Biggest heart and will to win when faced with adversity.

A lot of denominators are discussed when thinking about hypothetical match ups, power, use of size, speed, technique, and so forth. However, when you are dealing with two evenly matched elite or even ATG fighters, at times the heart department, and will to win is perhaps the most decisive factor in getting them over the line with a victory.

To avoid making this a thread that is way too broad, we first start with the heavyweights, and three guys in particular, mentioned in the poll above, who I feel had the greatest determination and biggest hearts in the history of the division. Of course you may disagree, if so, when choosing the option of 'other' in the poll, please take time to give us your pick

 

There comes a point when a fighter has so much heart and little quit in comparison that it's difficult to separate them through any objective methods. This is the case with the likes of Ali, Frazier and Holyfield. Who am I to say that one had more heart than the other? All of them went way beyond what is normally expected of a boxer to go through in a boxing match, and a lot is.

 

Agreed with GreatA. Just because someone wins does that really mean they wanted to win more? Sometimes the loser's desire to succeed is just as great or greater.

 

See Ali-Frazier I & III as examples. Both men gave their absolute all, only one could win.

 

Bat Nelson

Mickey Walker

 

Out of the ones mentioned Frazier unbreakable will.

 

I think that Walker should get some credit for going toe to toe with most of the top heavyweights of his era!

He made some of them feel like the welterweight!

 

Agreed.....I think people just like to say things like "it just comes down to heart" and "it's a matter of who wants it more" because it sounds cool and dramatic. SRL said the latter during Chavez-Taylor 1.

Well, did Taylor really have less desire to win than Chavez? Or was it a bigger
factor that Chavez had much heavier hands than Taylor?

 

Agreed. This thread doesnt intend to suggest that only a winner has heart/will to win, we have seen countless times that someone who ended up losing showed amazing heart also.

But we shall discuss it within the realms of someone succeeding in fights, with heart playing a huge part....sure there are fights where the loser deserved to win just as much as the victor, e.g. Frazier-Ali 3, I agree with you guys on that point

 

Gatti

Corrales

JCC

Tony Oakey

I could go on forever....

 

I would like to mention the little remembered John Edward Kelly
The Nonpareil "Jack Dempsey"

From a Tracy Callis article on the Fitsimmons-Kelly fight

Fitz dominated Jack, whose health had deteriorated from tuberculosis for the past two or three years. He was well past his peak. Bob knocked the Nonpareil down numerous times. Bob pleaded for Dempsey to stay down but Jack yelled out that Fitz would have to knock him out. Reports vary but Bob floored Dempsey anywhere from nine to fourteen times because Jack was so game and would not quit.

Marshall Stillman (1920, p. 36) wrote about the Dempsey-Fitzsimmons fight "… Fitzsimmons was more than a match for his man … Dempsey took a terrible beating, and Fitzsimmons begged the referee to stop the fight, not wanting to punish (any further) such a game man as Dempsey proved himself to be. But, Dempsey refused to quit …".

Dempsey's last fight was against the great Tommy Ryan. Jack, at this time was almost a dead man, having been "done in" by tuberculosis. But, he still wanted a go at Ryan. It was clear that he was outclassed from the first bell but he fought on. The referee had to stop the contest after three rounds. Dempsey would not quit.

 

I'd like to mention a 41/2/3? Archie Moore dragging himself off the canvas after being belted there 3 times in the 1st rd and once in the 4th by Yvon Durelle,coming back flooring his man 4 times and ,koing him in the 11th.

 

:good

One of the greatest comebacks I ever saw on film - good call!

Would have been stopped in the first by ref's today, I have little doubt.

 

There are many examples of fighters going that extra mile to win and im loathe to single anyone out above the rest. What i will say is that guy Carmen Basilio just never knew when he was beaten. What a tough tough man he was (still is)