Fighters Who Have Turned You Around

[marbleheadmaui]

Eric Lucas: He wasn't the most gifted boxer but he had a heart large as a river, was working very hard and by his perseverance, became champion. He's also the one who is at the origins of the boxing explosion in Quebec, without him, the youngest generations wouldn't have had a front figure to look for and to "believe it was possible". Determination, the will to fight, hard worker and a top notch personality, many qualities we don'T find so often by these days.

Willie Pep: As he belongs to another era, I never saw him fight personally but when I stumbled upon his videos it has been a revelation to me, he was so swift with movements so smooth, like a moving shadow in a ballroom dancing hall. Possibly my favorite boxer of all time, a guy who didn't have that much power but who did sure find out how to compensate it brillantly. I think that there has never been a more fluid boxer than him, a defensive and mobility genius.

Roy Jones Jr: Need I say more? During his best years, he got it all, from excitement, speed, power and ring generalship. Hell, even his showboating and "big mouth" were entertaining in the good way. Now, for the past 3 years, I only wish he'd get the message and stop making a fool of himself though.

Erik Morrales: I have been quite overwhelmed by El' Terrible too, he had an iron chin, very fast and strong and he sure was coming to fight, I don't recall a fight where Erik didn't try his very best and didn't come to exchange as much leather as possible.

Pep is like a being from another planet. I've stopped counting the number of times I've seen him move so swiflty and efficiently he ended up behind the foe.

Now here is the REALLY scary part. I'll bet all the footage you've seen of him is AFTER the plane crash when by all accountsm, he'd lost half a step.

[Mark TKO]

Eubank - loved him at end of his career (when he had started to lose !) Went to his last three fights and cheered him on


Hagler - never really appreciated him when I first got into the sport. Saw the tasche and shaved head and immediately had him labelled as a bad guy as opposed to pretty boy Leonard. I was only 12 or so though and he was coming to end of career. Only when I learned more about the game did I realise just what he had had to come through to get where he was. That guy did it the hard way ! Became a big fan after he had retired really. Would love to meet the guy.

[marbleheadmaui]

Eubank - loved him at end of his career (when he had started to lose !) Went to his last three fights and cheered him on


Hagler - never really appreciated him when I first got into the sport. Saw the tasche and shaved head and immediately had him labelled as a bad guy as opposed to pretty boy Leonard. I was only 12 or so though and he was coming to end of career. Only when I learned more about the game did I realise just what he had had to come through to get where he was. That guy did it the hard way ! Became a big fan after he had retired really. Would love to meet the guy.

Niiiiice

[Master]

Fighters that turn me around are the ones that beat my favourite fighters. When Mike McCallum beat Herol Graham, I looked at McCallums career and thought he is a good fighter and followed him.

Same with Tito when he beat Campus, and Oba Carr, then beating Vargas, by which time I was converted. As was I when B Hop beat Tito.

Manny Pacquia is the latest, no way did I think he could beat ODH, Hatton, and Cotto.

[BIG H]

Fighters that turn me around are the ones that beat my favourite fighters. When Mike McCallum beat Herol Graham, I looked at McCallums career and thought he is a good fighter and followed him.

Same with Tito when he beat Campus, and Oba Carr, then beating Vargas, by which time I was converted. As was I when B Hop beat Tito.

Manny Pacquia is the latest, no way did I think he could beat ODH, Hatton, and Cotto.

In 2004 if you had've said that a few years later Pac would maul ODH you would've been laughed at. ODH was fighting Hopkins at Middle and Manny was a Featherweight!!

[JazMerkin]

In 2004 if you had've said that a few years later Pac would maul ODH you would've been laughed at. ODH was fighting Hopkins at Middle and Manny was a Featherweight!!

In 2001, after Floyd Mayweather beat (I think) Jesus Chavez, in the post-fight he talked about moving up to Lightweight with the eventual goal of fighting De La Hoya & Mosley at Welter or Light-Middle. In his closing thoughts Larry Merchant said something along the lines of 'I don't think Mayweather is big enough to handle the Lightweights, to talk of Oscar or Mosley is laughable. If he ever was in a ring with one of those he would likely not make it out of a round'.

Then again, he'll never top saying 'I think the myth of Foreman's power has been exposed in this fight' at the end of the 7th round of the Moorer fight

[generalbulldog]

Carl Froch. I didn't like him because of his poor technique and some of the funny stuff he talks about like losing his bike, but the man has been in some tough competition in his last few fights and seems to be willing to take anyone on anywhere. That I have to respect.

[p4pking]

Fighters that turn me around are the ones that beat my favourite fighters. When Mike McCallum beat Herol Graham, I looked at McCallums career and thought he is a good fighter and followed him.

Same with Tito when he beat Campus, and Oba Carr, then beating Vargas, by which time I was converted. As was I when B Hop beat Tito.

Manny Pacquia is the latest, no way did I think he could beat ODH, Hatton, and Cotto.

In 2004 if you had've said that a few years later Pac would maul ODH you would've been laughed at. ODH was fighting Hopkins at Middle and Manny was a Featherweight!!

In fairness if he had ever actually been able to beat Oscar in good form, despite how great we know Manny is now, it would shock the hell out of me. I think it's telling that people were still saying Hatton would be to big and strong for him AFTER he beat DLH down like that. His victory over DLH is really his least impressive in recent years all things considered, imo. Not to take away from his form that night but so many guys could've beaten Oscar in that shape. I watched that fight live at a bar fairly wasted and remember being irate thinking Oscar was throwing the fight, in hindsight he was just a corpse.

[greynotsoold]

Bobby Chacon. Little Red Lopez was my favorite fighter through the 70s and Chacon beat him. I held that grudge for many years.