for old time fans...

John, although different eras, I know exactly what you mean. Haven't felt that in quite some time when your favorite fighter is in the ring warming up and you are pacing and nervously getting yourself into a lather for what is about to happen. For me it was an Armando Muniz fight. My all-time favorite. And like Rocky, he could be explosive and a bit unpredictable. Perhaps that's what drew us to these guys, dude. But....I know where you're coming from and it was a great feeling.

Scartissue

 

I met Muniz a few years ago, a very placid friendly peaceful man... ahh the wild of youth.

for me it was probably 70s & 80s fighters, I remember getting uptight for Norton, Leonard, Hearns, Haugen, Camacho, and later Benn.

of late Froch, I have always believed in Froch and I think for the next year to a year and a half, 3 more fights Carl can rule the world!

 

Oh, man, I know what you mean. Tell you a funny story. Back in the day, Muniz had lost to Zovek Barajas and then Barajas stops Billy Backus and is on top of the world until he gets KO'd by Philly's Billy Lloyd. Lloyd then repeats the favor in an immediate rematch and looks awesome in doing so. They then sign Muniz for Lloyd and everyone is writing Muniz off and that Lloyd is going to kill him. Muniz, however, doesn't read the script and explosively beats him down into a corner in the very first round. I always joked that when the fight is stopped everyone in the Olympic Auditorium turns and looks to the East, because they heard me letting out a yelp in Chicago. I'll bet you had a similar moment during the Cochrane fights or the Fusari fight.

 

As a youngster watching Rocky Graziano fight from his prelim days up to his fights with Tony Zale, were to me the most thrilling moments i have
ever had ringside from the 1940s to the present day...To watch the young rockem, sockem Graziano in his eary days ringside, was like watching a prison break as Rocky fought as if the cops were after him....So many memory's of Graziano I have, but the most vivid and thrilling moment I have was in 1945 when Graziano met a tremendous sensation named Billy Arnold who was an 8-1 favorite from Philly who kod about 40 of 42 opponents,and was called "the new Joe Louis". Rocky took a terrible beating in the first round from Billy Arnold and the referee was thinking of stopping the slaughter...In the second round, Arnold was teeing off again on the brave Rocky, when all of a sudden Rocky threw a right hand grenade
on Arnold's chin and the crowd went wild, and the rejuvenated Graziano
teed off on Arnold and kod the "new Joe Louis" in the 3rd round...What a finish, what a night. Graziano became overnight the biggest new drawing card in boxing and Billy Arnold was never the same and soon retired...
There will never be so viscerally thrilling a fighter as the young Thomas Rocco Barbella again...

 

Guys that I looked forward to watching with the same sense of anticipation that was described...

Lupe Pintor
Tommy Cordova
Arturo Gatti
Marvin Hagler
Miguel Cotto

 

I tried a while back to find a Tommy Cordova fight on youtube to no avail. Though no more than a journeyman without a big punch, he had limitless endurance and toughness. I remember watching a fight between Cordova and some other tough guy and the fight was so thrilling that the crowd was throwing money in the ring at the end of the fight lke they were at a strip club.
I've watched fights on TV and live for 45 years and I don't remember seeing that done before or since. Quite a lot of mania and it was jsut a ESPN fight.

*I was just looking at his record, I can't figure out who the other guy was.

 

It is...and his fight with Joe Ruelaz is even better. If that ever gets posted, than it's required viewing for any fight fan.

Don't think I've ever seen a fight get as extended a standing O as Cordova-Ruelaz, got.

 

Might be the Ruelaz fight. The crowd's reaction to that, as described, as just insane.

EDIT: Or Rocky Garcia. Cordova fought two wars with him, and both of them were shown on ESPN.

 

He's awesome, always wish i could have seen him ringside

 

You met him in person, John? If yes, he was the bully type or just a nice guy ??