Earliest memory is Ali and Frazier being interviewed before the rematch in 74 w the studio fight ... I believe on a Saturday afternoon sports show w Cosell ..
Describe it? It was a heavyweight fight between a ranked black guy, and an unranked white guy who'd gotten a title shot four years before. Both wore red gloves. The black guy wore black and white velvet Everlast trunks. The white guy wore red and white satin Everlast trunks. It aired on ABC in prime-time. Howard Cosell did the call. The ranked contender had it all the way, and won when the bout was stopped in round five, with the unranked guy reeling and bloody (but not down).
Although I watched many fights on TV during the late 50s and saw such fighters as Gene Fullmer, Dick Tiger, Benny 'Kid' Paret, Emile Griffith, Luis Rodriguez, Gaspar Ortega, Yama Bahama, etc. the first one that I remember distinctly was the first heavyweight championship fight I watched - Floyd Patterson vs Brian London on May 1, 1959. I remember rooting for Floyd, who was always one of my favorites. When he floored London in the 11th round and London fell over sideways I knew that it was over. The announcers started talking immediately of his next fight with Johansson. At the time I thought his name was Joe Hanson! The first fight that I saw live was at Madison Square Garden in New York in March, 1975. The main event was Jerry Quarry vs Ken Norton. The first actual fight I saw was one of the prelims but I cannot remember who they were. I know that Pedro Soto was in one of the prelims and he lost the decision. Quarry-Norton was exciting to watch. Quarry had a good 3rd round with a rally but after that it was all Norton, jabbing him at will and finally stopping him in the 5th. Although Quarry would mount a couple ill-advised comebacks in the years ahead, the Norton fight was really his last as a contender.
Very cool, didn't know you went back that far. Very funny you thinking Johansson's name was Joe Hanson. Makes him sound like a country dude from right here in the U. S.
Taken from my Patreon Bio. I was 8 I think. I used to spend summers at my grandparents while my parents worked. I knew my grandfather was a boxing fan, not that I knew what that meant at the time. He and my brother would stay up, long after I had to go to bed at 9. Even then I was an insomniac. I could hear them, upstairs in the living room. Yelling and clapping, oohing and ahhing. I was awake, reading something or other as always, listening to them. I wanted in. So I did what any determined 8 year old does when they want something they can't have. I made a massive pain in the ass of myself. Begged him all week. Can I stay up with you guys? Can I stay up with you guys? Can I stay up with you guys? Can I stay up with you guys? Can I stay up with you guys? Until my annoying determination finally wore down the ex-marine. Gives me 3 rules. 1. Don't do what you see. 2. One question per round. 3. Don't tell your mom. Saturday rolls around. My grandfather and his neighbor an old war buddy by the name of Bill would sit out in the swing in the back yard. They got to taking about the fights on that night. 3 names mattered. Chavez, Holyfield and Tyson. And according to my grandfather "Tyson is a jerk". The two old marines tried to moderate their swearing, because I was 8 an all, but fat lotta ****ing good that did. That night was June 28th, 1997. Probably the most confusing night of my life. I had a ton of questions I wanted to ask. But that damned 2nd rule. Over the course of the night I learn the rules, round by round, asking my questions. Basic stuff. What's a jab? What's a hook? uppercut? Slip? Weave? all over the course of the night. Until finally I saw Mike Tyson bite Evander Holyfield. Ear missing, bleeding jumping and cursing. Mills Lane calling bull****. I had a question. "Why didn't anybody else think of that?" I watched about 8 fights that night. Not one of the fighters, not even the supposedly great Chavez, had thought to just bite the mother****er. It made so much more sense. Seemed way more effective than punching. I though Mike had just revolutionized the sport. My grandfather smiled at the question but was too confused and shocked to actually answer. But for about a week I thought this happened all the time. As he put me to bed that night he reiterated the rules he'd laid out. "Don't tell your mom and don't ever let me catch you doing that to somebody or you'll get it back worse." I asked why he didn't answer my question before. We forgot what it was. It didn't matter anyway, the fleeting curiosity of an 8 year old comes and goes. I had a new question anyway. "Can I stay up next week?"
For me it was sitting next to my Dad watching the Gillette Friday night fights. But I was so young I would always zonk out somewhere during the telecast and wouldn't really remember the names. Then one day, it happened. I was up, the fights were on and my Dad and I watched this main event and we were talking and trading opinions on what was to be a lifelong passion of ours together. The fight in question? Joe Frazier v George Chuvalo televised live from the Garden. Good times.
March 24, 1962....ABC-TV "Fight Of The Week"...Benny "Kid" Paret vs Emile Griffith for the Welterweight Championship.
That must have come as quite a shock to see that happen and then not see fights on TV again (for the most part), huh?
I’m in a different city but have visited a few times lately and when there are fights on we make it a fight night. Also bought Mayweather-Pac on a whim a couple of hours before the fight and called my Pop and invited him over. He picked up wings and soft drinks and we watched the whole card together (that was when we lived in the same town). Now we text back and forth when there are fights on ESPN or whatever if we’re both watching.
The first fight I remember people talking about was Foreman vs. Schulz in '95. It was the day after the fight and family members were talking in grandmas kitchen about the fight and the outcome. I was 9 1/2 years old and catched some phrases: "It's shameful to lose to a 45 year old" "...but he was cheated" "But Schulz has always been a joke" "Back in the day he fought against Ali..." etc. The first complete fight i saw was Tyson - Holyfield 1. I watched it with my parents. But i'm not sure if it was life at ~4-5 in the morning or the replay next day. I did not live behind the moon. I knew tyson was "the man", the knockout animal...the legend! I remember this special guy walks in and everybody was talking like "This guy is done..."he looked bad in his last fight" "he is too old" " he is close to retire"..."he's got this heart failure what ever thing". And i see this guy with the pithy, iconic name Evander Holyfield coming into the Ring with some kinda christian pop hope music wrapped in his purple outfit. With his distinctive mustache, shaved and shiny head. At this point i thought: this dude looks very serious, very determined. And then they took of his robe i thoutgh: Damn, this dude looks pretty awesome for a guy who's done! Rest is history...
It was Ken Norton vs. Ron Stander. It was on the televised undercard of Ali-Young in April 1976. Thing is, I just, as I was typing, realized I was wrong. My first TV card was Ali-Coopman in February 1976. So my first fight would've been the Escalera vs. Fernandez on the televised undercard. Haven't seen that fight since.
Eerie. Just yesterday I was trying to think of a new fight to watch when out of the blue an image of a photo I'd seen in a magazine years ago flashed through my mind, of Escalera landing a long right on Fernandez. No idea why, but decided that should be my next fight to watch.
