When/why did you become a hardcore fan of your favorite ATG fighter?

I was out on the farm (about 13 years old) picking strawberries at 10 cents a pound, sun blazing down, back aching and my knees killing me, trying to earn enough to buy a Walkman to listen to Debbie Gibson sing "out of the blue" to me personally on cassette tape, on mini-bus trips to wrestling meets next school year. I was between crates so opened my lunch bag for a quick snack, when at that precise moment, the berry-field boombox began blasting Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Suzy-Q". I looked down at the wrapper of the snack I was consuming and lo and behold... it was a Suzy Q! It was at that exact moment I knew Rocky Marciano could never be defeated, even by a silverback gorilla.

I've been a Marciano fan ever since.

 

I like Hearns and Whitaker, but more Hearns. Why? It was not because of Hearns, but Tommy would take a big loss and then come back with a huge win. I like how he didn't let things stop him he sort of regrouped and started again. He had the power to do that. I don't think Leonard would have been as great after a knockout loss and Tommy was..

 

How could you not like those two?

They are window's into bygone eras, and it's not like their fights are unexciting!

 

You don't have to be a fanboy, to come across as such, on certain fighters.

If a fighter divides opinion, then you don't have to be a fanboy or a hater, to draw that label from some people.

To answer your question, I think that a person becomes a "fanboy", when they invest too much of their ego in one fighter.

If an attack on the fighter, becomes an attack on you, then you are probably lost!

 

Roy Jones ....when he came to ring for the James Toney fight wearing a white tuxedo ....and Put on a masterful performance ...I was a high school kid who fell in love with boxing that night ...i started reading boxing magazines....before that night I was just a “ TYSON FAN “ lol

 

I know a certain poster who fits this description to a tee perhaps @mrkoolkevin knows who I am talking about (hint; the fighter is Marciano)

 

When I saw Ezzard Charles shoulder roll

 

This gem; vs. Prince Naz.

 

I was first a fan of Ali because of my pops sitting me down making me watch a rerun of thrilla. Was hooked on boxing and Ali after that.
Love Marciano because of the heart and determination and unique style which he didn’t get enough credit for (maybe Goldman should?). But when I first watched Marciano v Charles 2 and you read the story about how bad the cut was and that they were gonna stop the fight that last round of the second fight sealed it for me.
George Foreman...never saw my Dad as happy as the Day he knocked out Moorer. Made him feel young again and man who doesn’t love that story?

 

Because when I attended the first Muhammad Ali vs Floyd Patterson fight on closed circuit television with my dad and uncle on Nov 22 1965, I was awed by the speed of Ali, his footwork as well. From then on, I followed all of his fights, and boxing in general. The Pepsi's were in bottles back then, they were sweet. And the current songs that they were playing on the loud speakers, A Lovers Concerto by The Toys, !-2-3, by Len Barry, and Baby I am Yours, by Barbara Lewis, before the telecast, were good to listen to

 

Larry Holmes...I loved him during his title reign...but at the time Foreman was my favorite, with Ali a close second.

It was later, when I saw his performance against Earnie Shavers (the first fight, though the second was overall pretty damn impressive as well) that I was frankly awed. I've never seen a more artistic heavyweight boxing performance. Holmes showed both great skill and tremendous heart; he got hurt a couple of times in the fight but pretty much stuck to his infallible game plan. To this day I'm not sure there's been a more impressive performance of a boxer against a puncher. I think that Holmes was h2h nearly unbeatable, save against Ali and Louis.