http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=421265 Great head to head fighter. If he'd got the nod he deserved first time round against Nelson I think people would be more willing to accept him as an 'all time great'.
I love both guys, but disagree both overall and H2H....I would consider Fenech an ATG (MY OK was sarcasam at the minute not sure why?), and he certainly deserved the win in Nelson I.
You'd never know it but Fenech has a large collection of those My Little Pony dolls and keeps them all on a large, pink couch in his living room. He won't let anyone touch them either. He gets right cross with anyone who tries. Legend has it he sits on them in the wee hours of the night, due to an unusual visit to the emergency room, once. So I've been told. Allegedly. Edit: Sorry, I was thinking about Freddie Starr. Never mind.
He was great to watch when he was on his early run. The problem with that style is when they do finally suffer a defeat, it's usually a brutal one. Very tough to come back from that initial defeat and their toughness keeps them in there to take a sustained beating.
I have a nice story about Jeff Fenech. I live in Bangkok and about a year ago I was taking a little known short cut (by foot) between two busy roads. The shortcut is over a kind of abandoned parking lot and there was absolutely no one else around. The short cut I guess is about 100 metres and as I am walking across I see another guy (alone) walking from the other direction..as I get closer I recognize the guy and it is none other than Jeff Fenech!!! (Bizarre!). So anyway I approached him and asked if I could shake his hand and we stopped and chatted for about 5 minutes!! What a great guy to stop and chat with a complete stranger....he was really nice and I came away absolutely chuffed. One thing I remember though was shaking his hand..seriously it was like his hands were made of stone..they were absolutely rock solid and unlike anything I have ever felt when shaking someones hand...if I am not mistaken he had hand problems through out his career.
He had huge hand problems during his career. At times he was in tears because they hurt so much. They are probably a mess of calcified bone these days. Which might explain how they felt to you.
Khob khun krup quality anecdote :good This! After Villasana he was in such pain, as he'd barely blinked in an insane 12 round war! Taking his gloves off hurt him more than any punch could.