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As I sit and go over my bills for the last year, I realized something. I pay a lot of money for cable. Well, not basic service, but for my premium channels and PPV events. Of course, my PPV’s are boxing events and the only reason I have my premium channels (HBO/Showtime) is so I can watch title fights that are not on PPV, though it seems lately any of the top names with belts are only on PPV. The kicker in it all is that many of the fights that I pay $49.99 for end up being snoozers.
The Hopkins/Taylor “Borenanzas” really put a kick in my you know what. Somehow I felt like an old lady who just had her purse snatched and there was nothing I could do about it. All in all, I think it came to about $429.95 or something like that, which I spent between PPV buys and premium service (yes, I did add it all up).
Later on, the kids were in the living room watching some movie and they started talking about stuff like “Imagine if the Hulk fought Wolverine?” and the other one answered “What if Professor X could walk”? This for some reason got me thinking, “What if we could decide who we wanted to watch on the PPV events? What if we had a choice on what fights to match up or what fighters we wanted to see on there?” I know it would never happen. And yes, I know I am a little old to be saying stuff like, “imagine if…” but hey, we all have a little bit of kid in us and the $429.95 that I paid last year to watch boxing bombout events gives me the right to wish. No?
So I sat down and though about all the fights that I have seen over the years and all the fighters I have watched. Then I came up with a list of the 10 most exciting fighters, in my opinion, to ever step into the ring and how no matter what, title fight or not, they always gave us bell to bell action. So I figured I would share my list with you guys and see how it matches up.
When looking at my list, you have to remember four things. One, not all of the fighters on the list are current and some were around long before PPV. Two, I said exciting, not P4P greats, so don’t get the two confused. Three, when I thought about the guys I put on my list, it doesn’t matter win or lose, they are all-out fighters who leave nothing behind. Four, I refer to them in their primes!
Now, all you PPV matchmakers and cable TV giants take notes. Read my list carefully and hopefully, after you do, some adjustments can be made. Just because there is a title involved, it doesn’t mean $50 bucks well spent. So, without further ado, here is my list of all time PPV worthy fighters.
10. Jake LaMotta: “The Raging Bull” was by far, not a technical boxer. Jabs and parries were not his strong points. If you wanted to fight though, Jake was your man. His series with Sugar Ray Robinson is one of the sport’s all-time greatest rivalries. In his whole career, he was never KO’d. This was Ricardo Mayorga times two! Other than rumors of corrupt fights, LaMotta had one mode – seek and destroy. I have seen every fight of his available and I can’t think of one that wasn’t better than 75% of today’s PPV stinkers
9. Rocky Marciano: “The Rock”, of course, is the only heavyweight champion to go undefeated. Many people give him flack because he reigned in a very weak era and his biggest wins came over opponents on the down slide but…he could punch and he came at you like a man possessed. When it came to heart, Marciano cannot be denied. He hit the canvas more than once but always got up to give you back double of what he received. Due to Mother Nature, all the heart in the world wouldn’t help him against many of today’s giant heavyweights but still…the man from Brockton would attack like a Rabid Pitbull
8. Aaron Pryor: They called him “The Hawk”. When the man from Cincinnati, Ohio, came in the ring, it was with bad intentions. As soon as that bell sounded, he considered you his sworn enemy. Though Aaron was often over shadowed by the big names such as Leonard and Hearns, he was just as, if not more, dangerous. He built a reputation that had many fighters avoiding him like the plague. His destructions of the great Alexis Arguello cemented his reputation as the man to fear at under 160 lbs. P4P, he is one of the toughest men to ever step in a ring.
7. Marvin Hagler: This guy could do it all; Marvin could box, he could punch and he could brawl. He was involved in some of the biggest fights in history. His bouts with Leonard and Hearns are legendary. John “The Beast” Mugabi, was undefeated and just destroying his opposition when he faced Hagler. At the time of the fight, I think John was 24-0 or 25-0, with every win coming by way of knockout.
In the beginning, it looked as though the night would be a bad one for Hagler but in the same fashion that earned him the nickname “Marvelous”, Hagler took charge and wore the man from Africa down. Mugabi ended up receiving one of the worst one-sided beatings during those last two rounds, that I ever saw. The ref eventually stepped in and saved Mugabi but John was never the same fighter again.
6. Ray Leonard: He was an Olympian, a multi division champion as a pro and more importantly, if there was a mega fight in the 80’s at under 176 lbs., Ray was almost always involved. You had to get over the pretty boy image that the media gave him and you had to forget that he was a marketing machine because Ray could fight. He went at it with all the best fighters of his era. Hagler, Hearns, Duran…and the list goes on. Ray didn’t just want to out box his opponents; he wanted to be called Great.
The build up for his fights with Duran, Hearns and Hagler were that of epic proportions. Every time people thought Leonard was going to get destroyed, he proved them wrong! Again and again, the words World Champion were added to his name. Eventually, Ray stuck around too long and ended up losing badly to a few guys that he would have disposed of in three rounds during his prime but even that didn’t take away from his legacy. He was the Ali of the little men and let us all know that looks can be deceiving
5. Ray Robinson: The original “Sugar”. Not only is this man the greatest P4P fighter in the history of the sport, but also was way ahead of his time. To see Robinson move around in the ring and use every skill possible was something else indeed. This guy left you with your mouth hanging open in awe. For all you younger fans that have never seen Robinson in action get your hands on one of his fights and take notes.
This guy makes Jones, Mayweather, and Hopkins all look like beginners. He lost only 19 of his over 200+ bouts. Most of them were at the tail end of his career. He went over 100 bouts before he lost his first one. Ray fought and won titles in multiple divisions but his days as a welterweight are truly untouchable. It would be worth $50 just to watch him spar in his prime. I can go on all day about Ray’s greatness but you actually have to see it to believe it.
4. Arturo Gatti: He hails from Montreal, Canada but Atlantic City, New Jersey is his spiritual home. They call him a throwback from another era. If you look closely at him during introductions, I swear he is already starting to swell. When the fight starts you can’t help but to root for him. It doesn’t matter if he is going to war with friend and rival Micky Ward, or being destroyed by Floyd Mayweather.
Gatti gives a prime example of what the true heart of a champion should be. If you can show me a bad fight of Gatti’s either with him on the deck or getting his hand raised, I’ll tap dance and sing Good Ship Lollipop in the center of Time Square. When he loses, he loses big and when he wins, he earns it like no one else.
3. Thomas Hearns: At over 6 feet and weighing just 147 lbs., this guy was devastating as a welterweight. He had the punching power of a heavyweight, the speed of a flyweight and the right hand of Thor’s hammer. Like Hagler and Leonard on the list, he was involved in some of the 80’s biggest fights. What made Tommy so exciting is that his right hand could end it at any point and time. His knockouts of Roberto Duran and James Schuler are two of the best you will ever see. His three round fight with Hagler are three of the greatest rounds in boxing history. The Motor City Cobra was his original nickname, but The Hitman is the one that fits him best.
2. Muhammad Ali: The former three time heavyweight champion of the world had a mouth that moved faster than his hands. He could sell a fight to a room full of pacifists. Ali fought them all – Liston, Patterson, Chuvalo, Quarry, Frazier, Norton, Foreman and on and on. He gave himself the nickname “The Greatest” and he must have done something right because not many dispute that as far as the heavyweights go. The only person you will ever see above him in that division is Joe Louis. To this day, Muhammad Ali is the most recognizable athlete in history.
1. Mike Tyson: This had to be a gimme. Tyson is the reason that PPV became what it is today. Mike could have fought a one armed man in a phone booth and we would have paid to see it. In his prime, all we wanted to do is see how fast he would dispose of his opponents. Then we wanted to see what he would do next. “Iron Mike” was so befitting as a nickname. He hit as if his fists were made of the substance, with a chin to match and was built like a steamship.
Tyson made it look so easy every time out – the men he faced were terrified before the bell even rang. Before his fights, Mike was cocky and showed no regard for his opponent’s skill and strength. Afterwards, he was a teddy bear that seemed sympathetic and wanted to give his opponent credit for fighting with courage. He would even help pick them up off the canvas. And we loved him for it! There may never again be a fighter that drew us like Tyson did.
Well, there you have it. If only all of these guys were around right now, boxing would be 100 times more interesting. Problem is, PPV might be $99.99!
If I could pick 10 fighters who I want to see in the ring, PPV after PPV, these 10 are it. I wouldn’t miss a fight. When I went over my cable bill, it would read $1,449.99 for the year instead of $449.99, guaranteed. This will never happen of course. Especially because half the guys on this list are dead, and the other half, with the exception of Gatti, are retired. I will just have to settle with the old “Imagine if…
