Was there a certain fighter that got you interested in boxing? If so, who?

CJLightweight · Jul 1, 2008

iron mike tyson got me interested into boxing before when i was a kid but only after high school that i take being a fan seriously and morales was the guy. And he's my favorite

Shaolin Box · Jul 1, 2008

Mike Tyson. As a kid I was mesmerized

ashley · Jul 1, 2008

Mike Tyson for me...**** about 20 years ago...the Berbick fight...then a bit later Spinks.

Nothing like the Mike Tyson hype for a world title fight......and Oscar as well around 10 years ago Whitcker, Chavez and Camacho.

Addie · Jul 1, 2008

Pharaoh said:

Barrera
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Same here.

All began when his fight against the unstoppable prince naseem was scheduled. A true great.

standing 8 · Jul 1, 2008

Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns

Bigcat · Jul 1, 2008

Mike Tyson captured my imagination from the day he demolished Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas, I was very impressed in 1984 by the Olympic squad lead by Holyfield , Meldrick Taylor and Tyrell Biggs... They were like the damn dream team.. all amazing stars in the making...........

McGrain · Jul 1, 2008

Bigcat said:

Mike Tyson captured my imagination from the day he demolished Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas, I was very impressed in 1984 by the Olympic squad lead by Holyfield , Meldrick Taylor and Tyrell Biggs... They were like the damn dream team.. all amazing stars in the making...........
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I was Tyson too, in a way, but it was supporting his opponent, Frank Bruno, that really got me involved.

bored · Jul 1, 2008

drederick tatum

Totomabs · Jul 1, 2008

Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns. The Fab 4

MasterFlo · Jul 1, 2008

Roy Jones Jr., I used to stay up at night and watch him when I was a child. His fights were like exhibitions, he was part entertainer and part super human boxer.

Spitfire7 · Jul 1, 2008

Ali. Lost interest when he lost to Leon. Got it back via Tyson (though I was rooting for anyone opposite him to give him an ass-kickin').

401Tank · Jul 1, 2008

if you were a 80's child it had to be iron mike he was the man and i cant see anyone moving into his spot anytime soon.......**** he wants to eat your children! that a bad dude lol

401Tank · Jul 1, 2008

john garfield said:

Growing up when the few blocks around the Brooklyn Navy Yard was the entire universe and sports heroes rose above the sky scrappers, Sugar Ray Robinson was the supernova that fired my imagination and life-long love for boxing.

All New York was a hotbed of boxing. Robinsons name was magic. His picture with gloves held low was on fight posters all over the neighborhood. Grainy shots of him in dinner clothes, hob-knobbing with celebrities, graced the tabloids daily.

We elbowed for a glimpse of his fuchsia Cadillac and crowded around the radio for his fights.

When we play-fought, we all wanted to be him. He was movie-star handsome, gracious to opponents, soft-spoken, feted by kings, always with beautiful women...and the best fighter on the planet.

The first time I saw him in the ring, my dad took me to the old Garden in 46 to see him against Tommy Bell for the vacant welter title.

Bell was no slouch -- not the least cowed by Robinson's reputation.

Sugar glistened in his corner waiting for the bell. He was sleek, with a dancers legs and long supple arms that looked even longer because of his sloping shoulders. While the introductions were given, he windmilled his right arm like David readying to smite Goliath.

Robinson and Bell were mirror images -- both standup boxer-punchers, though Sugar enjoyed a few inches in height.

Bell fought with hands high and a tighter stance. Robinson's guard was lower. He was turned slightly to the side, in concession to defense, but his stance gave him more leverage.

They dueled evenly for 15 rounds, but to me, Robinson's punches had more authority; his combinations were the repeated crack of a bullwhip.

Some thought Robinson lost... it was that close. Bell dropped him in the 2nd round with left hooks, but Tommy hit the canvas in the 11th, and was almost stopped in the 12th.

It was near impossible not to watch Robinson exclusively every move as elegant as Fred Astaire. Even in the bitterest exchanges, he had the baring of royalty. His fusillades were flashes of fire.

The die was cast: I couldn't wait to get to the gym the next day.

After the Bell fight, we went to all Robinson's bouts in New York, Philly, New Jersey, Wilkes Barre, Scranton and Connecticut, as well as watching any on TV we couldn't get to.

There were no end-zone dances when he KO'd some one. Usually, he was almost turned away headed for a neutral corner while they were fallinglike a hit man that knew his job.

Whether it was third-tier guys like Floyd Sebastian and Gene Buffalo, or the very best around, like Georgie Abrams, Kid Gavilan, Steve Belloise, "Sugar" Costner, Charley Fusari and Bo Bo Olson, Sugar struck with the same lightening suddenness, electrifying.

We'd have paid to see him hit the heavy bag.

But what defines Robinson for me is something very accessible: He was able to rage back through blood and adversity to win A parable not lost in the cheap seats.

Certainly, he was head and shoulders above the competition, but it still made you want to root for him: Nobilitys always been in short supply...and he was thrilling.

When Ray dramatically ended a fight... as he usually did, I couldn't wait to get home and relive the moment in front of the mirror, supplying the roar of the crowd myself.

At the Uptown Gym and Stillman's -- the General Motors of fight factories -- where legends, amateurs and journeyman went about the daily grind in a democracy of sweat, everybody stopped what they were doing to watch Sugar spar and do floor exercises.

He was always cordial, calling me by name, showing me how to extend my jab by dipping a knee, how to draw a right hand and counter over it...and countless other tips and encouragement.

At best, Sugar was a friendly acquaintance; I wasn't part of his clique. I was a kid; he was a man -- a giant figure on a world stage. I could only fantasize about the richness of his life.

I tried to emulate everything about him, from what he wore in the gym to his stance in the ring. But, it did me no more good than copying Ted Williams stance trying to hit home runs. And, no matter how I pulled and tugged, Sugars gym gear never looked quite the same on me.

Once, after sparring a round, I looked down and saw Ray ringside. He gave me an approving nod. I couldn't have been prouder if I'd won a title.

I saw the arc of his career, from welter to middle -- all of his title victories and losses, the ticker tape parade after regaining his middleweight crown from Turpin, and every other glorious moment...until time and too many fights reduced him to a mortal and he was only a look-alike in his final days in the ring, eking out a payday for the use of his name on a marquee.

Even in his last fight in 65 against Joey Archer, he showed flashes of the old Sugar...and I was on my feet hoping for a miracle, but it was not to be; he couldn't pull the trigger often enough.

True, he was far less heroic as a human being than as a fighter...but, I still get chills thinking of ring announcer Harry Balough, with his shellacked hair and shiny tuxedo, grabbing the mic center ring in the old Garden, trying to raise his voice over the 17000 fans straining on the edge of their seats to hear him say:

"IN THIS CORNER...SUGAR...RAY...ROBINSONNNNN!!"
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great story!!!:thumbsup

safe_pa · Jul 1, 2008

My Dad has always liked Boxing and hated Chris Eubanks. He'd watch every Eubanks fight hoping to see him lose, I thought then, as I do now, that Eubanks was amazing to watch and he was the fighter who made me fall in love with Boxing. Thanks Chris!

DINAMITA · Jul 1, 2008

OK, he was no Ali or Leonard or Jones Jr, but as a young Brit without satellite TV growing up in the 90s, it was 'the Dark Destroyer' Nigel Benn! He was involved in some incredible matches and his lust for war was thrilling. Despite the horribly tragic result, his fight with Gerald McClennan was a bout of unbelievable ferocity- what sport can compete? I was able to read about De La Hoya and Jones Jr and Trinidad at this time, but never got to see them fight live til their later years. Benn got me into it, Jones Jr the best I have ever seen, Pacquiao my favourite.

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Was there a certain fighter that got you interested in boxing? If so, who?

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