Fight's That Got You Emotionally?

Nothing ever captured it more vividly than Wide World of Sports’ intro: The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the human drama of athletic competition.

The human drama is what draws us in to make a fight (or a game or a match) bigger than just sport.

One fight left me with the most complicated emotions of all of them: Leonard-Duran II. My idol, the fighter and athlete I most admired in all the world, quit. Not because he was injured or debilitated, not because he was beaten to a pulp … he just quit. I was angry and confused and puzzled and frustrated all at once. It took a long time to process. I’m still a huge Duran fan, but I am also a realist and don’t buy any of the many excuses put forth on his behalf.

Holyfield-Foreman I: I’m a big Evander fan. I’ve met him a few times. He’s always been a class act when I’ve seen him in person — taking time for pictures with people and autographs and such. But Big George fascinated me. Back in those days we had to go to the cable office and get a box to order the PPV. When I did, they had those big pin-on buttons, one for Evander and one for George. The lady handed me an Evander one and I hesitated and then asked for George instead. She said, ‘You’re young, you’re supposed to be for Evander.’ I told her I was rooting for Foreman and she gave me a ‘You can do it George’ button (wish I still had it). George didn’t win but he weathered everything Evander could throw at him and fought the good fight. Every time he landed there was a split second of ‘will this be the punch that ends it or turns it?’ That didn’t happen til Moorer, but my emotional state after this fight wasn’t crushed because of George losing … it was pride in a man at that age after that long off showing he was still special, could still compete on the biggest stage. I was satisfied with the outcome.

 

Shane Mosley beating Antonio Margarito. I was rooting for Shane from the start and then to see him gradually put a beating on Margarito, who looked like a monster after his win against Cotto… it was just a perfect performance from a likeable fighter for one last hurrah.

 

Didn't happen, mate. Sorry.

Can't believe this myth still does the rounds. The fight's available to view. It's not like it's from the 19th century.

Foreman hits Frazier. Now, if he lifts him off his feet, Joe starts to rise upwards at this very point. But he doesn't. He sags back against the ropes, puts his backside against then, then does a strange jump up and lands on his knee of his own volition. That's not my opinion or view. That's what happened.

 

I grew up during Wladimir Klitschko's rise to the top. He was easy to root for; this big, nerdy guy who could be splattered across the canvas with a single punch, if it landed. I wasn't devastated, but I was sad to hear about the Fury loss. Always found Fury annoying, and to hear the way it happened -- Wlad wandering around the ring like a confused old man in a boring fight, unable to pull the trigger -- made me not want to watch it. I still haven't seen the whole thing. And probably won't.

 

What were your thoughts on Joshua-Klitschko?

 

Much better way to go out. On your shield, after flooring the other guy in a fight where you leave the crowd with a "What-if?"

Followed by a very clear and final retirement.

 

I liked both Arguello and Pryor and the first fight didn’t bother me (although the bottle controversy did a bit) but the rematch and seeing Alexis pour his heart and soul into trying to reverse the first outcome and being completely overwhelmed was hard.

Seeing him sitting while taking the 10 count, admitting that there was no point getting up to take more punishment, no fight left in him … that gutted me. The classiest man in boxing going out that way was tough to take.

 

Gatti vs Mayweather. I loved Gatti, he boxed the proper way.

 

Oh God so many.
Watching The Thrilla in Manila to this day saddens me knowing what that fight would eventually do to those two warriors.
Most of Ray Leonards big fights had me nervous with anticipation back in the day , Leonard vs Benitez was really my wake up call to how much skill world class boxers had, this fight is a beautiful fight, nothing like how shocking the brutality I experienced with the Manila fight. I was so sad after Leonard lost too Duran in Montreal, ( Ironically, it made me realize just how good Duran was, I'll get back to that later)
In The 2nd fight I was so happy he was able to get his revenge, and " the bully quit".
Than came the Hearns fight. So many of the boxing mags of the day had the opnion Hearns would destroy Leonard. After Leonard won, I was elated for weeks.
Watching the Mancini vs Kim fight haunted me. After all Watching a man die on live TV will do that too you.
Watching the "stepping stone" that was supposed to be Roberto Duran against Davey Moore , had me very happy, by this time my opinion on Duran had began to change. And what I initially saw as simply a bully, I began to see he was truly a master of his craft. A genius level boxer, when he took apart Moore, I was happy as hell. Than his performances against Hagler and Barkley were thrilling because I thought he could get seriously hurt. And somehow he was competitive against Hagler and beat Barkley.
The sport has many heart breaking moments for me.
All the fighters I've watched, all the Atg's I've seen multiple times and lived vicariously through their triumphs, couldn't defeat one foe........
Father time..... That truth has saddened me deeply hundreds of times.....

 

He didn’t box at all, he got his head turned into a potato nearly every fight and relied on being twice the size of his comp.

 

No Gatti slander in this house

 

I speak only the truth squire

 

GGG vs Muruta, I didn’t like what I saw and decided I’d never watch GGG again, I knew exactly how Canelo 3 was going to go too, like a lot of people I could see we didn’t have much more see from GGG. Unless he does something dramatic it’s over and it’ll only get worse.