Favorite fighters

sharkeysboy · Post by **sharkeysboy** » 14 Oct 2005, 08:01

Who are your favorite fighters regardless of how good they were (or are) or what other people think? Given this is the "Boxers of the Past" I'm thinking of fighters you might have taken a liking to because of a fight film or you read a book or an aritcle or just saw a still shot of him and thought he looked like a fighter should. Or you were lucky enough to actually see them fight. No debate on how good they were. Just who did you love. Contemporary fighters may be included. Bums may be included if you have some reason to like their style or personality. Of course, great fighters may be included because they're easy to love. Here's my list.

1. Roberto Duran
2. Tiger Flowers
3. Sam Langford
4. Tom Sharkey
5. Donald Curry (I loved the Cobra)
6. Sugar Ray Robinson
7. Battling Siki (How fascinating was this guy?)
8. Jimmy Herring (He's my cousin)
9. Harry Greb
10. The Old George Foreman

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 14 Oct 2005, 08:17

Good list sharkey. Just curious, is "The Old George Foreman" the George from his first career, or the George who was actually old?

For my favorites

Matthew Saad Muhammed
Ad Wolgast
Art Hafey
Jimmy Young
Jerry Quarry
Eugene Hart
Rafael Lamon
Eusebio Pedroza
Jim Flynn
Jose Cuevas

wlvrne · Post by **wlvrne** » 14 Oct 2005, 08:58

Too early to come up with a complete list.
#1 all time favorite - Marvin Hagler
In the top ten somewhere yet to be determined, Johnny Tapia

ShoeShine · Post by **ShoeShine** » 14 Oct 2005, 09:03

Salvador Sanchez, Juan Laporte, Marvin Hagler, Bennie Briscoe, Hopkins, PBF, Sandy Saddler, Whittaker, Jeff Chandler and Cornelious Boza Edwards.

Collins2000 · Post by **Collins2000** » 14 Oct 2005, 09:17

Here's a few Brits I always enjoyed watching but now rarely get a mention

Charlie Magri
Clinton McKenzie
Des Morrison
Mark Kaylor

And what about Paul Scrap Iron Ryan? "Any old iron? Any old iron?"

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 14 Oct 2005, 09:25

1. Ezzard Charles
2. Roberto Duran
3. Thomas Hearns
4. Michael Spinks
5. Lester James
6. Pat Cowdell
7. Jack Dempsey
8. Larry Holmes
9. Julio Cesar Chavez
10. Jake La Motta
11. Marvin Hagler
12. Julian Jackson
13. Errol Christie
14. Nigel Benn
15. Ray Leonard

I find that when a guy is on the up, bowling everyone over and receiving all the plaudits then I am desperate to see them beaten. Don Curry is a great example of this. then once he lost to Honeyghan and got sparked by McCallum I really wanted him to rebuild his career.

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 14 Oct 2005, 09:27

ShoeShine wrote:Salvador Sanchez, Juan Laporte, Marvin Hagler, Bennie Briscoe, Hopkins, PBF, Sandy Saddler, Whittaker, Jeff Chandler and Cornelious Boza Edwards.

Edwards is a great choice. I was tempted to list all of the FW/JL from that era that fought so many great fights on TV -- Chacon, Edwards, Navarette and Lamon, but ended up limiting the list to just Lamon. Man they used to show some great fights on Saturday afternoon TV in the late 70's and early 80's...

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 14 Oct 2005, 09:35

You can't beat a chinny guy who can bang. I also love the cute dancers with little stamina and brittle chins. They are well ahead on points but clinging on for the decision in the last 3 rounds. I also really like the mean brawlers who are basically rude in a non-showman way. Duran's pre-fight abuse to his opponents always seemed genuine as did Hagler's.

Grimm · Post by **Grimm** » 14 Oct 2005, 09:38

Larry Holmes
Joe Louis
Thomas Hearns
Ike Quartey

Others that I can't think of at the moment.

barry · Post by **barry** » 14 Oct 2005, 10:31

Terry McGovern
Henry Armstrong
Sam Langford
"Barbados" Joe Walcott
Knockout Brown
George "Kid" Lavigne
"Mysterious" Billy Smith
George "KO" Chaney
Tommy Collins
Archie Moore
"Tiger" Jack Fox
Jack Dillon
Ruben Olivares
Wilfredo Gomez
Bob Satterfield
Tommy Gomez
Oscar Gardner
Florentino Fernandez
Danny Lopez
Jack Dempsey
Max Baer
Aurelio Herrera
Ad Wolgast
Battling Nelson
Frankie Neil
Vic Patrick
Beau Jack
Rocky Graziano
J.C. Chavez
Edwin Rosario
Bobby Chacon
Bob Murphy
Jimmy Wilde
Mickey Walker
Rodolfo Gonzalez
Julian Jackson
Gerald McClellan
Roy Jones Jr.
Jackie Paterson
Peter Maher

Hell, I could go on and on!!!

ShoeShine · Post by **ShoeShine** » 14 Oct 2005, 11:11

The Great John L wrote:
ShoeShine wrote:Salvador Sanchez, Juan Laporte, Marvin Hagler, Bennie Briscoe, Hopkins, PBF, Sandy Saddler, Whittaker, Jeff Chandler and Cornelious Boza Edwards.

Edwards is a great choice. I was tempted to list all of the FW/JL from that era that fought so many great fights on TV -- Chacon, Edwards, Navarette and Lamon, but ended up limiting the list to just Lamon. Man they used to show some great fights on Saturday afternoon TV in the late 70's and early 80's...

Well you remembered Bazooka Limon

I loved when they showed those fights on regular tv..classics!!

Seamus · Post by **Seamus** » 14 Oct 2005, 11:15

This is next to impossible but I'll give it a try anyway.

In no particular order

Sugar Ray Leonard
Muhammad Ali
Barry McGuigan
Salvador Sanchez
Stanley Ketchel
Packy McFarland
Jimmy McLarnin
James J Corbett
Pernell Whitaker
Eder Jofre

WOW !!! Im the first guy to pick Ali and only the second to pick Leonard.

wlvrne · Post by **wlvrne** » 14 Oct 2005, 11:30

Seamus, that's because this thread is about "favorite fighters", not who was the best.
For my list, add Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward. More will be listed as I think about ALL the great fighters out there and who I really like, as opposed to who's really great.

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 14 Oct 2005, 11:39

I left off quite a few in trying to keep the list short, but I'll add Livingstone "Pit Bull" Bramble, Gunboat Smith, Mike Schreck (they even made two animated features about him), Armando Muniz, Mike Hunter, Joe Choynski and Johnny Kilbane.

There are a lot more, but I'll stop here... maybe.

sharkeysboy · Post by **sharkeysboy** » 14 Oct 2005, 11:50

The Great John L wrote:Good list sharkey. Just curious, is "The Old George Foreman" the George from his first career, or the George who was actually old?

I meant the ancient George Foreman who was fighting in the 90s. I didn't appreciate his first reincarnation. Like a lot of people I was hypnotized by Ali back then. In retrospect, George was pretty interesting the first time around. An addendum to my list: I left off Peter Jackson which is pretty silly since I have a picture of him on my wall.

sharkeysboy · Post by **sharkeysboy** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:01

The Great John L wrote: Jim Flynn

I just noticed you had Jim Flynn on your list. That's a great pick. He was to the great black fighters of the day like the Washington Generals were to the Harlem Globe Trotters. Except he fought for real. Poor guy. Have you seen the fight with Langford? They keep the camera on Flynn after Langford knocked him out. Given the sped up film, he must be out cold for at least five minutes. He had about 30 more fights after that including a knock out of Dempsey. What a man!

wlvrne · Post by **wlvrne** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:09

Ike Ibeabuchi anyone? any takers for Ike? :P

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:10

sharkeysboy wrote:
The Great John L wrote: Jim Flynn
I just noticed you had Jim Flynn on your list. That's a great pick. He was to the great black fighters of the day like the Washington Generals were to the Harlem Globe Trotters. Except he fought for real. Poor guy. Have you seen the fight with Langford? They keep the camera on Flynn after Langford knocked him out. Given the sped up film, he must be out cold for at least five minutes. He had about 30 more fights after that including a knock out of Dempsey. What a man!

Yeah, he fought everybody for a very long time. And he even beat some pretty good fighters along the way.

Sherlock · Post by **Sherlock** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:11

In no particular order after the first three, rest are my favorites off the top of my head:

1. Sonny Liston
2. Jack Johnson
3. Mike Tyson
Henry Armstrong
Beau Jack
Bob Montgomery
Eder Jofre
Stanley Ketchel
Harry Greb
Jose Napoles
Joe Gans
Cleveland Williams
Max Schmeling
And "The Man of Steel" Tony Zale

wlvrne · Post by **wlvrne** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:16

Sherlock wrote:In no particular order after the first three, rest are my favorites off the top of my head:

1. Sonny Liston
2. Jack Johnson
3. Mike Tyson
Henry Armstrong
Beau Jack
Bob Montgomery
Eder Jofre
Stanley Ketchel
Harry Greb
Jose Napoles
Joe Gans
Cleveland Williams
Max Schmeling
And "The Man of Steel" Tony Zale

No shit, Sherlock? 8)
Sorry, that was just too unresistable.

BrocktonBlockbuster49 · Post by **BrocktonBlockbuster49** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:43

1. rocky marciano- im suprised no ones said him, he was a great champ i and out of the ring and his aggresive action packed style made him an exciting fighter to watch

2. joe louis- every punch he hit guys with, he would paralyize them, the greatest puncher i have ever seen

3. oscar de la hoya- hes true class, doesnt dogge anyone and he showed at his peak lightweight/welter he was one of the best boxers of our generation

4. Prime Mike Tyson- i simply think at his best he was one of the greatest heavies of all time, he was a machine. i dont buy the he didnt have stamina or heart thing.

5. Sugar Ray Robinson- closest thing to perfection we have seen in the ring

6. sugar ray leonard- i thought he was one of the smartest guys in the ring, not to mention amazing speed and skills. he was also a cocky but classy nice guy out of the ring. he had all the attributes of a true champion

7. Jack dempsey- most aggresive and ferocious man ever

8. harry greb- i would give my right arm to see a fight of his on film

9. jersey joe walcott- at his peak, he was one of the greatest ring technicians, i just loved the way he moved

10. aturo gatti- u gotta love him, one of the greatest warriors of all time

HM: muhammad ali, sandy saddler, roberto duran, jimmy wilde

barry i saw u put satterfield good pick. he weighed around 183, do you think he could have made light-H??? perhaps she should have got a shot at maxims title??

too bad satterfield didnt beat layne, he would have fought rocky. that would have been an incredible slugfest and rocky would have got him in around 3 rounds but it would have been a hell of a slugfest.

Syntax Error · Post by **Syntax Error** » 14 Oct 2005, 12:54

1 - Matthew Saad Muhammad
2 - Joe Louis
3 - Willie Pep
4 - Sugar Ray Robinson
5 - Pernell Whittaker
6 - Sugar Ray Leonard
7 - Muhammad Ali
8 - Henry Armstrong
9 - Jack Johnson
10 - Thomas Hearns

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 14 Oct 2005, 13:03

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:1. rocky marciano- im suprised no ones said him, he was a great champ i and out of the ring and his aggresive action packed style made him an exciting fighter to watch

2. joe louis- every punch he hit guys with, he would paralyize them, the greatest puncher i have ever seen

3. oscar de la hoya- hes true class, doesnt dogge anyone and he showed at his peak lightweight/welter he was one of the best boxers of our generation

4. Prime Mike Tyson- i simply think at his best he was one of the greatest heavies of all time, he was a machine. i dont buy the he didnt have stamina or heart thing.

5. Sugar Ray Robinson- closest thing to perfection we have seen in the ring

6. sugar ray leonard- i thought he was one of the smartest guys in the ring, not to mention amazing speed and skills. he was also a cocky but classy nice guy out of the ring. he had all the attributes of a true champion

7. Jack dempsey- most aggresive and ferocious man ever

8. harry greb- i would give my right arm to see a fight of his on film

9. jersey joe walcott- at his peak, he was one of the greatest ring technicians, i just loved the way he moved

10. aturo gatti- u gotta love him, one of the greatest warriors of all time

barry i saw u put satterfield good pick. he weighed around 183, do you think he could have made light-H??? perhaps she should have got a shot at maxims title??

too bad satterfield didnt beat layne, he would have fought rocky. that would have been an incredible slugfest and rocky would have got him in around 3 rounds but it would have been a hell of a slugfest.

BB

I love watching Rocky fight. I find it harder to list the old timers as my fave fighters because I don't feel the same emotional attachment watching a fight if I already know the outcome. I still enjoy it but the original thrill isn't there.

I also like guys who lose but respond to it positively. I think that says a lot about a man. Rocky would have responded well to a defeat I'm certain of that because the man had character.

Of the old-timers I list Charles, La Motta and Dempsey, they are my favourite fighters from my favourite eras in American history. I have an attachment to the way they lived their lives and their skills inside the ring.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 14 Oct 2005, 13:12

Three of my favourites that I don't think have been included yet are...
Frank Fletcher
Kelvin Seabrooks
Lupe Pintor
Fighting Harada
Pipino Cuevas...

....oh thats five isn't it!...

8)

The Great John L · Post by **The Great John L** » 14 Oct 2005, 13:12

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:too bad satterfield didnt beat layne, he would have fought rocky. that would have been an incredible slugfest and rocky would have got him in around 3 rounds but it would have been a hell of a slugfest.

Considering he fought his early career as a LH, I'm sure Satterfield could have made the LH limit and challenged Maxim. This would have been a good matchup and Satterfield would have had a punchers chance, but Maxim was a good technician and I'd favor him in that matchup.

I think the Rock would have made quick work of Satterfield. It would have been entertaining while it lasted, but Stt may not have made it to the end of the 1st.

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