What Fighter's Downfall Saddened You The Most?

watching duran vs joppy was not fun. or vs lawor. or benitez vs lawlor. the list is endless.

 

I have seen it before, John Tate being another example...Roy Jones another...all of a sudden guys that could take a decent punch fold badly after....Page caught Coetzee with a Brutal righthand but Gerrie was another guy like Jerry Quarry when he was younger and stronger he did not have the skills from a good trainer, when he got the trainer the body went...That was Pages best proformance, he was in shape...Coetzee did nothing after that fight, he was KO'd by Bruno in 1...I dont know what happened after the Dokes fight...His solid chin just went or his body just went...overnight

 

Definitely Mike Tyson. I wasn't happy watching him perpetuate the image of the monster that the media feverishly created, so he could still sell himself in the sport. Young Mike Tyson was a complimentary fighter of his opponent and he wasn't the animal that people made him out to be.

The begining of the end for me came just before he pulled out of a fight against Ruddock in Edmonton that was scheduled for September 1989. We all know what happened in Tokyo after that.

What's worse is the fact that the Robin Givens circus was in full bloom and his dedication to training was diminishing rapidly. Just to imagine the embarrassment of the 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters is a painful memory.

 

Seeing Joe Louis -- such a hero when I grew up -- sprawled on the ring apron in front of me when he fought Rocky Marciano.

Words can't describe how sad that was.

 

I always have a hard time watching old Duran -- I mean old Duran -- the one King put in with William Joppy and Pazienza.

 

One of Sugar Ray Robinson's last fights was in a bull ring in Tijuana, very Sad. The last fights of Julio Ceasar Chavez' career were hard to watch...

 

Did you happen to see Coetzee Versus Iran Barkley?! Beyond Sad. Bordering on Pathetic.

 

The single worst moment during my time as a boxing fan was sitting ringside at the Convention Center in Winnipeg, and from just a few short feet away from me, watching a completely used up Wilfred Benitez, in the very last fight of his career, laying on the ropes (mostly on my side too) and taking a 10 round beating from some rather forgettable clubfighter by the name of Scotty Papsadora.

I thought it'd be quite the treat watching a fighter who I followed for so long maybe show a small glimpse of what he used to be, but instead it ended up being something the exact opposite because it still bugs me a bunch to this day.

 

Gerry Cooney

- Used to sell tickets by King and was good enough to have won an alpha title. He should have got right back in the ring after Holmes. Cooney's slide ended up hurting Holmes legacy as he never went on to achieve what eh should have.

Jimmy Young

- A great talent who was told by King that he didn't want him to be champion, but could make some money fighting contenders. Always felt boxing treated him badly.

 

Yeah, it was surreal to me.

 

Page knocked out Coetzee on his merits Bummy. Watch it again, it's a gruelling fight. How many right hands did you count Page bounced off his chin? BIG right hands too. It's not as if Gerrie's chin went walking to the ring vs Page, remember Weaver had stopped Coetzee earlier and it was not as if he could not be beaten this way. Page's right hands on the night were comparable to Weaver's big shots, both were very hard punchers when they set for it. I've rarely seen Page sit down on his punches as much as vs Gerrie. Janks Morton said it was their plan, to the surprise of most. Gerrie was quite beaten down by the time of the stoppage, which of course came long after the round was supposed to have been concluded.

 

Ali against Holmes was very sad. I was young at the time, and watch it with my father who had lived through the Cassius Clay years. I think Ali's downfall and subsequent condition effected a whole generation of casual boxing fans. For the casual fans who used to watch big fights on Tv in the 60s and new colour Tv in the 70s, ALI was the lifeblood and justification of an otherwise morally suspect pursuit of prize-fighting. He was glamour, flair, skill, and showmanship.

 

Naseem Hamed losing to Barrera was heartbreaking, a humble young Champion ,self effacing and modest was cruelly beaten by that little Mexican bully,still boxing,s loss is humanities gain Naz has devoted himself to helping others since his retirement,including his own road safety campaign.

 

The last fights of Ezzard Charles are sadly pathetic,he was probably suffering from MS even then.

 

meldrick taylors is sad