Who You Admire

[killersheep]

Jhonny Gonzalez, because he always comes to fight win or lose, and keeps busy.

[Kev]

Matthew Hatton..

He looks ridiculous, like Sloth from the Goonies. His lack of talent is surpassed only by his lack of charisma. He's a mediocre example of mediocrity.

Yet when he was hired by HBO to be the highlight reel KO to bring Canelo Alvarez to the big stage he apparently forgot to read the script and actually fought to win. He lost near every round but in the face of hopelessness he kept his belief and determination, and after the fight just merely shrugged and said he would move back down to his natural weight class and fight for a world title there.

Self delusion of course, but I admired his optimism and never say quit mentally.

[CutMeMick]

Marquez has got to be my favourite personality in boxing at the moment. A real family man who has a 'win or come back on my shield' attitude I just love. I think the epitome of Marquez was what he did in that fight against Pacquiao. Getting KDd three times in the opening round he comes back and puts on an awe-inspiring performance. His timing is something I greatly admire, it's to me one of the most important aspects of a fighter's repertoire, and generally the better you are at timing, the better a fighter you will be (though obviously it should be allied to various other things, and the more of those you have the better off you'll be as well). The combinations he puts together are also stunning and technically brilliant, making him very exciting to watch.

brilliant...
I can really tell you are a genuine fan of JMM.
I admire him just as much and everything you typed I've said it many times.
His precise punching and combinations are great.
By the way I call that the "Nacho Way" meaning Nacho Beristain the trainer.
That same stance and fighting style can be seen in Ricardo Lopez and Rafa.
You can see it in every fight but the fight where I'm just in awww is the Terdsak fight.
In the smallest of gaps JMM would slip punches thru.

[Violent Demise]

Joel Casamayor. Went about things his way and wasn't sorry about it. "Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have
no heart for it anymore."

[Master]

The humility of Joe Louis, his punch power, boxing skills and consistantcy was not bad either. The impact on the world of Muhammid Ali for his fights with great boxers, standing for what he believed in, courage and determination to fight through adversity such as a broken jaw.
Mike Tyson inspired me into boxing because of the excitement and historic significance he brought to the game and made me look at the history of the heavyweight divison.
I love Roy Jones but I only admire Floyd for his boxing skills which are fantastic to see.

[bcollins]

I always liked watching Kostya Tszyu - class both in and out of the ring.

[Master]

I always liked watching Kostya Tszyu - class both in and out of the ring.

Loved his speech after his defeat against Hatton.

[boozeboxer]

1 boxer i admire at the moment is Froch, he lays it on the line, takes a great shot and is happy to fight away from home. He doesn't shy away from the big names and has continually been prepared to face the best.

Gutsy warrior, makes fights harder for himself than they need to be sometimes but the defence has been improved. Not the greatest around at the moment but he always means business always turns up in shape and gives 100%

Tam you aren't on here enough to warrant an alt.

[rjj tszyu]

Another survey for the gang. What fighters, now or past, best exemplify what you want out of a professional fighter? They need not be great, you need not be a fan. This is about the way you like to see the sport, and the fighters within it, behave. Please give us a brief why.

Thanks in advance.

The first man that came to mind when I saw the title was Marvin Hagler. He was IMO the greatest MW of all time but he was also so much more than that. He was twice robbed early on in his career and was avoided like the plague by top fighters for a long time and he just kept going and beating everyone in his path. Then when his chance did finally come IMO he was robbed vs Antuofermo only getting a draw from the judges, again he just kept going and got himself back in the limelight until he was again given a shot. This time it was against Alan Minter and this time he was making sure no judges would be robbing him stopping Minter with a badly cut eye. What happened after the fight was a disgrace and was not a moment that when I look back I feel proud to be British.

After taking that title though he showed just how great a champion he was beating everyone in his path. The fights with Hearns and Mugabi are 2 of my favourites involving any fighter. Then came the fight with Leonard, now I do actually think the judges got this one right, I know many don't but I do. It was close but Leonard was fighting very intelligently and stealing rounds in the last 30 seconds. Anyway it did Hagler a favour in the long run because the Leonard fight upset him so much that the only fight he wanted was Leonard rematch and if he couldn't get that he wouldn't fight again. He didn't, and we never saw Hagler fade and get beaten by much lesser fighters a few years past his prime in the way so many great champs have.

So for me the most admiration goes to "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler!

[johnsebastianmiran]

I don't really need to give this much thought but Floyd Patterson was a light heavy weight in a Heavyweight world with heavy issues whenever he lost he would wear disguises. He was a D'Amato fighter like Tyson and Jose Torres who authored Fire and Ice about a volatile Mike Tyson. Roberto Duran for his skill and longevity. Mike Weaver for winning the Heavyweight title from Big John Tate after losing every single round he kept trying to KO the more skilled champion. Earnie Shavers for being a three round fighter that resurrected himself in the Ali fight and gave Holmes fits. Sean O'Grady for making the conversion from fighter to announcer and was a med student before being a fighter. Talk about adjustments! Reuben Oliveras for astounding KO's and exciting skillful moves. Muhammad Ali for backing up his mouth with his fists and the ability to be a great public speaker. Sonny Liston was not an all time great because he couldn't stay out of Jail earlier in his career but a mean mutha none the less. Carlos Ortiz for facing everyone in his time. Alexis Arguello fighter, gentleman and feared opponent. Carlos Monzon whose aggressive style was his defense. Marvin for his workmanship and tenacity. Wilfredo Benitez winning the junior welterweight title at seventeen and look like the veteran instead of the youth he was. Arturo Gatti not great but a true warrior. There were a few more but I have limited space and I did not forget the best of the best, Ray Robinson.

[marbleheadmaui]

I don't really need to give this much thought but Floyd Patterson was a light heavy weight in a Heavyweight world with heavy issues whenever he lost he would wear disguises. He was a D'Amato fighter like Tyson and Jose Torres who authored Fire and Ice about a volatile Mike Tyson. Roberto Duran for his skill and longevity. Mike Weaver for winning the Heavyweight title from Big John Tate after losing every single round he kept trying to KO the more skilled champion. Earnie Shavers for being a three round fighter that resurrected himself in the Ali fight and gave Holmes fits. Sean O'Grady for making the conversion from fighter to announcer and was a med student before being a fighter. Talk about adjustments! Reuben Oliveras for astounding KO's and exciting skillful moves. Muhammad Ali for backing up his mouth with his fists and the ability to be a great public speaker. Sonny Liston was not an all time great because he couldn't stay out of Jail earlier in his career but a mean mutha none the less. Carlos Ortiz for facing everyone in his time. Alexis Arguello fighter, gentleman and feared opponent. Carlos Monzon whose aggressive style was his defense. Marvin for his workmanship and tenacity. Wilfredo Benitez winning the junior welterweight title at seventeen and look like the veteran instead of the youth he was. Arturo Gatti not great but a true warrior. There were a few more but I have limited space and I did not forget the best of the best, Ray Robinson.

I wish I'd written that!

[marbleheadmaui]

Another survey for the gang. What fighters, now or past, best exemplify what you want out of a professional fighter? They need not be great, you need not be a fan. This is about the way you like to see the sport, and the fighters within it, behave. Please give us a brief why.

Thanks in advance.

The first man that came to mind when I saw the title was Marvin Hagler. He was IMO the greatest MW of all time but he was also so much more than that. He was twice robbed early on in his career and was avoided like the plague by top fighters for a long time and he just kept going and beating everyone in his path. Then when his chance did finally come IMO he was robbed vs Antuofermo only getting a draw from the judges, again he just kept going and got himself back in the limelight until he was again given a shot. This time it was against Alan Minter and this time he was making sure no judges would be robbing him stopping Minter with a badly cut eye. What happened after the fight was a disgrace and was not a moment that when I look back I feel proud to be British.

After taking that title though he showed just how great a champion he was beating everyone in his path. The fights with Hearns and Mugabi are 2 of my favourites involving any fighter. Then came the fight with Leonard, now I do actually think the judges got this one right, I know many don't but I do. It was close but Leonard was fighting very intelligently and stealing rounds in the last 30 seconds. Anyway it did Hagler a favour in the long run because the Leonard fight upset him so much that the only fight he wanted was Leonard rematch and if he couldn't get that he wouldn't fight again. He didn't, and we never saw Hagler fade and get beaten by much lesser fighters a few years past his prime in the way so many great champs have.

So for me the most admiration goes to "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler!

Lunchpail Marvin can be a model for every kind of fighter there is.

[DopeyKev]

Erik Morales. A total badass with tons of heart. I already admired this guy but after his performance against Maidana my admiration for him just skyrocketed. To pull out a performance like that fighting way above your best weight and way past your sell by date, with one eye shut from the 2nd round on, against a young, tough, powerful bull is amazing. What - a - WARRIOR.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

I always liked watching Kostya Tszyu - class both in and out of the ring.

Loved his speech after his defeat against Hatton.

I remember that!

I would say Emmanuel Augustus and James Toney.
They were shit role-models, probably in life as well as in the sport of Boxing but Boxing was their comfort zone and it is always a joy to watch someone having fun, having punches thrown at them.

[superheavyrhun]

This has been a very much north American dominated thread so far, but I'm going to throw forward a few contemporary Brits and Europeans that I particularly admire, and that I know more about.

Jamie Moore - All round great guy, always went in there to fight, exciting to watch and whether he won or lost he was always gracious.

Enzo Maccarinelli - Pretty much the same things, doesn't really do defence, rather tries to solve his problems by throwing more punches.

Jason Booth - Faced some difficult problems in his life, and could have gone downhill in a similar way that his brother did, but overcame his addiction and went on to fight for a world title, and won British and Commonwealth belts.

Vitali and Wladimir - Dignified, professional and ruthlessly good at what they do. Very rarely allow themselves to get provoked, and very few have even come close to beating them recently.