the general forum's hysteria when I first came to ESB I don't know, but he is IMO the weakest linear MW champ since the pre-Hagler era.

 

Cheers.

 

Wilfred Benitez. Great fighter but never liked his style.

 

Nobody likes tarver

 

Oscar De La Hoya

I recently bought his career set in an attempt to get in to him but I just can't. He's obviously achieved alot, world titles in six weight classes and some decent wins. I suppose I just don't like his style. He seems to be a one handed fighter to me.