What fighter got you into boxing?

Quite a few people have mentioned ITV4 on this thread, its a pity that they didn't keep up their focus on boxing.

 

nigel benn

 

Yep here's hoping in a few years we begin to get youngsters who saw it first on Ch 5 signing up to ESB and discussing the fights here , there is nothing better for tbe sport of boxing than to be shown on terrestrial Tv.

 

My father is an Ali fan and that's were it started. I can remember watching the last few Ali fights and my dads sadness at what he was seeing.

After that it was Hearns/Leonard/Hagler, Duran didn't figure for me back then, and the British world title challengers backed by the BBC like McGuigan and Bruno.

 

Ricky Hatton against Jon Thaxton i was only 10 and was addicted after that

 

Good fight that.

 

De La Hoya VS Mayweather, Boy! Those two really knew how to market a fight!

 

First fight I recall is Minter v Hagler, my old man was telling me how good Minter was etc I remember turning to him and saying 'I don't think he is winning' .

McGuigan was probably the first I truly followed

 

Hagler

 

Louis-Schmeling II.

 

Iron Mike.

 

Wasn't a specific fighter - was Hatton-mania post the Tszyu fight and Frank getting on ITV with Khan/Calzaghe.

Didn't have Sky Sports so that's how I started following the sport and just got more into it.

 

Interesting to see that Hatton ignited the interest of so many people.

I remember when I was about 6 I was in hospital with appendicitis, and there must have been a Naz fight coming soon because they replayed the Badillo bout on Sky. That made me a relatively casual fan(when you're a child it's a bit of an anti-climax to find out that not every fight involves a dude dancing at some point) and my interest has gradually risen throughout the years. I was already ''into'' the sport a bit because the lad who was my best friend at the time is Michael Carruth's nephew, but the above fight is what made me actually follow the sport itself and the fighters in it.

Being a fan since around 1998 isn't bad for someone of my age if I may say so.:yep

 

Tyson was the first one that really made me want to put on gloves.

 

Tyson mainly, whilst the likes of Lewis and Naz were also influential.

Tyson was all over the media and appearing/being depicted in shows I watched as a kid (WWF, The Simpsons, Celebrity Deathmatch etc.). That coupled with him being the 'baddest man on the planet' made it easy for him to be a big influence.

Lewis-Holyfield I is the first fight I vividly remember staying up and watching. My older brother the next day watched the fight to score it (outraged with the result, of course), whilst he made me do the same. Being 7-year old at the time, I was more interested in seeing knockouts than re-watching a 12-rounder that went the distance, so I just basically copied my brothers scorecard :yep

Naz, like Tyson, is another self-explanatory one. I'll never forget my Dad telling me that Barrera would beat Naz. 'Naz was unbeaten, how could this guy win?' was my mentality back then - after all, Marciano was the greatest and I was perplexed as to how Robinson was regarded as the best with so many losses