Started watching boxing with my father and uncles at the age of 4 back in 1985. Had two Uncles that boxed. Joined boxing gym right before my 6th birthday and started competing a few years later and boxed for 10 years. Been watching boxing on every level pretty much my whole life.
My first fight was the first Duran v SRL, watching with my brother, I was 6 years old. Duran, Hearns and Hagler were my favorite fighters as a youngster. The big fights were always on normal tv so it was more popular back then. I knew some older boxing fans through work who used to collect all the old classic fights on VHS, these were the days before internet so people traded and copied these fights for each other.
Its funny reading this thread as i see that none of the Flo.mos that litter this website have responded which leads me to believe two things 1. Theyre not boxing fans moreso than they are Floyd fans 2. Theyve only been fans since his undefeated hyp tbe nonsense began. pure bandwagon jumpers what a joke. Im looking at you MVC. Me personally ive been watching since Hagler/Leonard.
When I'm 40, I won't be online acting like a child :nono 40 years around boxing... you're close to 50.
John was a very interesting guy...had lots of stories about the old days of boxing in NYC. I read on another site that he left the old ESB because it was too ho-mophobic. He was in his late 70's-early 80's i.e. older than me!