Fighters your emotionally attached to..

Froch, Mayweather, JMM

 

Ricky Hatton for me, he rekindled my love of boxing after Lewis retired. Despite being a limited fighter, despite not looking after himself after the Tsyzu fight I thought he was pretty much immortal due to his heart and attitude of I'll just walk through anything and break you. It wasn't so much that he was one of the lads that made me like him, more that he wanted to be the best despite his lack of puring boxing skills I felt that drive would just take him through whatever test he had to go through.

When the Floyd fight was confirmed I felt like it was real life Rocky and Apollo Creed, a legend was in the making (and I guess there was, just not the way I wanted it to be). I remember watching every press conference and interview with Floyd running his mouth, I kept thinking yeah keep talking Floyd you don't have the heart for this. The night before the fight I couldn't sleep, I just kept watching Hatton fights, promo videos and whatever.

Then when the fight happened and Ricky knocked Floyd into the ropes for a brief moment I was like you're a dead man, I was screaming at the tv....but it wasn't to be and to watch Ricky get dissected was painful to watch. I remember after the fight, I kept thinking of this song...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OTLkafwomg[/ame]

Proper homo I know, after the fight I lost that feeling and knew it was over for him. I couldn't get excited for Hatton's last 2 fights and knew his last was an execution. Since then I've become a huge Floyd fan who I hated before but he is a truly great fighter.

 

I never, ever, want to see James Toney knocked out.

 

Shiiiiiit I thought PK had his thread rights back there!!!!


Tyson, RJJ, Hatton (Hitman), Brook.

Off the top of me head.

 

Ditto. It'll be a sad day should Toney or Shane Mosley ever get knocked out.

 

Paulie Maliganggi for me. Dont know why.... Well I do actually, but I don't wanna mince

 

Jazza dickens n Bomber Bellew

 

The only thing I can really compare to the opening post about Tyson was how I felt about Ricky Burns between the ages of about 14-16. You see I boxed out of the same amateur gym as him, where he trained under for his first 15 or so pro fights before leaving to go to Billy Nelson.

I was in the gym with him day in day out, watching him train, spar and even getting to do a few rounds with him as he messed about. He was about as nice as he could have been to a kid he could see obviously looked up to him and always went out his way to make conversation and show an interest in my boxing.

I thought he was just about unbeatable. After he totally outboxed Graham Earl over 8 rounds at the tender age of 21 (which I can't believe is the age I am now) I honestly thought he could take on anyone. Not long after that he got matched against Alex Arthur for the European title. Arthur was in his prime and far more experienced, and indeed fringe world class at this stage. I thought Burns school him. After he got beat decisively but put in a dignified performance, I can remember being pretty gutted.

A few fights after that however, he got put in with Carl Johannson for the British title. I watched him look awesome in sparring and training through out the build up, I was sure this was his night to capture the Lonsdale belt. Something wasn't right with Ricky on the night however and he got an absolute hiding. Knocked down three times in the lions den (down in leeds) as I sat in my front room with my dad crying my eyes out like a little girl, I was genuinely devastated the first time he went down from a head shot.

After that he left the amateur gym and went with Nelson. I think I resented him for a while, and then started following him again as a casual fan as he went through his commonwealth title defences. When he beat Gomez, I absolutely loved it.

The night he won the WBO strap against Martinez in the Kelvinhall might just be one of my fondest ever memories, not just in boxing. I wanted to win badly, and was nervous about before but believed there was a chance he could pull it off. The fight was absolutely sensational and I'll probably never get to experience such an emotionally charged night of boxing again, the atmosphere unbelievable. I can remember the rush of joy I got when they read out "And the new". My mate who was with me at the fight tries to claim that i was in tears. I'm pretty sure i wasn't but it was certainly a moment of pure extacy where nothing else in the world matters. I don't think there's many other things in sport that can give you it. Maybe only if you're a mad fan of a football club and they win the Champions league.

Since then I follow Ricky like a good fan should, I don't think I'll ever have the same boyish adoration I had for him as a 15 year old. I suppose that's natural though.

 

Was probably Margarito especially after the handwrap scandal as I believe he was innocent.

 

I hate Froch as a person. He's a local lad still, but not well liked amongst the boxing purists. He has ran through the city centre throwing jabs like Rock Balboa, he's asked men and women if they've heard of him (years ago), whilst sober (he don't drink)! And his fat ape of a brother has something like ,'Froch Plastering, World Championship Building,' on his ****ing work van. I beat Froch in local pool league, he kept trying to play a shot he'd missed after the game and couldn't do it. TWAT!

Great fighter though!

PS I'm negatively emotionally attached!

 

David Deron Haye...followed him since day 1 and met him

 

Sweet Pea Whitaker. My favourite sports person, full stop. I grew up on him and we even had nicknames for him in my household. We called his 'dipsy doo' sitting on the toilet and i will always know him as the 'bomb disposer' as he shutout and embarrased big bombers.

Watching him was just an experience one can't explain. Like having a visual orgasm. He just embodied everything i like about boxing. I have the sports illustrated cover of the Chavez fight framed on my wall. A fight that almost made me quit watching the sport, i was THAT distraught at what they did to him. You see, we had nicknames for all the great fighters, we called Chavez the taxman or the IRS because he came to tax you. EVERYBODY had to pay their taxes when they fought JC Superstar. So on that night, you could say Pete Whitaker did a tax evasion, lol. HE was the one who taxed Chavez.

My pops would always go on about Ray Robinson and Ray leonard, so when Pernell came along it felt like he was mine and the fighter I would be going on about to my kids. I was just attracted to him like the moth to light. I've seen NOTHING like him before or since and he will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

Yeah not emotionally but back in the day it was Herol Graham,Benn and later Hatton.

 

Not as much as you lads, but when Burns beat Martinez is probably one time where i felt emotional.