First time you saw him, you were hooked

[Rotten Apple]

Name the fighter you saw for the first time and immediately became a fan of. I\'m not talking about the fighter that grew on you. I\'m talking about the fighter that hooked you right away. For me it was Jorge Arce. I first saw Arce back in the late 90\'s when he was giving Michael Carbajal a boxing lesson. He was not in the least bit in awe of the former champion. I began rooting for him around the 4th round. I was heart broken when Cabajal knocked him out. What really made me a fan of Arce was what happened afterwards. He didn\'t not let the loss destroyed his career. He became champion and went unbeaten for another 10 years.

[Deanrw]

For me it was Mike McCallum. When I first saw him, I thought he would be an all time great. He never quite made it there, but he made a damn good impression.

It was amazing how he ripped punches to the body. He also took on everyone.

[brucelee]

I would say Roy Jones. Am a fan forever.

[Dark Lord Al]

Many fighters impress you but for me the first time i saw Thomas HITMAN Hearns i was totally hooked , and when ever he lost i was totally gutted
He was exciting , great boxer , also had a bit of vulnerability around the chin which kept you on the edge of your seat

[Deanrw]

Many fighters impress you but for me the first time i saw Thomas HITMAN Hearns i was totally hooked , and when ever he lost i was totally gutted
He was exciting , great boxer , also had a bit of vulnerability around the chin which kept you on the edge of your seat

Yeah Tommy's stance in the ring was amazing also. The way he held that right hand cocked, must have been terrifying for opponents.

[El Gamo]

3 fighters stand out:

Pernell Whitaker

Roy Jones Junior

Roberto Duran

I saw just one of their fights and became a fan!

[Violent Demise]

Joel Casamayor- I first saw him as amateur. He was taking Wayne McCullough to school to win the gold medal in the Olympics. I was thrilled when he defected and turned pro. I've followed his whole career

Terry Norris- I remember seeing him fight live as a kid at the Great Western Forum. The speed and power he showed in destroying Clayton Hires was incredible.

Ricardo Lopez- The first time I saw Lopez was on a Don king card that featured Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor 2, Felix Trinidad-Yory Boy Campas and Gabriel Ruelas-Jesse James Leija. Lopez impressed the most. He destroyed his opponent in the first round. I had never seen such brilliance in such a small fighter before.

[El Gamo]

Wow,yeah,I'd like to add recently,the guys I saw that really impressed:

Jorge Linares(saw this kid fight in Japan at least 1.5 years ago,not many heard of him,looked sensational)
and
Miguel Cotto(have every single fight,and alot of amatuer ones too,loved his style and his evolution since)

Joel Casamayor- I first saw him as amateur. He was taking Wayne McCullough to school to win the gold medal in the Olympics. I was thrilled when he defected and turned pro. I've followed his whole career

Terry Norris- I remember seeing him fight live as a kid at the Great Western Forum. The speed and power he showed in destroying Clayton Hires was incredible.

Ricardo Lopez- The first time I saw Lopez was on a Don king card that featured Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor 2, Felix Trinidad-Yory Boy Campas and Gabriel Ruelas-Jesse James Leija. Lopez impressed the most. He destroyed his opponent in the first round. I had never seen such brilliance in such a small fighter before.

Dam,you have a good memory,awesome list! CC. You ever seen Joel live?

[Violent Demise]

Wow,yeah,I'd like to add recently,the guys I saw that really impressed:

Jorge Linares(saw this kid fight in Japan at least 1.5 years ago,not many heard of him,looked sensational)
and
Miguel Cotto(have every single fight,and alot of amatuer ones too,loved his style and his evolution since)

Joel Casamayor- I first saw him as amateur. He was taking Wayne McCullough to school to win the gold medal in the Olympics. I was thrilled when he defected and turned pro. I've followed his whole career

Terry Norris- I remember seeing him fight live as a kid at the Great Western Forum. The speed and power he showed in destroying Clayton Hires was incredible.

Ricardo Lopez- The first time I saw Lopez was on a Don king card that featured Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor 2, Felix Trinidad-Yory Boy Campas and Gabriel Ruelas-Jesse James Leija. Lopez impressed the most. He destroyed his opponent in the first round. I had never seen such brilliance in such a small fighter before.

Dam,you have a good memory,awesome list! CC. You ever seen Joel live?

No. I've never seen Casamayor fight live. I wish I could.

[Boxerharvey]

The first time I ever saw Ricky Hatton fight against Thaxton I was hooked, I couldnt believe a fighter could have such a high work rate every round and never take a step backwards and keep it up for 12 rounds. Even when he was cut badly he showed so much heart to keep going and get the win. I been a massive fan ever since.

Also the first time I ever saw Sugar Shane fight, it was his first fight with De Le Hoya and I couldnt believe his hand speed. Also the way he went toe to toe with Oscar in round 12 and landed some lovely right hands.

Also I have to metion the first time I saw Ali fight against Foreman in Rumble In The Jungle. I just couldnt believe a fighter could sit on the ropes and take so much punishment and still come out and fight as if Foreman was tickling him. I watched the fight again at the weekend for the millionth time and I still sit there in amazement.

[brucelee]

same here. I simply love the way Mosley handled ODLH. Been a Mosley fan since then.

[porkypara]

Naz.I remember watching one of his early fights when he was still with Barry Hearn and was fighting at flyweight.They used to show boxing late at night on ITV.


The only other boxer who has had the same impression in morden times is Michel Katsides(Aussie/greek bloke).Looking forward to his next war.

[Mattyhitman]

The first time i saw Nigel Benn got me well hooked.

Tyson against Berbick, what an animal ( after watching that fight i went to school the next day and had a fight in the playground with a lad that bullied my mate, kicked his ass too )

Naseem Hamed, a breath of fresh air with his style.

And of course Ricky Hatton with his marauding non-stop action.

[bzkfn]

I have 5...

1. Ricky Hatton - Hatton is probably my favourite current fighter. It's hard not to get up for a Hatton fight. He's just a great advert for the sport.

2. Miguel Cotto - I'm in awe of Cotto. Every time I see him fight it reaffirms my feeling that he'll be P4P #1 at some point. I actually think he could beat Floyd as well. In fact, I think Cotto is the best Welter out there. (I know so many will disagree with that statement, but it's an opinion, and it's mine...so it's right .)

3. Juan Diaz - Before he beat Freitas I thought he was the best Lightweight in the world. I'm a massive fan of his style, he just keeps coming. Never seen a bad fight with this guy yet, he's always giving 110%. Lewis said on HBO the other night... "if boxing is his hobby, imagine if he took it seriously." Thats a scary thought...

4. Prince Naseem Hamed - Without doubt, I was never in more awe of anyone when I first saw them. Hamed was special. It's a shame he left his ego...and his family take over the asylum.

5. Kelly Pavlik - The Miranda fight opened my eyes, because I didn't think anyone could do that to Edison. Great fight, and the Taylor fight confirmed my suspicions that Kelly can rule the sport and provide us with truly thrilling fights for years to come.

[Wayne]

Roy Jones Jr. The first time I saw him he was giving James Toney a beating. I hated him for it, but I had to admit, I wanted to see him again.

Also Joe Calzaghe for the same reason. What he did to Jeff Lacy was stunning.