Your Favourite Fighter?

[Rob Noxious]

What about some great duels on the pitch? Anyone remember Norman Hunter smacking Franny Lee a beauty after Lee tried to con a penalty when playing for Derby v Leeds in '75? Lee spent about a minute before & after getting sent off trying to pin one back on 'Bites Yer Legs' in a flurry of windmill hay-makers without connecting...hilarious! And of course there was Batty v Le Saux & Le Saux v Fowler... apparently John Fashanu was quite useful too...

 

[SUFC Forever]

I personally think that if Tyson and ali fought at their peaks that Tyson would come out on top , even going so far as to call an earlish knockout, the man was a beast .

Yeah he was, that is true. Then again so were Sonny Liston and George Foreman (both undefeated when Ali fought them and considered unbeatable until then) yet Ali found a way to beat them and he would have found a way to have beaten Iron Mike as well.

Nobody ever knocked out Ali and Tyson wouldn't have done it either.

 

[Ulysses]

3 Favs

Tyson
Ali
Eubank

 

[Pubey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwFW834Mrcc

 

[phsend]

Its all about Paul Sykes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djyqbp-wlm8

These clips are priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw9ipfC3YQk

He could fight a bit too, when he wasn't punching sharks in the ****ing earhole.

 

[Ron Manager]

I was at a work lunch last Friday with a customer of mine who's in his 70's. Back in his youth he was an amateur boxer who won gold at the Empire Games in 1958 (as a featherweight) and as a pro was ranked number 3 in the world. This was in the days of only one governing body and fewer weight divisions - today he probably would have been a world champion.

It was fascinating talking to him about his career and the life he led back then. I tell you what, he may be 40 odd years older than me but I wouldn't want to get in the ring with him even now.

 

[Firestorm]

I was at a work lunch last Friday with a customer of mine who's in his 70's. Back in his youth he was an amateur boxer who won gold at the Empire Games in 1958 (as a featherweight) and as a pro was ranked number 3 in the world. This was in the days of only one governing body and fewer weight divisions - today he probably would have been a world champion.

It was fascinating talking to him about his career and the life he led back then. I tell you what, he may be 40 odd years older than me but I wouldn't want to get in the ring with him even now.

That'll be Wally Taylor then
http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=039552&cat=boxer

 

[steveo]

There were some great British fighters around in the 70's/80's who battled with some of the worlds best - Minter, Stracy, Dave Green, Magri - fighting the likes of Antafirmo and Hagler. Then you had the Leonard, Hearns era, then Watson, Benn, Eubanks, but the most memorable for me was Honeyghan, almost an unknown and in The states to fight Don Curry. I would guess Curry would have been about 10-1 on.

I heard an interview with Honeyghan leading up to the fight in which he said "I cant wait to get in there and smash his face in. At the time I thought shut up mate you are an embarrassment to Britain, but he retired Curry at the end of the 6th.

His first defence was in a bullring in Spain. At the start of round 2 he was across the ring so fast he lumped his opponent before he was off the stool and went on to win that one too and followed it with a 40 second win against Gene Hatcher.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Lloyd Honeyghan - forgot him! Decent boxer and likeable personality.

 

[Pubey]

Lloyd Honeyghan - forgot him! Decent boxer and likeable personality.

often gets interviewed by sky sports about boxing... always good value

 

[Ron Manager]

That'll be Wally Taylor then
http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=039552&cat=boxer

It certainly would and a rather fine afternoon with a number of cold pots of beer it was too.

 

[Sussex Shrimper]

Lloyd Honeyghan - forgot him! Decent boxer and likeable personality.

Apparently he once sparred with Gary Bushell and took the opportunity to knock him about a bit. Hmm, I may have to change my vote...

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Apparently he once sparred with Gary Bushell and took the opportunity to knock him about a bit. Hmm, I may have to change my vote...

If that's the case, I may well vote Honeygan too!

:D

 

[The Big Shrimp]

Apparently he once sparred with Gary Bushell and took the opportunity to knock him about a bit. Hmm, I may have to change my vote...

Vote the Honeygan!! He was a quality boxer too!!

 

[Thorpe Groyney]

Butterbean.

As it happens, though, I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Lennox Lewis, apart from an almost dismissive 'even Lewis' when discussing Tyson. This boxer, for that's what he was rather than a fighter, had the lot - long range, fast and powerful jab, excellent movement, good defence and a concussive punch.

The only time he lost was when he beat himself, when he didn't bother to train properly and became lazy, which McCall and Rahman took advantage of. When he had that kick up the jacksie he hammered Rahman and took pity on a drug addled McCall literally having a nervous breakdown in the ring.

I was lucky enough to see one of his defences in Vegas against David Tua. At the time, the Samoan / New Zealander was number one contender and was thought to have had the biggest punch in the division at that time. In the very first round, Lewis dances round him, jab-jab-jab-uppercut-hook. All of a sudden the challenger is like a startled fawn. Throughout the rest of the fight it was an education to watch Lewis in action. The speed of hands and feet, the stinging accuracy, the way he foolishly made Tua punch thin air. This was a boxing artist at work. After a certain round (I think it was the 5th) I clearly heard trainer Manny Steward say something along the lines of 'that round was a masterpiece'. The best $300 I ever spent at a sporting event to be that close to something that skilled.

He never ducked anybody in his career - as opposed to the likes of Bowe and Tyson who refused to fight him at his zenith by either vacating the title they held or paying him $6m not to fight them - and beat every opponent he faced (and even those he didn't professionally - Bowe ducked him on the basis of Lewis knocking him out in under 2 rounds at the Seoul Olympics). Though I wouldn't say he was the best he has to be in the mix as one of the best.