How long have you watched boxing for, and how did you get into it?

My Dad, in the only good thing he ever did during the time we knew each other, always used to let me stay up to watch the boxing on Sportsnight regardless of school the next day many, many years ago (it is quite shocking to read how young some are on here...)


I lost interest a bit in the late 90s as I got more into football but always kept in touch with the "mega fights"... It was the Freitas vs Barrios fight which I saw on Sky's build-up to Holyfield vs Toney that made me take a deep interest again...

 

I like these threads

Well i've been a casual fan all my life. I remember being 8 when holyfield beat tyson and everyone at school discussed it. I remember the buildup to tyson - bruno.

Basically the trio of bruno, eubank and naz got me involved casually. I was a huge naz fan.

Lewis never did it for me till he retired and I could appreciate just how good he was. I remained a casual fan up until hatton took on floyd, then I started following more hardcore round about my join date here. The first forum I joined, only ever used this name.

I had watched some mainstream international fights before then: spinks vs taylor; mab vs jmm; oscar vs floyd etc.

 

watched the biggest of the big fights all my life but thats just a passing interest , amir khan on itv was when id watch regular but that would be all id watch then hatton - mayweather i really got into it and watched everything i could

i joined here but didnt post untill just after haye valuev i think

 

Since i was knee high. Before football boots came pair of boxing gloves. Was a huge fan as a little kid. Lost love for sport in teens because of my treatment in Am' boxing but always loved sport really and once i came to senses i was back watching it and reading on it.

Always loved the music and the build up's to fights. Must of been 6 when Benn fought McCllelan. Remember my dad's animation.

I think the 90's were a great time for any kid growing up to watch boxing. The fan fare for Eubank, Benn, Naz and co was amazing. Ring entrances left me in awe and practicing the Eubank poses in my room.

Here's a few things i loved when i was a kid.

ITV theme (nothing beats it!!!)
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXHPyLEJTHk[/ame]

Eubank (Simply The Best) Still my best entrance music in boxing.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4uvmHquZYA[/ame]

Jim Rosenthal

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Paul Dempsey (Always got me amped for fights and top class!!!)

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Reg Gutteridge

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+ His arguments with Jim Watt!!

Ian Darke (Always seems like he is emotional about the big fights)

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and

Steve Collins running across the ring in round 1 and attacking his opponent. (Can't remember who but he done him from the get go just battered him)

and Henry Wharton running across ring and hitting Nardielllo while he was in corner. (Ledge)

Wharton was very underrated.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saikP57YJz8[/ame]

 

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I have been hooked on boxing since I watched Alan Minter beat Vito Auntofermo in their first fight Las Vegas... My Aunty who looked after me let me stay up late to watch the fight...:yep

It was a great time with some great fights, I always remember the build up to the Jim Watt v Sean O'Grady fight..."The Bubble Gum Kid"...:good

Watching McGuigan on Sportsnight when he fought Juan La Porte and ate that big right hand in the 9th...:nut

I have been very fortunate to have watched some great fights as a kid on the box and attend some awesome fights as I have got older...:yep

Great thread...:happy

 

I used to always have passing interest in Boxing up until the Lewis v Tyson fight in 2002 when before that I used to get up on a Sunday morning and look at the big fight results on SKY teletext.

That was the fight though that really got me into Boxing and around the same time thats when I started Boxing myself.

 

MY grandad was a champion boxer in the army pre WW2 as was his brother so i thought id give it a go, despite being half australian i was incredibly **** at cricket and rugby, when i was 12/13 but due to living so far away from the gym i gave it up (something i regret ot this day). I always had a very very passing interest in boxing, the nature of the sport always intruiged me but due to its lack of mainstream coverage never really got into it

It wasnt until i saw Froch on a late night ITV bill against some replacement fighter (i forget the name) that i started to get into it. From there i began watching some domestic sky shows and when bored staying up with a friend to watch shows i had been advised from my Irish mate. this is when i started reading up on a bit of boxing history.

Then i watched Katsidis (i believe it was on the JMM vs Mayweather undercard) in another war and was shown the jmm vs pacman fights and i was hooked. It began by downloading the fights the next day, Froch vs Taylor was the one that had me.

However, i wouldnt call myself a true boxing fan until about 6months ago when i started going online. ITs ridiculous that the only way of finding out about fights in a country with such a proud boxing history is to scour the net.

IF anyone bothered reading that i hope you found it interesting

PS: now that ive moved to leeds ive started boxing again at a local gym.

 

Nothing special, when I was young I remember Tyson vs Bruno being on skysports first pay per view (maybe just my first pay per view) and my Dad bought it. I was allowed to stay up late and watch it, since that time I followed Lennox Lewis when he came to prominence but was still more into football.

I by the off chance watched Hatton vs Tszyu and having never really seen the smaller fighters except the odd Naz fight I was hooked at what a machine he seemed to be. Then when Hatton - Mayweather started I had a lot of American friends through uni and gaming, we went at it constantly about who would win, I watched almost all Hattons fight in the run up to it. Watched Hatton get battered which I found very hard to watch but ever since I've watched almost every fight, every itv show they did and most of the saturday fight nights on Sky.

 

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Tyson in his peak got me interested

 

Well, I was watching Amir Khan at the Olympics. And then I watched a few of his pro fights. Then there was a large gap where there was no boxing on TV, so I lost interest (I didn't follow it really anyway). Then we got Sky Sports in 2009 and Haye's trash-talking got me interested enough to listen to his fight on the radio. And nowadays I watch a fair bit of boxing, although I watch the PPVs online.

 

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He-man

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Karate Kid 1-3

Best of the Best

Rocky

Prince Naseem..........

Hooked!!!!!

 

I remember all these things too. And how sweet is it to see Henry Wharton doing so well. A real winner and a quality pro.

I was boxing amateur through the 90's and watched EVERY fight on UK tv. If I could glean any lesson from any fight then I tried to.

I remember screaming the house down every time Benn dropped De Witt.

You also had the James Murray, Bradley Stone, Michael Watson, Gerald McLellan as abackdrop also, which wasnt so good, but could'nt deter me. So much for youthful exuberance, thats gone bye bye. :hi:

Marquez -Diaz 1 live in Houston was the best nights entertainment I've ever had. When its right, its beats everything.

 

derek the rebel is not a bad trainer he is in leeds:thumbsup