Getting under your opponents skin

Yawn
Leonard knew Duran had nothing and he couldn't lose as long as he was himself 100%.

 

Could well have been a pre fight brawl.

 

Duran similarly taunted Leonard near the end of their first fight, sticking his chin out and tapping it and then flicking a quick jab.

Basically the same thing.

Duran did not get cautioned.

Leonard got payback for that with the bolo. Duran clowned him. He clowned Duran back.

Roberto could dish it out.

He could not take it.

 

I noticed something — a tiny thing really, but maybe a telling one — after the Floyd Mayweather Jr-Manny Pacquiao weigh-in. It was either that or at one of their press conference meetings the week of the fight.

They come out on the stage, one from each side, for a face off. Only instead of coming to meet in the middle, Floyd comes about a third of the way out toward the middle and stops. Manny kind of goes to the middle. Floyd then points at the ground — basically ‘you come over here.’

And Manny came over to meet him on Floyd’s terms. Subservient was the exact word I thought of when that happened. Like he called over a little puppy dog and it answered its master.

 

Absolutely, Pat. Just re-reading this thread and that comment stuck out. Can't believe I missed it first time it's so ridiculous, 'any other fighter would have got a caution.'

No they wouldn't. It's not against the rules.

 

That round table talk was great stuff. All with the exception of Collins and Nelson who were mostly obnoxious the entire time.

 

Patterson vs Ali

I am kind of surprised nobody mentioned yet this textbook example of "getting under the skin" gone bad.

Patterson went to task insisting on using "Casius Clay" instead of Ali, saying it was a disgrace the HW champion was a black Muslim, and promising “to take the championship back to America".

Sure he got under Ali’s skin, but that backfired in spectacular fashion. Ali was so mad at Patterson that he decided NOT to knock him out quickly, instead going for a long grueling battering through 12 rounds of torture.

 

Hi Buddy.
In my top 3 of getting.... is Groves ( 1st fight) completely dismantling Froch at their get together on ringside, he knew exactly how and what to say, it was a master class in the art, Froch was near to tears, he denies it of course, but it was there for all to see, he WAS about to cry.
stay safe guys.