Which boxers you did not like while they were fighting, that you learned to like or respect now that they retired from boxing. For me it was Lennox Lewis I hated this guy in his prime (and beating Tyson did not help) but now that he is retired, I appreciate and acknowledge how great of a fighter he was and all of his accomplishments. I do believe Floyd will be on alot of people lists once he hangs it up.
Right on the money with this, I hated Lewis but i came to respect him toward the end of his reign, also couldnt not stand Naseem Hamed but now remember him as a great champion
Calzaghe - never thought he was special especially with past prime rjj and hops but the guy had alot of respectable attributes. He made the decision to retire when he could have laid down a more solid legacy but at the same time left the game still intact and secure.
Oscar de la Hoya. he was the cash cow in all of his fights and didn't need to fight half the people he did. if he had been a coward ducker like most fighters are, pacquiao, mayweather, hopkins, and mosley would be much smaller stars than they are.
All-time Duran, MMH and Herns . . . i was always a big SRL fan and grown to love these guys just as much. Current B-hop and RJJ . . . I know, I know, they aren't fully out the door but I think they both should be. Also, Ricky Hatton . . . his fans were the Original *******/klitlickers but I ended up liking him more for his charm and personality than his skill in the ring. Mike Tyson, thought he was a bit over hyped at the time . . . but at his peak he was special Zu Gawd I know there are a few that i did not like that I start to feel differently about.
This:deal Oscar was old school in a lot of ways, esp. in the department of if you're a champion you fight EVERYONE. You lose, **** it, come back up and be champion again. Rinse and repeat.
I never really thought Winky Wright(Dont know if fully retired) was all that when he was in his prime and me being a Tito fan didnt help either...a couple of months ago I started going trough his fights and I actually became a fan and believe he is one of the most underrated boxers ever.
oscar de la hoya, he had a nice fighting style with power, speed and even some slickness which i thought was unusual, he would have been fine without mayweather training
Arturo gatti. I love slick boxers and he was just a slugger. Never thought you could learn much from his fights about boxing, but the man was action personified. And you dont win a few titles w/out being somewhat decent. Juan diaz- i dont why i didnt like him but ive come to appreciate him. Larry holmes- for what he did to ali. But i have to admit he's damn great fighter.
