What individual person, boxer or fight got you hooked?

[Emmseegee]

Just thinking about this with there being a Naz thread on the go again.

I can confidently say that without Naz being on the scene when he was that I would have been unlikely to have ended up watching endless hours of boxing and never have given time to reading boxing related articles or sites like this. I had always grown up with videos of Tyson & Muhammed Ali but when Naz came on the scene I was at the right age to be influenced by all the hype. Hatton re-enforced it because by that time I was well old enough to booze with my mates. His big fights/events made nights out and weekends away possible.

Naz and Hatton managed to get most of my mates interested who aren't boxing fans, they just loved the big events. Some of them have been hooked since and others couldn't care less until the next big draw comes along but for me I give credit to Naz for making me a boxing fan.

I'm also quite sure that many of you could point the finger to one individual person who got you hooked on boxing, maybe even some interesting stories behind it??

[dalcumly]

It's an era thing - for me Billy Walker and Henry Cooper - in that order.

[tsmithy50]

The whole Leonard,Hagler,Hearns and Duran fights. When fighters used to fight each other.

[expe]

Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe.

[SNG]

Benn, Naz and Lewis.

Boxing was great in Britain in the 90s, Naz was just so exciting to watch.

[taffytoon]

Ali to begin with and then the magnificent Four, great times for boxing.

[daviddee]

The man to get me hooked was Mike Tyson.. Then was Alex Arthur, Scott Harrison and Ricky Burns as I'm Scottish. Then also Joe Calzaghe

[Jeff Thomas]

Nigel Benn

[Matt W]

Rocky! Specifically Rocky 2, New Year 1986. My early experiences following the sport hooked me in: the rise of Tyson, Honeyghan, McAuley vs Bassa, Hagler vs Leonard and learning about the sport's history through Nat Fleischer's 'A Pictorial History of Boxing', and 'Champions Forever'. Great memories.

I wasn't to know at the time just how much of an influence watching Rocky 2 that night would have on my life as I now work in boxing. The training sequence still gives me goosebumps!

[The Law]

Mike Tyson, when he destroyed Michael Spinks. It was probably the first big fight I ever watched.

[Adamj1987]

mike Tyson i remember everyone talking about him fighting bruno (rematch) and ended up watching it

[REEVE]

watching naz when i was 10/11 yr old was and still is my favourite fighter

[palooka]

I saw a photo spread of Salvador Sanchez in KO magaine in about 1987; I saw he'd died very young and had wanted to be a doctor growing up but his family were poor.

[stujones]

McGuigan and Tyson.

[stevedoc]

for me it was my older brother he was a decent pro and it was pretty cool having your big brother fighting on tv when you're 13 years old. i'd go to lots of shows with my dad as a kid so i guess both of them got me hooked

[jonp]

Tyson and Honeyghan

[Parson Cross]

Herol Bomber Graham Brian Anderson Glyn Rhodes followed by Johnny Nelson Naz Ryan Rhodes and now Kell Brook.
The conveyor belt is still turning as well. Love my City for boxing.

[Scouse Fight Fan]

Tyson, Lewis but most of all Naseem Hamed. He was great.

[patlallyjack]

Johnny Owen, the Merthyr matchstick. I was only young when he was in his prime but fascinated how someone so skinny could be so tough.

[Wrists]

Easy. Naz.

A massive miss to the game

[crusader]

Ayala-Adams I

[liamlion]

ITV boxing with Jim Rosenthal fronting and Reg and Jim commentating in the early nineties. Headliners tended to be Eubank, Benn, Bruno or Naz. Great times.

[tear up]

Big fight Eubank domestic my hero Ian super cooper he was the war the real hero in our area

[Stevolad]

Benn, Naz and Lewis.

Boxing was great in Britain in the 90s, Naz was just so exciting to watch.

Have to agree with the above. My childhood was spent in awe of these fella's.

[Weirdyman]

Hatton for me. I can't remember which fight, but it was one after Tsyzu and before Mayweather. I'd never taken more than a passing interest, but how this one guy from Manchester commanded such a following got me hooked.

I was then hooked on Friday Night Fights on Sky Sports, whoever was fighting.