Most Anticipated Fights for You as a Fan

[Tony1244]

These are fights that happened in the days you were a fan (not historic) that you most looked forward to:
These are fights you were counting the hours off till the start...


Foreman-Lyle
Holmes-Cooney
Foreman-Frazier 2
Ali-Frazier 3
Young-Foreman
Duran-Leonard 1
Tyson-Berbick

[Ossyrules]

Showing my youth a bit here...

Lewis vs Tyson (now older and wiser I know tyson was shit)
Calzaghe vs Hopkins
Brook vs GGG
Hatton vs Mayweather
Joshua vs Klitschko
Froch vs Groves (especially 2 but both fights)

[NateJR]

Delahoya/Trinidad
Mayweather/Pacquiao
Mayweather/ Hatton
Hamed/Barerra
Tyson/Lewis

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Hearns/Leonard, hearns/hagler(both times), holyfield/Tyson and pea/chavez

[Syntax Error]

Eubank V Benn 2

Holyfield V Tyson

Tyson V Spinks

Leonard V Hagler

[Kalan]

Golovkin-Canelo... Mayweather-Thurman... Joshua-Klitschko... Lomachenko-Russell... Kovalev-Beterbiev... Duran-Leonard 1... Patterson-Liston 1... Wilder-Povetkin... Joshua-Parker... Golovkin-Jacobs... Holmes-Witherspoon... Holmes-Weaver... Foreman-Young... Foreman-Frazier 1... Lewis-Klitschko 2... V. Klitschko-Peter... Lewis-Mercer... Ibeabuchi-Byrd... Napoles-Cokes... Toney-McCallum 1... Sanchez-Castillo... Jofre-Saldivar... Zarate-Zamora... Pacquiao-Crawford... Jones-Tarver... De La Hoya-Wright... Joshua-Wilder... Monzon-Benvenuti 1... Griffith-Rodriguez 1... Hagler-McCallum... Lomachenko-Garcia... Brook-Khan... Liston-Clay... Johannson-Machen... Marciano-Patterson... Robinson-Scholz... Spencer-Brook... Spencer-Thurman... Usyk-Briedis... Easter-Garcia... Russell-Santa Cruz... and Marquez-Morales were a few of them.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

at Holmes/Weaver. You're not even a good troll, kid.

[crl333]

Leonard/Duran 1,2, Leonard/Hearns 1, Holmes/Cooney, Hearns/Duran, Hagler/Hearns

[Tony1244]

A smaller fight I really anticipated was Duane Bobick-Chuck Wepner.

The Ali-Wepner fight was the start of my boxing sickness.

[elmersalsa]

Duran vs Leonard I

Leonard vs Hearns I

Tyson vs Holyfield I in 1996, but, that was 5 years later when it happened. It didn't had for me the same climax and anticipation as of 1991.

Sanchez vs Gomez

[Bodyshot3]

I really loved everything around Calzaghe-Lacy.

Joe was the golden boy of British boxing who'd mastered Eubank but then hit something of a depressing, prolonged rut.

A whole series of poor/dull performances against some average opponents he was widely expected to swat aside got people thinking that he might not be that special and a bit of a protected WBO 'plastic' Euro champ.

Lacy and his team took the unification fight with Joe and came out with all their proverbial PR guns blazing; Calzaghe was a put-up job, his belt is there for the taking and we'd happily fight him in Newbridge if he wants that. Wherever he wants it, Jeff is taking him down.

I got really into the fight because I read the boxing press religiously back then and the Calzaghe's suddenly sounded as if they were wholly engaged again and also seriously pissed-off to have been written off. Joe was fit again and motivated by finally having a meaningful fight.

Being underdogs, contenders and outsiders again suited Joe and Enzo right down to the ground.

Meanwhile, the Lacy camp sounded as if they were casually organising a coronation and they'd smash Calzaghe as and when they liked. The fact that they'd be coming to Manchester and Joe was undefeated and angry totally esaped them.

[wsbuf]

Mancini - Arguello
Leonard - Hearns
Holmes - Cooney

[Ambling Alp II]

Some good calls. I don't think some realize how big of a deal Holmes-Cooney was at the time. For some reason, I don't remember the buildup for Mancini-Arguello.


For me personally:
Leonard-Duran I and II
Leonard-Hearns
Leonard-Hagler

After that:
Holmes-Cooney
Tyson-Spinks
Holyfield-Tyson II
Leonard-Benitez
Hagler-Hearns
Hearns-Duran
Bowe-Holyfield II
Lewis-Tyson

After that:
Holmes-Shavers II
Benitez-Duran
Benitez-Hearns
De la Hoya-Quartey
De la Hoya-Trinidad
De la Hoya-Moseley I
De la Hoya-Vargas
De la Hoya-Hopkins
Trinidad-Hopkins

[Ezzard]

Hagler-Hearns
Leonard-Hagler
McGuigan-Pedroza
Chavez-Taylor I
Calzaghe-Lacy
Froch-Groves II
Klitschko-Haye
Klitschko-Joshua
Frampton-Quigg
Golovkin-Jacobs

[Ambling Alp II]

I have to admit that I never even heard of Frampton or Quigg.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I have to admit that I never even heard of Frampton or Quigg.

Good fighters, huge letdown of a fight.

[gilgamesh]

Jose Luis Castillo vs Diego Corrales 2 and 3 (I was very upset when the 3rd fight got cancelled last minute)

[IKSRTFO]

Hearns/Leonard, hearns/hagler(both times), holyfield/Tyson and pea/chavez

????? There's another Hearns Hagler that we don't know about?

[IKSRTFO]

Hagler Leonard
Whitaker Chavez
Chavez Camacho
Calzaghe Hopkins
Calzaghe Kessler
De La Hoya Trinidad
De La Hoya Quartey
De La Hoya Mayweather
Mayweather Judah
Mayweather Mosley
Cotto Margarito
Canelo Williams - Planned right before Williams' accident. I though Williams wouldn't beaten Alvarez at the time.
Mayweather Canelo

[crl333]

Hagler and Hearns were supposed to fight in 1982 ?, think Hearns broke his finger and it was cancelled.

[punchoutsb]

Hagler and Hearns were supposed to fight in 1982 ?, think Hearns broke his finger and it was cancelled.

Yeah Hearns broke his finger and they rescheduled for a few months later and then couldn't agree on a venue and then cancelled the fight.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I was devastated when I flipped on HBO that night, no way of knowing there was no fight. A Who concert was playing instead. Motor City Cobra against a slightly gunshy Hagler could have produced a different result. I could have mentioned the third one that Leonard ruined too.

[Kalan]

at Holmes/Weaver. You're not even a good troll, kid.

You're not a fan, but a smarmy, hateful little troll... Weaver was a friend of mine so I was apprehensive and excited about the fight. He did well and gave Holmes Hell... He did much better with Tate which I was pretty confident about.. I felt certain he was going to score the late KO and he did.. I love Boxing so I anticipate a lot of great fights.. Unfortunately many of them don't happen.

[wouter]

I love Boxing so I anticipate a lot of great fights.. Unfortunately many of them don't happen.

That probably doesn't stop you from viewing them at your local cinema.

[Dart340]

Everyone is posting big name title fights. Maybe it's an age thing, but I remember being excited over the local guy everyone knew and read about in the paper getting their shot.

It was a big deal when "Slammin'" Sammy NeSmith got an NABF title shot here in Indianapolis against champ and former title challenger Ronnie Harris. I remember looking forward to it for weeks and weeks after it was announced and then getting rewarded when Sammy scored a miraculous come from behind-almost out himself knockout to win the belt. Just an incredible Rocky sort of finish that I wish was on YouTube.

I remember getting pumped up about Norman Goins getting a TV shot against Howard Davis Jr and seeing him train at the Indy PAL before the fight. Great fight and "Stormin' Norman" almost closed the show.

The days of the local house fighter coming up through the club shows to the bright lights of the main events is, I think, permanently gone.