Origins of your interest in Boxing?

[Noxy]

Well said, Veriton, you should be proud of yourself. A lot of other people would have imploded after what you've been through.

X 2

[Jackson328]

76 Olympics and Rocky. I was 7.

Who was in they Olympics? Anyone memorable?

Sugar Ray Leonard won gold at Montreal in 76, he had a photo of his kid taped to his boot and dazzled his way to the final which he won in style. Got me hooked, I was 11 and Leonard was just so fast and skillful but could really fight too. I followed his career closely after that and the boxing scene in general, even had a go myself during military service in the 80s but I simply wasn't good enough or dedicated enough. Sparred regularly for a couple of years but I only had 3 proper bouts in army novice tournaments, won the first 2 then got schooled by a young kid from London in my 3rd and that was it for me! Will never ever forget the pure adrenalin rush I got simply walking to the ring though and have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who walks that walk on a regular basis at whatever level, it really is the noble art.

[Jackson328]

The first fight i watched was Colin Jones v Milton McCrory,that's where it started for me,then later came McGuigan,Graham etc and i was hooked.

Remember watching that fight too, was gutted when they gave it a draw and was convinced Colin had won it, never watched it again since though, maybe I should. The rematch I thought he won it even clearer but MM got the win so I was glad when Don Curry mullered him in quick time but that meant even more heartache for Jones when he got stopped with that horrible cut vs Curry. So the story of the lineal welterweight championship had me enthralled throughout the late 70s and 80s and in 1986 I remember going to the bookies to put a bet on the horses for my mum and saw that Lloyd Honeyghan was 6-1 to beat the Lone Star Cobra so I put the princely sum of one pound on him not expecting any luck, was a stunning upset that still makes me smile today, a real feelgood moment courtesy of the Raggamuffin Man. We all have a moan about the game and it has its faults but hell its given us some pure magic over the years and there is no other sport to touch it for me

[Stuarty]

76 Olympics and Rocky. I was 7.

Who was in they Olympics? Anyone memorable?

Sugar Ray Leonard won gold at Montreal in 76, he had a photo of his kid taped to his boot and dazzled his way to the final which he won in style. Got me hooked, I was 11 and Leonard was just so fast and skillful but could really fight too. I followed his career closely after that and the boxing scene in general, even had a go myself during military service in the 80s but I simply wasn't good enough or dedicated enough. Sparred regularly for a couple of years but I only had 3 proper bouts in army novice tournaments, won the first 2 then got schooled by a young kid from London in my 3rd and that was it for me! Will never ever forget the pure adrenalin rush I got simply walking to the ring though and have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who walks that walk on a regular basis at whatever level, it really is the noble art.

Good stuff mate. Nice post

[littlepug]

The first fight i watched was Colin Jones v Milton McCrory,that's where it started for me,then later came McGuigan,Graham etc and i was hooked.

Remember watching that fight too, was gutted when they gave it a draw and was convinced Colin had won it, never watched it again since though, maybe I should. The rematch I thought he won it even clearer but MM got the win so I was glad when Don Curry mullered him in quick time but that meant even more heartache for Jones when he got stopped with that horrible cut vs Curry. So the story of the lineal welterweight championship had me enthralled throughout the late 70s and 80s and in 1986 I remember going to the bookies to put a bet on the horses for my mum and saw that Lloyd Honeyghan was 6-1 to beat the Lone Star Cobra so I put the princely sum of one pound on him not expecting any luck, was a stunning upset that still makes me smile today, a real feelgood moment courtesy of the Raggamuffin Man. We all have a moan about the game and it has its faults but hell its given us some pure magic over the years and there is no other sport to touch it for me

Too right mate, the feeling you had watching Tyson walk to the ring or seeing Hagler and Leonard in the same ring or seeing Bruno finally do it and countless other times with countless other boxers that held our affection, I remember being heartbroken after James Murray died, enthralled when Watson beat Benn, horrified when Tyson bit Holy, proud when Barker beat Geale and wished death upon myself watching Nelson v De Leon ! its all or nothing with boxing !

[dr_devious]

Hagler v Hearns awoke my interest in boxing. Hagler v Mugabi the following year and Honeyghan v Curry sealed it for me

[fightfan95]

My dad was a big boxing fan so boxing was on quite a lot in our house so I started to watch it as well. The first memory I have was Lewis v Tyson and I was 6 I think.

[skanksta]

Dave "Boy" McAuley vs Fidel Bassa.

Pretended I was interested to wangle a few more minutes before going to bed.., ended up a life-long fan.

[bennie]

76 Olympics and Rocky. I was 7.

Who was in they Olympics? Anyone memorable?

Howard Davis was the standout American, winning both lightweight Gold and the Val Barker award, but Teofilo Stevenson smashed his way to heavyweight gold (his second Gold) in typical fashion, including a memorable knockout of America's John Tate.

[bennie]

father was a violent man, saw him knock out my mum once, throw cups of tea in her face, slaps, punches at various times. me and my brother got regular hidings. i was terrified of him, he was a big bloke. my mum left him when i was 10 and she remarried a bloke with a rep (he'd been inside for gbh, assaults on police). he was a sound guy, tough but a gentleman and well respected. one day my dad followed us all home in the car. when we got there my stepdad got out and leathered my dad in front of us all. it was like the giant had been slayed. i got into lots of fights at school, i guess i had issues but i had no idea at that time, was just acting out. started going to the football and got involved in that. looking back i can draw a line connecting all this but back then i was lost.

an older lad i looked up to had been a decent amateur boxer so decided to go to the local club. really enjoyed it, it sorted me out (although i can remember feeling sick in my stomach climbing the stairs to get in, because there were some big pros training there and you could hear them hitting the bag). when we used to go round the older lads house he had tapes from america of fights and we all used to watch them. that's when i started really following boxing. i started reading boxing monthly - i heard of boxing news but i couldnt believe someone would want to read about boxing every week! that soon changed, i read everything i could find, started collecting tapes of my own.

although my primary interest was stoked by the violence of the whole thing - that wish to see who was the hardest person at the school/pub/match - it became much more than that. now i watch fights with my own sons, though they'll never need to deal with the same feelings as i did as promised myself as a young boy that i would raise kids in a loving environment without violence in the home. boxing helped fix my problems, it helped get those feelings out so they didnt end in self-destruction.

Great post.

[bennie]

The first fight i watched was Colin Jones v Milton McCrory,that's where it started for me,then later came McGuigan,Graham etc and i was hooked.

Remember watching that fight too, was gutted when they gave it a draw and was convinced Colin had won it, never watched it again since though, maybe I should. The rematch I thought he won it even clearer but MM got the win so I was glad when Don Curry mullered him in quick time but that meant even more heartache for Jones when he got stopped with that horrible cut vs Curry. So the story of the lineal welterweight championship had me enthralled throughout the late 70s and 80s and in 1986 I remember going to the bookies to put a bet on the horses for my mum and saw that Lloyd Honeyghan was 6-1 to beat the Lone Star Cobra so I put the princely sum of one pound on him not expecting any luck, was a stunning upset that still makes me smile today, a real feelgood moment courtesy of the Raggamuffin Man. We all have a moan about the game and it has its faults but hell its given us some pure magic over the years and there is no other sport to touch it for me

Jones needed to get Milt the Stilt over here but he gave it everything and impressed the hard-bitten Yanks.

[sammy95]

As with most, I had an interest in the big fights that were the talk of the playground - Hatton vs Mayweather, Haye vs Klitschko etc.

But the fight that got me hooked was Froch vs Bute when I was 16, and after that I was borderline obsessed. I spent hours reading and watching boxing, shows like Ringside and IFL interviews were a God send to me as it developed my interest from a personality perspective across the sport as well as the shows I could watch.

My interest is in the promotion side as well as the fight side, with both providing entertainment to me, and I suspect is part of the reason I became so obsessed with the sport.

I joined Boxrec in 2013 and I would spend hours looking through fighters records and learning about the different eras of boxing, as well as reading many books that I bought for a few quid of Amazon. Then I eventually found my way onto the forums, where discussions about boxing could be had (and read at first) which turned me in the 'hardcore' fan I am today.

(superb thread)

[Deserter]

they'll never need to deal with the same feelings as i did as promised myself as a young boy that i would raise kids in a loving environment without violence in the home.

[Monte Fisto]

Watching Lloyd Honeyghan live on tv with my Dad. Also demaninding my dad wake me up to listen to the first Bruno Tyson fight on the radio.

[Boxingnut]

I had no interest in boxing upto the age of 16, then my brother brought home a copy of The Ring in 1983, I flicked through it and was hooked. Used to love The Ring from that era, had them all at one time, then when I got divorced and I was moving my stuff out I just binned the lot. Clearly wasn’t thinking straight at the time.

[boxingknockout]

Bruce Lee, curiously....

[littlepug]

Bruce Lee, curiously....

Same, he was the start of my entire journey

[boxingknockout]

Bruce Lee, curiously....

Same, he was the start of my entire journey

[kbackup408]

As with most, I had an interest in the big fights that were the talk of the playground - Hatton vs Mayweather, Haye vs Klitschko etc.

But the fight that got me hooked was Froch vs Bute when I was 16, and after that I was borderline obsessed. I spent hours reading and watching boxing, shows like Ringside and IFL interviews were a God send to me as it developed my interest from a personality perspective across the sport as well as the shows I could watch.

My interest is in the promotion side as well as the fight side, with both providing entertainment to me, and I suspect is part of the reason I became so obsessed with the sport.

I joined Boxrec in 2013 and I would spend hours looking through fighters records and learning about the different eras of boxing, as well as reading many books that I bought for a few quid of Amazon. Then I eventually found my way onto the forums, where discussions about boxing could be had (and read at first) which turned me in the 'hardcore' fan I am today.

(superb thread)

Nice read this mate being in the similar age bracket I can definitely relate with you !

[Tony1244]

I was born in the early 1960s and was vaguely aware of The Fight of the Century in 1971.

In the early 1970s I knew the names of some of the top heavyweights but very casually.

When my older brother took me live to see Norton-Quarry @ MSG with Ali-Wepner on the big screen I was hooked and there was no turning back. I started reading Ring Magazine and some boxing books religiously.

When the 1976 Olympics came around I was dazzled by Leonard and Davis and in awe of the Spinks Brothers. The Olympics and Rocky were icing on the cake.

[liamlion]

Im a child of the early 80s. So grew up with ITV's big fight live on Saturday nights with Jim Rosenthal in the early 90s and loved it! Hooked for life.

[REEVE]

Naz

[boxingknockout]

Naz

Are you Adam Smith?!? Oh no, he got into boxing watching fan man