Longstanding champions nearly always have the first, P4P greats nearly always have the middle one -- and the third one, surprisingly, can account for many of the upsets through the ages -- usually in the form of a last great performance from a counted-out oldie. Look through the mental list of your favorite fighters -- I bet there's a lot, classic posters tend to do that -- which of these three atrributes is most prominently present? What makes us love a fighter?
I like all three, really. I love watching guys without an ounce of quit, guys like Marciano, Frazier, Ali are inspiring. It's also a pleasure for me to watch guys like Roy Jones, just physical freaks and to watch guys even like Tommy Morrison who can blast you out with one shot. I can sit around and watch smooth technicians all day, well. Zora Folley, Joe Louis, Holyfield are all favorites because of the way they do about their business and can watch them and probably 50 other technicians all day Although, if I had to choose I would go to physical, as most of my favorite fighters are those who I admire for that reason or initially was fans of because of their physical talents.
Physical can mean someon like George Foreman say, or in the way that MuchMoore highlighted, Roy Jones for his inhuman speed etc. Technical, we're talking about a technician, someone like Joe Louis or Arguello, landing the shots properly, turning the knuckles for optimal power, my fave is Yoko Gushiken, a master on his night.
They're all tied together for me but I think psychological discipline is what enamors me the most to a fighter. Physical strength/discipline is great to behold, and technical expertise can blow my ****ing mind so much that I'll rewind the same punch five times to figure out how he did it. But a fighter who can remain focused and patient under pressure, communicate with his team and make effective adjustments under duress, and treat his opponent with respect after the fight regardless of who wins-- that's usually the guy I root for.
Another factor that is important==and not considered by many==is consistency with a corner. Like Hagler and the Petronelli's and lots of others. What you don't see is optimal results from the guy's like a Marlon Starling that go thru a ton of promoters./a ton of managers/and a ton of trainers.
