Quote Originally Posted by TheBranMan View Post
I agree that Marquez vs Pacquiao was a great display. To do that and then be handed a draw... and next a SD loss... definitely not a credit to the sport. I still feel Marquez won both.

Also, I'll add both of Cotto's losses to the list, especially the one against the huge Mexican with cinder blocks in his hands. The amount of punishment that Miguel took was unbelievable (against one almost definite cheater and another suspected one too!). Also, his SD win against Clottey showed a lot of heart. He was hampered with one of the worst gashes I've ever seen from a headbutt in the fourth round and still came back to win it. It's a pitty that such a brave and entertaining fighter is planning to retire soon - as a result of dirty tactics.
As much as I rate Cotto's heart, I don't think you can say the Margarito fight was a great display of heart. He quit on a knee without taking a punch. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding that, it does not constitute a brave performance even if I don't blame him.

I agree with most of those posted, particularly Marquez, although you could take a chunk of his career as an example.

Because I doubt anyone else will pick it, I'll mention this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fswF...eature=related

People often say Mayweather has never been in adversity, but here after his hand is broken, his corner ask him if he wants to end the fight, he says 'I can't quit'. He lost the 6th & 7th, but turned it around to win the fight solidly with effectively one hand.

Also there's got to be Rafa-Izzy III. I think it was the fight they both showed the most heart in. The amount of times both guys were stunned & yet just kept throwing was awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Di2j1z9xw

I also think that the Katsidis-Casamayor fight is a great example of two fighters showing great heart. I'm always surprised how little credit either guy gets for these performances & for me its indicative of how little credit Casamayor seems to get from many fans & scribes when you look at his performances throughout the decade. Katsidis is what he as well, permanently brave, he's never in a bad fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXoV9pckWzU

My final ones are to the man I consider possibly the bravest fighter I've seen in my lifetime (only Corrales is really close) & yes that includes Arturo Gatti. It's someone who people tend to be dismissive of now, because of the hype surrounding his punching power, but in his two most brutal defeats you see the heart he has. I wasn't a fan before these fights, but it was in defeat that I became a firm supporter of his. I'm talking about Jeff Lacy. Say what you want about his hype, but he is heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH5Rt...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHeVq...811E6&index=30

Either fight serves the purpose. He could be getting battered for every second of every round, he was never going to quit. Like Paulie Malignaggi, he's a fighter whose heart often gets overlooked because of how people feel about him personally or in Lacy's case, the hype that once surrounded him.