Boxers you've warmed to.

[The Docker]

A few years back I was very pro Joshua and very anti Fury during our office discussions.

Not sure of the time period my allegiance started to sway, probably post fight 1 of the Wilder trilogy. But if they ever do get it on, I can see myself rooting for Tyson. Anyone else flip flopped loyalty to a particular boxer, and if so, who/why?

[JamesPhilips]

I went backwards and forwards with Naseem Hamed and Chris Eubank

[mickey1975]

A few years back I was very pro Joshua and very anti Fury during our office discussions.

Not sure of the time period my allegiance started to sway, probably post fight 1 of the Wilder trilogy. But if they ever do get it on, I can see myself rooting for Tyson. Anyone else flip flopped loyalty to a particular boxer, and if so, who/why?

Don't worry, that's happened to millions of people.

[tonyevs]

Carl Froch. He has always come across as insecure and needy for recognition and attention during the silly Cobra thing from early on in his career on ITV; however I began to warm to him as I realised that the irritating needy part of him was what drove him to be that great value boxer who would always give 100% .. take away that core need for recognition and when a crisis happens and the inner flame is dimmed, there is no inner substance/fuel to keep things burning ... and you get a BJS quit instead of a Froch fightback.

Not a bad presenter too.

[a force]

Groves. I started out as a fan when he beat DeGale but I was a fan of Froch as I’d followed him from turning pro & then after the Pascal & Taylor fights I was a massive fan. I didn’t like Groves at all for disrespecting him & was delighted with the knockout at Wembley.

I wasn’t particularly bothered that he lost to Badou Jack & still disliked him a bit but I thought he conducted himself brilliantly around the Gutnecht situation & I became a fan again & was over the moon for him when I was at Brammall Lane watching him beat Chudinov.

[ThereByTheGrace]

Khan over time. Just imagine when you speak to him direct he would fine

[mickey1975]

Carl Froch. He has always come across as insecure and needy for recognition and attention during the silly Cobra thing from early on in his career on ITV; however I began to warm to him as I realised that the irritating needy part of him was what drove him to be that great value boxer who would always give 100% .. take away that core need for recognition and when a crisis happens and the inner flame is dimmed, there is no inner substance/fuel to keep things burning ... and you get a BJS quit instead of a Froch fightback.

Not a bad presenter too.

It was BBC.

[CaptainSpacerod]

Naz. He was showy arrogant disrespectful in the ring and in interviews which even when I was younger didn’t appeal to me at all.

But I met him a couple of times and was around him for sn hour or so on both occasions and he was the friendliest nicest most genuine guy you could wish to meet.

Never judge a book by its cover

[stujones]

Ryan Rhodes.....bloody spice boy gimmick ffs. At the time I wanted him and Naz kid. But after he was properly vs Matthews, I wanted him to win

[brilo33]

Groves. I started out as a fan when he beat DeGale but I was a fan of Froch as I’d followed him from turning pro & then after the Pascal & Taylor fights I was a massive fan. I didn’t like Groves at all for disrespecting him & was delighted with the knockout at Wembley.

I wasn’t particularly bothered that he lost to Badou Jack & still disliked him a bit but I thought he conducted himself brilliantly around the Gutnecht situation & I became a fan again & was over the moon for him when I was at Brammall Lane watching him beat Chudinov.

funny enough i would have said DeGale ,i didnt particularly respect him before that,but after the groves defeat ,he came back the long way and won a real world title fight , johny nelson maybe aswell ,chris eubank after the thompson fight

[tonyevs]

Carl Froch. He has always come across as insecure and needy for recognition and attention during the silly Cobra thing from early on in his career on ITV; however I began to warm to him as I realised that the irritating needy part of him was what drove him to be that great value boxer who would always give 100% .. take away that core need for recognition and when a crisis happens and the inner flame is dimmed, there is no inner substance/fuel to keep things burning ... and you get a BJS quit instead of a Froch fightback.

Not a bad presenter too.

It was BBC.

Of course

Khan is a good shout. Big admirer during his Olympic run and initial pro start - lost favour a bit as he (and his family) lost his humility during mid part of his USA phase - but back onboard now.
Fighters like Khan are rare, the Bud fight aside, he gives 100% and I'd argue he has been the best value fighter we've had from the UK since (for me) Nigel Benn.

Naz is another good call. Not a fan at all of his fighting days - look forward to hearing what he has to say nowadays though.

[margaret thatcher]

big josh, had the initial 'man this is just some pr media hypejobbing' , but then dude gets fast tracked and within like 2 years of going pro had ko'd the likes of whyte, breazeale, martin.......which some long reigning champs take 12 years to match. .then followed up with one good opponent after another. never needed multiyear breaks or super soft tune ups or comeback fights.

no lame 'rebuilding' vs cans after his losses too. ppl said he was done after ruiz, then he comes straight back and beats him. then he immediately will rematch usyk.

him being a being an establishment fighter makes a lot of ppl not like him, but just look past that and he's had a really ambitious career

[margaret thatcher]

canelo too, really pushed himself hard over the last years

[martinmrts]

Sunny Edwards. He's got a flash style that part of me wants to see come a cropper, but having heard him speak he's highly intelligent and articulate about what he does, and is also hilarious on Twitter

[dookus]

canelo too, really pushed himself hard over the last years

Ditto. He's seriously impressed me as well, as the only real megastar boxing has left who fights regularly. Or perhaps just the only megastar left

[Stobbo]

I warmed a bit to Jonny Nelson during his career. Can't stand him now though.
Reverse with Martin Murray. Liked him at the start but by the end you couldn't pay me to watch him

[Foggy]

I hated Thaxton because he Ko’d Scrap Iron RyN but followed him later on in his career

[Foggy]

I hated Thaxton because he Ko’d Scrap Iron Ryan but followed him later on in his career

[Lenny Cravats]

I warmed a bit to Jonny Nelson during his career. Can't stand him now though.
Reverse with Martin Murray. Liked him at the start but by the end you couldn't pay me to watch him

I thought about Jonny when reading this.

Being a Sheffield lad, and occasional visitor to the Wincobank gym, I was definitely a supporter. (He is, by the way, a really nice fella). I did not like the way he acted to one of my all time favourites, Carl Thompson - went off him after that, really.
As a pundit, he has a job to do. He's passionate about boxing, and I like the bits he does when he's not beefing up a clear mismatch into a fight of the century.
He's gone full circle for me.

[Monzon83]

Eubank Snr used to wind me up i wanted Benn and Watson to flatten him. But his incredible toughness made me warm to him. Still one of the toughest UK fighters i've ever seen. His chin was ridiculous.

[TheGman]

A few years back I was very pro Joshua and very anti Fury during our office discussions.

Not sure of the time period my allegiance started to sway, probably post fight 1 of the Wilder trilogy. But if they ever do get it on, I can see myself rooting for Tyson. Anyone else flip flopped loyalty to a particular boxer, and if so, who/why?

Me too,Joshua became very much of the same garbage coming out of his mouth before and after every fight that it got boring,he is false and you can see straight through him now where as fury tells you what he is and doesn't hide anything,I started to like fury before the first wilder fight,I suffer from anxiety and have done since I was 15,I hid it from everyone till I was about 30ish so I could relate to things fury was saying. He is an inspiration to people who suffer from things like that.

[The Docker]

A few years back I was very pro Joshua and very anti Fury during our office discussions.

Not sure of the time period my allegiance started to sway, probably post fight 1 of the Wilder trilogy. But if they ever do get it on, I can see myself rooting for Tyson. Anyone else flip flopped loyalty to a particular boxer, and if so, who/why?

Me too,Joshua became very much of the same garbage coming out of his mouth before and after every fight that it got boring,he is false and you can see straight through him now where as fury tells you what he is and doesn't hide anything,I started to like fury before the first wilder fight,I suffer from anxiety and have done since I was 15,I hid it from everyone till I was about 30ish so I could relate to things fury was saying. He is an inspiration to people who suffer from things like that.

Sorry to here that mate but at least you’ve acknowledged your anxieties, I guess makes it a tad easier to battle to overcome them.

My Dad was a massive Ali fan and I became one too, Its only later in life I cooled towards him and I know that is a sacrilege thing to say on a boxing forum. I wasn’t keen on him outwardly spewing his religious and political views, its fine to have them but keep them under lock and key over trying to convert folk. But it was his vile vile treatment of smoking Joe I am most at odds with, proper devalued him as a human being for me. Have to accept his boxing accomplishments and that he single handily transcended the sport of boxing to all corners of the globe.

I can see folk plauditing Naz as not a bad guy. Mothers of serial killers tend to say ‘my lads not too bad when you get to know him, heart of gold’. Always thought Naz was an arrogant little sh!t and do so to this day. Think I read somewhere he and his entourage encountered Eubank at an airport and Naz got into his face with his ghetto garbage. If true, thought that a really spiteful act of megalomania.

[Riddick Bowie]

A few years back I was very pro Joshua and very anti Fury during our office discussions.

Not sure of the time period my allegiance started to sway, probably post fight 1 of the Wilder trilogy. But if they ever do get it on, I can see myself rooting for Tyson. Anyone else flip flopped loyalty to a particular boxer, and if so, who/why?

Me too,Joshua became very much of the same garbage coming out of his mouth before and after every fight that it got boring,he is false and you can see straight through him now where as fury tells you what he is and doesn't hide anything,I started to like fury before the first wilder fight,I suffer from anxiety and have done since I was 15,I hid it from everyone till I was about 30ish so I could relate to things fury was saying. He is an inspiration to people who suffer from things like that.

Sorry to here that mate but at least you’ve acknowledged your anxieties, I guess makes it a tad easier to battle to overcome them.

My Dad was a massive Ali fan and I became one too, Its only later in life I cooled towards him and I know that is a sacrilege thing to say on a boxing forum. I wasn’t keen on him outwardly spewing his religious and political views, its fine to have them but keep them under lock and key over trying to convert folk. But it was his vile vile treatment of smoking Joe I am most at odds with, proper devalued him as a human being for me. Have to accept his boxing accomplishments and that he single handily transcended the sport of boxing to all corners of the globe.

I can see folk plauditing Naz as not a bad guy. Mothers of serial killers tend to say ‘my lads not too bad when you get to know him, heart of gold’. Always thought Naz was an arrogant little sh!t and do so to this day. Think I read somewhere he and his entourage encountered Eubank at an airport and Naz got into his face with his ghetto garbage. If true, thought that a really spiteful act of megalomania.

Plus Naz is lethal on the road. Total contempt for human life. Revolting creature.

[a force]

Groves. I started out as a fan when he beat DeGale but I was a fan of Froch as I’d followed him from turning pro & then after the Pascal & Taylor fights I was a massive fan. I didn’t like Groves at all for disrespecting him & was delighted with the knockout at Wembley.

I wasn’t particularly bothered that he lost to Badou Jack & still disliked him a bit but I thought he conducted himself brilliantly around the Gutnecht situation & I became a fan again & was over the moon for him when I was at Brammall Lane watching him beat Chudinov.

funny enough i would have said DeGale ,i didnt particularly respect him before that,but after the groves defeat ,he came back the long way and won a real world title fight , johny nelson maybe aswell ,chris eubank after the thompson fight

Agree with that. He grew up & realised he had been a twat up to the Groves fight. I think he earned most peoples respects with his title fights in the States

[thenamesnevers]

Anthony Yarde.

He was knocking out pub men for about 25 fights and seemed to believe the hype. His trainer (Tunde) was very loud. Add to that BT and Warren trying to sell this - I weren't a fan.

The build up to the Kovalev fight showed a lot more of the real Yarde. Cool guy, who has gotten to where he is with incredible dedication and amazing power in his shots.

He handled defeat well and has came back from his personal issues amazingly as well. Thought he was brilliant before and after the Arthur rematch and he smashed him up in the ring.

One of my favourite UK fighters now. Glad he's getting another title shot.