Name The First Five Years...

[Goodnight, Irene]

...you began watching our fine sport? The reason I ask is they say give a man a child for seven years, & he has him for life --- that his perceptions, realities, & mental bents are largely established on a permanent or semi-permanent basis from here on out...I think five years would be much the same for any Boxing fan. Different eras establish in our minds how things should be, etc.

For me --- 1994 (aged 10) to 1999.

[Seamus]

Watched some boxing in the 60's when I was pretty young, but I'd say the year I began seriously following it was 1970. So 1970-75 for me. A great era with great FREE television coverage.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Watched some boxing in the 60's when I was pretty young, but I'd say the year I began seriously following it was 1970. So 1970-75 for me. A great era with great FREE television coverage.

Unimaginable, for someone who started watching when I did.

Doubly so for an Australian.

[crusader]

(11) 2001-2006

[allworld80]

Age 11 - 1988-1993

Tyson/Spinks is where it all began, and most of those 5 years is was only about Tyson, and then Holyfield/Bowe solidified it.

[jaclem2]

...well..started watching in my case at around 5 or 6 (1936) when watching meant only the fight films my grandfather took me to....louis/schmeling I and II....and louis/braddock.
started reading ring magazine 1945

Saw first live boxing around 15...1946....no tv then....and then radio fights every friday night...and then whatever live fights came to cincinnati and boxing on tv ...wednesday , friday, then saturday .....mixed with live boxing...bud smith, jimmy carter joe micelli and others...then a step back into the past..."Home" films of ezzard charles early career....vs marshall, bivins, moore...others.

[Goodnight, Irene]

...well..started watching in my case at around 5 or 6 (1936) when watching meant only the fight films my grandfather took me to....louis/schmeling I and II....and louis/braddock.
started reading ring magazine 1945

Saw first live boxing around 15...1946....no tv then....and then radio fights every friday night...and then whatever live fights came to cincinnati and boxing on tv ...wednesday , friday, then saturday .....mixed with live boxing...bud smith, jimmy carter joe micelli and others...then a step back into the past..."Home" films of ezzard charles early career....vs marshall, bivins, moore...others.

You, Sir, are a treasure. I hope to be of similar worth to younger fans some day.

Were men like Charles & Bivins respected to the true extent of their abilities in their own day? Moreso than now? Less? Even money?

[Jaywheel]

At 9: 1986-1991
First fight attended: Matthew Hilton vs Buster Drayton IBF title fight in 1987, at the old Montreal forum.

[wsbuf]

I was 6 or 7. Probably why Joe Frazier and Jerry Quarry were my first favorites.

[The Great John L]

About 8yo, 1966-1971.

[Seamus]

I watched Hilton v Drayton on TV live. Hilton dropped Buster in the 1st and looked like he was going to finish him early, but it ended up going the distance.

[Expug]

My teen years. Mid seventies.
No sense in renaming all the great fighters from that era. We all know who they were.
My thoughts are, it was a very different time then now.Very different era.
Boxing was great back then.Its still a great sport, but I wish some of the younger fans that post here now could have experienced it first hand. They would have been in heaven.

[Jaywheel]

I watched Hilton v Drayton on TV live. Hilton dropped Buster in the 1st and looked like he was going to finish him early, but it ended up going the distance.

Great fight. Body work like you don't see often anymore. Drayton went to the hospital after the bout with multiple rib fracture.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

75-80
The 76 Olympics was huge for me as a fan(7yrs old) and oddly Ray Leonard is my most hated fighter in history.

[Seamus]

Duran's mine.

[Bricks]

1985-1990.

[hhaehre]

It was 1980, the fight was Ali-Holmes and I was 11 years old.

[Panzerfaust]

age 13 when i put on my first gloves. 2000-2005

But due to poor television coverage over here i never got to see much of the current boxing of the time except for Sven Ottke and Michaelzewski and other german boxing shown on eurosport. So started watching older fights on youtube. :(

[Counter-puncher]

1982-1987 were my first years watching boxing.

[Ezzard]

Holmes-Ali was the first fight I really remember (must have been about 9 at the time). Boxing and the names had been a part of the background to me but that was the first fight where I knew who was fighting. I continued to watch the sport when it was on, Holmes-Cooney being another highlight.

Then in 1983 in the run up Hagler-Hearns I came across The Ring magazine. I can’t tell you what it was like. An American magazine filled with all kinds of reports and photos from around the world. And I was just mesmerised by the ratings pages. I was then totally hooked. In the pre-internet days you couldn’t get access to news like you can now. A magazine from the US seemed like gold dust. Me and my best mate were just a couple of skinny English boys but we’d read The Ring and KO over and over dreaming of living in the USA where we could watch all these top fighters.

Even so, we didn’t realise how good we had it, there were fights on all the time. Barry McGuigan was loved by the entire nation. I’d watch his fights with my grandmother. There was regular boxing on Wednesday nights and Saturday lunch times. Almost all British title fights were on TV. And they’d show the main American fights as well as the title holders in divisions where there were genuine British prospects operating.

All the magazines were full of stories about how the HW division was a mess and how boxing was in decline but looking back it seems like a golden era with the TV coverage (though the HW’s weren’t great).

Then Tyson came along and boxing’s popularity seemed to just go through the roof.

The highlight for me was Leonard-Hagler. After hearing about this so much I actually got tickets to see it on CCTV at a cinema. I know it seems a bit drab these days but we couldn’t afford to go to Vegas and this seemed like as good as being there to me at that time. I remember wanting Ray to win and him coming out for the 10th after Hagler bashed him up in the 9th. I didn’t think he could stay on his feet for 3 more rounds. He seemed spent and likely to unravel at any moment. Was an amazing night when he won that fight.

Then the return with Hearns and Duran III made me feel the exact opposite. Suddenly it seemed less of a sport and more of a contrived event. The Duran fight sort of opened my eyes to the other side of the sport.

[Idisagree]

For me 1971 the first Ali/Frazier fight. I remember my uncle came from Vietnam and he was so angry at Ali. I was around 10 years old and I did not understand too much about politics or boxing for that matter. After I saw that fight I immediately fell in love with boxing and continue to follow it until now. One thing that I have never forgot was the expression of happiness on my uncle face when they announce the decision. After that Duran was the major attraction in my house. In the late 70's Wilfredo Gomez, Alexis Arguello, Larry Holmes, Ruben Olivares, Alfredo Escalera (was always fun to watch because of his entrances with a snake on his neck) and many others. Boxing is the best sport in the world for me.

[yancey]

1966-71.

1966 saw the Ali Euro defenses of the title against Cooper, London and Mildenberger, all on ABC'S Wide World of Sports with Cosell calling the action.

The coming of Frazier plus the WBA elimination tournament featuring other excellent heavies.

Tiger, Griffith, Benvenuti, Foster, Cokes, Monzon are others of that era that quickly come to mind. Many, many others.

All climaxing in 1971 with arguably the most important athletic event of the century, featuring two undefeated heavyweight champions at the time when both were nearest their peak in easily the most important fight of their careers.

[Goodnight, Irene]

1966-71.

1966 saw the Ali Euro defenses of the title against Cooper, London and Mildenberger, all on ABC'S Wide World of Sports with Cosell calling the action.

The coming of Frazier plus the WBA elimination tournament featuring other excellent heavies.

Tiger, Griffith, Benvenuti, Foster, Cokes, Monzon are others of that era that quickly come to mind. Many, many others.

All climaxing in 1971 with arguably the most important athletic event of the century, featuring two undefeated heavyweight champions at the time when both were nearest their peak in easily the most important fight of their careers.

Not a bad stretch, but your first five years only climaxes with the Fight Of The Century. Mine climaxes with The Fight Of The Millenium ;)

[m1kee50]

2002-2007

[dberry]

1966-71.

1966 saw the Ali Euro defenses of the title against Cooper, London and Mildenberger, all on ABC'S Wide World of Sports with Cosell calling the action.

The coming of Frazier plus the WBA elimination tournament featuring other excellent heavies.

Tiger, Griffith, Benvenuti, Foster, Cokes, Monzon are others of that era that quickly come to mind. Many, many others.

All climaxing in 1971 with arguably the most important athletic event of the century, featuring two undefeated heavyweight champions at the time when both were nearest their peak in easily the most important fight of their careers.

Not a bad stretch, but your first five years only climaxes with the Fight Of The Century. Mine climaxes with The Fight Of The Millenium ;)

I don' know, where you there for the Anarchimides v Lovhahdknobopoulos bout in 157 A.D.?