I want you to pick three fighters from one weight division in boxing's history and bring them together in the near future for a battle for supremacy, each meeting the other either twice or three times to decide the fate of the title. BUT. They have to be reasonably labelled by the press as "The Good, The Mad and The Ugly." You can interpret this within reason, but as a general guide you would want a traditional white-hat type fighter, someone beloved by all, a nice guy outside of the ring and a warrior in it - The Good. Then a guy who is a little crazy, whose antics make people laugh or scratch their heads - The Mad. And finally a guy who is either really really ugly or has a really ugly attitude. The Big Ugly Bear for example... As an example i'm going to take away the easiest way of doing this, and use the HW's. THE GOOD This content is protected He's a wee bit naughty in the ring, but they like that, the fans. His nice-guy one-of-us media-friendly attitude leaves some fans cold, but they soon warm up when he gets in the ring. The smallest HW champion of the world in living memory, the plastic surgery Marciano has had hasn't stopped him cutting with frighteningly regularity as the scare tissue mounts up. About to fight his first title defence against... THE MAD This content is protected There's a little discomfort with the young Cassius Clay's rumoured involvement with an hardline Muslim group on the eve of his title fight with Marciano, but nothing like the hysteria it generated in the sixties. Clay is well liked, but most think he's talked his way into the title shot with Rocky as he hasn't done all that much in the ring. People love him though and his little raps about who he's going to knock out when are all available on iTunes... THE UGLY This content is protected Back in training after serving 3 of 5 for ****, Mike Tyson is considered by many to be nothing other than the champion in waiting. Having just knocked out Marciano victim Tyson Fury in 1 round - it took Marciano three - he doesn't have the rounds under his belt yet but is rumoured to be deemed ready for the winner of Marciano-Clay after one more fight.... WHAT HAPPENS Marciano seemed to have finally taken control of his fight with Clay in the tenth and is ahead on 2/3 cards when he is horribly cut by a Clay right hand. The referee permits the frantic champion to box on until the end of the 11th when he is pulled, his face a mask of blood and fury. Clay's celebrations are muted - he announces his conversion to Islam from the steps of the hospital where he is treated for a broken rib and hand. Tyson, who has blasted Derek Chisora out inside of 2 in the interim is absolutely furious by the time of his fight with Muhammad Ali. Delays caused by the Ali injuries mean he has lived through six long months of Ali's stinging barbs and one full blooded shot landed on the champion's shoulder at the LA press conference is all he has to show for it. He starts fast and wins the first round on the pressure, ditching Ali's jabs beautifully and landing a stinging left hook to the temple on the bell. Ali shakes his head at the crowd, smiling. Tyson knows better and comes out snarling after his hurt opponent in the second. Ali doesn't panic though - he's been through this with Marciano and knows the ropes. Soon he's controlling Tyson in every frequent clinch, leaning all over him and hooking his paw around the back of the challengers head. Tyson wins 2 and 3 but not a round after, tired, flat-footed and an easier and easier target for the Ali jabs. After the near electric tension of the first six, the second half of the fight descends into a routine beating. Tyson's cries for a rematch are largely ignored, but he is thrown a lifeline - Ali has ducked his rematch with Marciano once more, and is entertaining the newly unretired Wladimir Klitschko. Tyson and Marciano stage an absolute thriller with Marciano coming off the deck four times in the first four rounds to force a stoppage in the 11th of one of the great HW title fights. The clamour for a rematch dies down as Ali signs to meet Rocky in a rematch. It's a different Ali who steps up to fight the ex-champion though, and a perhaps worn Marciano seems to have lost a step and takes a hellacious beating from a champion who boxes when he wants, fights when he wants, moves when he wants. Marciano wins three rounds in the middle of the fight to keep it respectable but Ali runs away with it down the straight and perhaps could have forced the stoppage if he stepped up a gear. As it is, he has to settle for the wide points win. Tyson then beats the shop-worn Marciano by KO in the sixth forcing him into retirement. Mike then puts his feet up after another clear loss to a peaking Ali. The end. Someone make me a poster for this Good The Bad And The Ugly thing please, I am well into it. And let's see yours. It doesn't have to be this dramatic, just toss up three names if you like
Cool topic, McGoof. I'm going to do The Lightweights. The Good: This content is protected Everyone's favorite uncle. A funny guy, good with the kids. Teaches the doughboys how to get fistic. The ideal champion, and an orthodox, perfect boxer. He's a prince, and sees the two scrappers coming for him as simple pawns to be moved about on his chessboard. An aging Juan Manuel Marquez fell easily to his quick feet, poleaxed by a sizzling right cross to the jaw. The Mad: This content is protected Exciting style, and a huge set of balls. A physical phenomenon. A puglistic tsunami. He'll blow your house down like the big bad wolf. Not disliked, but has a penchant for getting hamsauced and laying pipe to starlets he should probably stay away from. He's on a hot streak right now. Laying waste to guys with experience and pounds on him. After knocking out Gamboa, he jumped up to bash and retire Floyd Mayweather Jr. for 12 vicious rounds, walking through hard counters to begin his mauling. The Ugly: This content is protected As Henry closes in on Benny, a young scrapper is thirsty for blood. He's an uncouth street mutt, a ******* in name and deed. In the ring, he's a mix between controlled, dirty fury and complete, fundamentally sound boxing. Waiting in the rankings after making short work of Ao, Uchiyama, and Ricky Burns, he sees a battlefield brewing in the lightweights... And he's the cavalry. What Happens: Leonard and Armstrong sign for a fight, the World's Lightweight Title. Both are on the top of their game. The God of Bulls and Prince Matador have filled up Yankee Stadium for a fight that has boxing fans entranced. The weigh ins are surprisingly calm, both men preparing for what they know is the defining moment of their lives. The day comes. Henry Armstrong comes out to the sounds of The Champ by Ghostface Killah. Leonard, ever the clown, runs down the aisles to "Party Rock Anthem". It starts. Armstrong closes the distance bobbing and weaving like a bat out of hell. Leonard's on his ice skates, moving in and out, drawing Henry's overhand right with an educated jab and hooking off of it, swelling his eyes. Henry is not deterred. He fights through sharp punches to dig at the body. Middle rounds, the fight is dead even. Armstrong is making compubox go nuts, but Leonard is the undisputed ring general. Larry Merchant is hamsauced making comparisons to Pernell Whitaker and Chavez. Leonard is starting to incorporate an uppercut up close, and has worked out combinations that pierce Henry's shell. He's not dancing anymore, either choosing wisely to conserve energy or because his legs are going stiff. Armstrong is having success with his right hand over the top. But his eyes are closing from the leather he's absorbing. By round 10, he's cut up and the ref stops it. TKO. Leonard absorbs punishment from the fight, pissing blood in the hospital. In sparring and training, he seems fine.... Albeit a touch slower. He knows it's not over. Roberto Duran knocked Brandon Rios cold in December and he's got his hands full with a new challenger. The fight gets signed. The presser's wild. Duran insults Leonard's style with comments about matzo ball soup and musses up Benny's hair. Leonard doesn't respond physically. They exchange cold stares. It's fight night now. Everyone's nuts again. Forums are 404ing. ESPN is saying all sorts of dumb crap. This time, the fight is in Florida. Duran comes out to a live performance by Metallica. The crowd's electric. Round 1 is surprisingly calm. Both men are attempting to get their range, probing with feints. Leonard takes the early rounds with jabbing and moving, while Duran attempts to jab and weave his way in. Middle rounds, Duran is fighting hard. He's landing big punches to the body and battering at Leonard. Leonard is attempting a hit-and-away rhythm, but Duran's determined and careful not to bite at the wrong punches. Late rounds are dead even. You can smell the judges sweat from your couch. Both men trading combinations, counters, and desperate slugs. Goes to the cards. Leonard wins by a split decision. Some call it a robbery. Others object. ESB talks about it for months. Leonard is slowing down, his hands and feet aren't the same and a lot of people reckon the right mix of problems could take him now. Leonard signs what he thinks will be a tuneup for Welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, or a Duran rematch. A bit of an obscure fighter with good power and speed from a small island country, but everyone reckons Leonard won't have trouble solving this puzzle. Round 1, he gets dropped. You see the realization in his eyes that he may have ordered a kaiser roll too big for dinner. This new man is standing over him, confusing him, throwing punches he can't block and see. He's so fast, and never stops punching. Leonard falters from the assault. The ref stops it when he sees he's not defending himself intelligently. TKO8. The new Lightweight Champion of the World stands triumphant. This content is protected
I dunno. I always pictured him in his prime as a guy who, despite his stellar accomplishments, and exciting style was always relegated to a back seat because of the popularity of Joe Louis......And frustrated because of it, which is why he kept gunning higher and higher. Perhaps Ike Williams(considering how much boxing politics messed with him) would have been better. But i think of Henry as a bit like Tyson in some ways. Poor as ****, getting famous and blowing all of his cash on sluts and scotch. He certainly didn't seem like a "good type" and not really an 'ugly' either.
I actualy got that comic when it was released! Galvatron kicked Rodimus Primes butt like Harry Greb battering Gene Tunney around the ring!
The Good: Joe Calzaghe The Mad: Stanley Ketchel And The Ugly: Bernard Hopkins Joe Calzaghe has just knocked out Andre Ward in a very one - sided fight, thus earning a shot at the powerful punching Stanley Ketchel. Ketchel pulls off some crazy antics at the press conference with Calzaghe simply ignoring him. The build up is enormous! Many feel that Ketchel will be outgunned, but it's hard to tell. Most people feel that this will be a great fight! Come Fight Night.... The MGM Grand is packed to the rafters with many eager fans ready to see history go down in a battle that will be remembered for years to come! In the first three rounds, Ketchel starts off slow trying to get used to Joe's onslaught, while Calzaghe pounds away on Ketchel running away with the first three rounds. In the fourth round, Stanley retaliates valiantly trying to KO the Welsh warrior, but to no avail. He catches enough powerful, clean punches to win the round, though. In the fifth and sixth rounds, Ketchel is winning decisively. Calzaghe struggles to beat Ketchel because of the hard bombs the Michigan Assassin is throwing, but he soon begins to tire. The fight is now a dead even draw with a lot of action, but Ketchel simply landed the better punches. In the seventh round Joe Calzaghe uses some fine boxing finesse and skill, twirling Stanley Ketchel around while slipping, bobbing & weaving under Ketchel's massive bombs! He manages to secure the seventh round, landing a quick flurry at the end of the round. In the eighth and ninth rounds, Ketchel is slowly beginning to fight back but Calzaghe is all over him! Joe pounds away at the hapless Stanley Ketchel, with him now beginning to regain his sweet dominance. In the tenth round, both fighters come out and Joe gets cocky, and starts to showboat to the crowd from a distance. This infuriates Ketchel, who throws a straight right hand from HELL! And drops Calzaghe! Joe takes the count on one knee, and stands up at nine. In the eleventh and twelfth rounds, Calzaghe comes back more powerful than ever! He smashes Ketchel's face to a bloody pulp and the fight is stopped! Many people feel that that was the FOTY so far. Now, Stanley Ketchel signs a fight with Bernard Hopkins to see who will get to challenge Joe Calzaghe, the reigning champion who destroys Carl Froch, Glen Johnson and Andre Dirrell. In the opening rounds, Ketchel comes out strong with a lust to beat Bernard Hopkins to get a rematch with Joe Calzaghe, the seemingly unstoppable, reigning middleweight champion of the world! Ketchel throws powerful flurries, but with Hopkins dodging a lot of them. Hopkins doesn't throw that many punches in the first two rounds, only looks to decipher Stanley's style. In the third round Bernard begins to paw with the jab and throw short, straight right punches while keeping a tight guard as Ketchel is all over him. Stanley clearly wins the first two rounds, but the third round is called a draw on all judge's scorecards. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds The Executioner is a lot more confident with his ability, power, and also has deciphered Ketchel's style! He throws looping right hands and tight left hooks, all behind a very stiff and accurate jab. Ketchel has no answer. Like in the Calzaghe fight, Ketchel comes out late trying to land a big bomb but he just can't land it! Hopkins is all over the Michigan Assassin with tight and sweet flurries and combinations that leave Ketchel stunned and bloodied with a cauliflower ear and swelling around his left eye. In the ninth round, Ketchel comes out strong again trying to secure the fight and manages to land cleanly a few times, scoring the round. The last few rounds are very slow and technical affairs while Bernard Hopkins continues to time and counter Stanley Ketchel whom is looking for that one, big, perfect punch that will surely end it all. But he never manages to land it. Hopkins decisions him. Now Hopkins fights Calzaghe, and comes out strong. He has already studied the Pride from Wales' style and has deciphered it already! Calzaghe comes out flurrying but is devastated by Hopkins' accuracy and consistency. Hopkins easily secures the first four rounds. In the fifth round, Hopkins begins to think he owns the ring and gets caught lovely with a powerful, stinging combination that stuns him. Calzaghe is now all over Hopkins, ramming his face with looping left hands and wide hooks to the body and head. It continues like this, as Hopkins is never the same again in the fight with one broken jaw, and quits on his stool with a mess of a face. Stanley Ketchel secures the rematch with Joe Calzaghe, but unfortunately is completely outgunned.
