BoxRec

An interesting thought came to me somewhere between last night and today, following the apparently very controversial Abril-Rios fight (I say apparently because I didn't see it). How long had you been following boxing before you saw your first controversy? This could be a bad stoppage by a ref, Bad decision from judges, or whatever. I suspect for most of us it won't be long. I started really following boxing in late November 2001 when HBO re-aired Lewis-Rahman II. From then on I watched every televised fight, and the first controversy I recall seeing was about 5 months later on April 20th when Floyd Mayweather won a Unanimous Decision over Jose Luis Castillo, when I thought Castillo won the fight hands down. How long did it take for you guys to see a controversial outcome?

Actually I take that back, I didn't have Showtime at the time. So I only watched ESPN 2 and HBO fights, but still.

That is an interesting question.

I started following the Fight Game in late-94, but the first drama I can vividly recall wouldnt come until 1997, when De La Hoya fought Whitaker to a debated decision.

I did also watch Holyfield-Tyson II unfold a year prior, but that wasnt scoring-related.

Holyfield-Tyson II was definitely a controversy though. I had only seen about 3 fights in my lifetime prior to becoming a big time fan. A few Tuesday Night Fights bouts from when I was a kid, Don't remember who was fighting. Tyson vs Julius Francis and Lennox Lewis vs Tommy Morrison. I only remember Lewis/Morrison because someone told me "That white guy was in Rocky V" and I remembered he got his ass kicked. I bring this up because that's the reason I wound up watching Lewis/Rahman II all those years later I thought to myself "Hey that's the guy that beat up that Rocky dude when I was a kid, he's the Champ now?"

Yeah. Holyfield-Tyson II for me then. I was pretty awed by it.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Yeah. Holyfield-Tyson II for me then. I was pretty awed by it.

So you had been following the sport slightly over 2 years?

Hagler-Leonard is the first I can recall, I was around 10.

gilgamesh wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Yeah. Holyfield-Tyson II for me then. I was pretty awed by it.

So you had been following the sport slightly over 2 years?

Started watching when Foreman KO'd Moorer. However long after that Holyfield-Tyson II was.

Started watching boxing when my uncle took me to see Ali vs Foreman on big screen. First controversy I remember was Spinks vs Holmes I think

First fight I watched: Bones Adams-Paulie Ayala I

crusader wrote:First fight I watched: Bones Adams-Paulie Ayala I

I knew it wouldn't be long for some of us. First fight though huh? Damn

scallum wrote:Started watching boxing when my uncle took me to see Ali vs Foreman on big screen. First controversy I remember was Spinks vs Holmes I think

It's before my time and I never really heard anything about Holmes/Spinks, what was controversial about it?

Hagler v Leonard.

Some of my earliest memories are watching boxing (particularly Tyson, Holyfield, ODLH, & Trinidad) with my dad through our black box that received HBO/Sho and could decode PPV's .
I could have witnessed some controversies before this one, but the first I conciously recall is Holyfield-Tyson II.
I remember hoping that Tyson wouldn't be sent back to prison. Idk if Tyson was actually facing charges outside of boxing-related sanctions, but I remember fearing that it would be the last I would see of him. Being that I was just a wee lad and that my dad watched boxing more than any other sport, Iron Mike was a big sports hero for me.

The thing is, for whatever reason in the last 25 years or so, almost every remotely close fight that goes the distance gets labeled a "controversial" decision.

The second Norton/Ali fight. I was 9 and had been following boxing my whole life. My mother started taking me to the fights when I was 4.

gilgamesh wrote:

scallum wrote:Started watching boxing when my uncle took me to see Ali vs Foreman on big screen. First controversy I remember was Spinks vs Holmes I think

It's before my time and I never really heard anything about Holmes/Spinks, what was controversial about it?

If I remember correct sum thought Larry won. I read sum an article that said sumthing about sum did not like his comments about the Rock n may have influnced the judging

Duran vs Leonard II... It was a bizarre ending. November 25, 1980. I still feel the pain of that fight.

Oh I forgot, I started watching boxing when we had that great evening of that 4-fight extravaganza of September 15, 1978:

Jorge Lujan vs Alberto Davila
Danny Lopez vs Juan Domingo Malvarez
Mike Rossman vs Victor Galindez
and Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks II....Almost 34 years ago!...Wow.

scallum wrote:

gilgamesh wrote:

scallum wrote:Started watching boxing when my uncle took me to see Ali vs Foreman on big screen. First controversy I remember was Spinks vs Holmes I think

It's before my time and I never really heard anything about Holmes/Spinks, what was controversial about it?

If I remember correct sum thought Larry won. I read sum an article that said sumthing about sum did not like his comments about the Rock n may have influnced the judging

The comments about Marciano were made after the fight.

elmersalsa wrote:Duran vs Leonard II... It was a bizarre ending. November 25, 1980. I still feel the pain of that fight.

Riiiiight. "Bizarre."

Had De La Hoya done that instead of Duran, something tells me you'd come up with a different description. Several paragraphs' worth, in fact. Am I wrong?

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

elmersalsa wrote:Duran vs Leonard II... It was a bizarre ending. November 25, 1980. I still feel the pain of that fight.

Riiiiight. "Bizarre."

Had De La Hoya done that instead of Duran, something tells me you'd come up with a different description. Several paragraphs' worth, in fact. Am I wrong?

Even if DLH wins 1000 fights, I still would have not like him. I don't like him

elmersalsa wrote:Duran vs Leonard II... It was a bizarre ending. November 25, 1980. I still feel the pain of that fight.

Whats your take on what happened that night, Elmer?

I cant wait for this :)