Any fighter that you hated but then became a huge fan of?

[TheLeprechaun]

For me Lennox Lewis. I was never happier to see a fighter robbed than I was to see him robbed in the first Holyfield fight. Horrific performance, intentionally not stepping on the gas and completely stinking the joint out. The Tua performance cost him fans in America for good. Even the Tyson performance was marred by Steward screaming at him to let his hands go while he sat there looking like he didn't understand that stinking a joint out when your opponent is ready to go is not ideal. However, the Vitali performance completely won me over. The way he fought was enough for me. He took shots and kept coming and showed championship level heart. I was surprised when I started actually cheering for Lewis. It says it all that the American fans in the audience were totally against him in this fight. That was how I became a huge Lewis fan

[Stuarty]

BJS. I like him at times then he starts acting like a douche and I go off him again!

I was a big Calzaghe fan so I took a dislike to Froch in the early days but became a big fan of his after the Pascal fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

So you became a Lennox Lewis fan after his last pro fight?

[pablothunder]

For me Lennox Lewis. I was never happier to see a fighter robbed than I was to see him robbed in the first Holyfield fight. Horrific performance, intentionally not stepping on the gas and completely stinking the joint out. The Tua performance cost him fans in America for good. Even the Tyson performance was marred by Steward screaming at him to let his hands go while he sat there looking like he didn't understand that stinking a joint out when your opponent is ready to go is not ideal. However, the Vitali performance completely won me over. The way he fought was enough for me. He took shots and kept coming and showed championship level heart. I was surprised when I started actually cheering for Lewis. It says it all that the American fans in the audience were totally against him in this fight. That was how I became a huge Lewis fan

I enjoyed the Tua fight, and the Tyson one. Loved the control. Always appreciated his style. Something for everyone eh.

[pablothunder]

Hated SRL as a kid. I must have been wrapped up in hating some other aspect of him at the time that I can't remember. Nowadays I can't imagine not appreciating all those skills in one place.

[Autobarn]

Lewis, Benn.

Growing up at the time it was almost as if I was conditioned not to like them, somehow.

But looking back I admire a great deal what they did.

I recall willing McClellan to KO Benn & I recall laughing when Rahman KO’d Lewis.

[bigjack]

Eubank snr,thought he was a complete knob but then came to realise he really could fight.

[oogiebe]

George Foreman. Didn't like him during his first stint...fell in love with him during his comeback. (I'm not alone.)

[TheLeprechaun]

So you became a Lennox Lewis fan after his last pro fight?

I became a fan during the fight.

Lewis didn't retire immediately. He kept the belt for about a year afterward so he was still the heavyweight champ and was still thought to be taking a rematch with Vitali.

I really wish he had got himself into shape one last time and blasted Vitali out.

[oogiebe]

So you became a Lennox Lewis fan after his last pro fight?

I became a fan during the fight.

Lewis didn't retire immediately. He kept the belt for about a year afterward so he was still the heavyweight champ and was still thought to be taking a rematch with Vitali.

I really wish he had got himself into shape one last time and blasted Vitali out.

[Autobarn]

Eubank snr,thought he was a complete knob but then came to realise he really could fight.

The Thompson fight made me reasses him after I’d gone off him/after he’d outstayed his welcome a bit, frankly.

[bigjack]

Eubank snr,thought he was a complete knob but then came to realise he really could fight.

The Thompson fight made me reasses him after I’d gone off him/after he’d outstayed his welcome a bit, frankly.

Same here,showed a lot of heart there.

[Noxy]

Eubank snr,thought he was a complete knob but then came to realise he really could fight.

Hey, same here. I’d forgotten about that. I didn’t like him, then I went to one of his public training sessions for the Malinga fight and saw he wasn’t a bad guy, just opinionated. After that I was more of a fan.

[TheLeprechaun]

Eubank snr,thought he was a complete knob but then came to realise he really could fight.

The Thompson fight made me reasses him after I’d gone off him/after he’d outstayed his welcome a bit, frankly.

Same here,showed a lot of heart there.

There was a right hand he took from Thompson that I couldn't believe he stayed upright. Can''t recall when in the fight but Thompson stumbled back playing possom and Eubank ran in thinking Thompson was hurt and ran into a HUGE RIGHT HAND. Eubank was running into the punch that Thompson absolutely loaded up. I have to find that again. I was a very young kid and I remember finding that sequence frightening at the time

[brian13]

James DeGale

[samwbr]

Was never keen on Groves but I'm a fan now.

[gilgamesh]

James Toney

At one time one of my most hated fighters, he became one of my All Time favorites.

He's probably the only fighter that ever made the jumped from Hated to Loved for me.

A few guys have went from Well liked to my sh*t list, but only James has done the opposite.

[Dirk Kelly]

Was never a fan of Lewis. Always felt he was using the UK as he didn’t get the cash he wanted in Canada. Then after the Mavrovic fight when he did his fake Jamaican accent I pissed myself laughing.

Then I started to appreciate him and his skills. We had herbie trash talking, throwing tables etc but here we had a man who acted like a gentleman and had skills to back it up.

He went to the trenches against Vitali and his comeback in the post fight presser was amazing.

[jamamb]

not really sure ive ever hated anyone.

i used to find the aj hype a bit grating when he was starting out and still had a lot to prove, but i love the way hes moved so ambitiously and now is one of my favourite fighters. very few hws over the last 30 years have accomplished as much in such a short time/number of fights. hes still been pro the shortest time of anyone in boxrecs top 25 hws and he proved absolutely thats hes legit.

didnt really care much about okolie but i find myself liking him now with the fights hes been taking vs other undefeated propsects

at the other end, i used to like fury a lot and found him very fun to watch, but then he turned into king bore, granted it seemed to work for him. ive also grown to not be fond of the recycled guys who get way too many chances in utterly preditcable fights, like martin murray. austin trout is getting a bit that way for me too. its not so much the dislike of them really as it is the situation they keep getting involved in

[HomicideHenry]

Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather.

[African Monkey]

Deontay Wilder.

[bigjack]

Audley was one that i grew to like as his career came to a close,faced a few good opponents,Wilder,Price,Haye,Williams and Sprott,showed plenty of bottle even getting in with some of those.

[Ezzard]

Roberto Duran.

Really disliked him...then slowly began to appreciate him. Best boxer of my lifetime.

[banjo]

James DeGale

I can't say I became a huge fan of him but I like him a lot more than I did when he started out with that pathetically fake "bad boy" persona.

[jamamb]

did degale stop that routine? or we just saw less of it with him going to the us more?

after the tough fight vs porky medina he was talking nonsense to medinas face about how porky was the worst mandatory challenger ever

i guess if your a giant tit and then become only a moderate tit then some ppl will think youve matured and really grown up even though your still a tit

degale did take tough fights though, respect for that