Which fight turned you hardcore??

... in other words, took you beyond being a casual fan for all you dirty minded peeps

Hatton-Mayweather for me.

Probably Hagler vs Mugabi for me. I'd seen bits of Mugabi before this fight and had obviously seen Hagler several times including a brutal beating of Tony Sibson and it really caught my imagination.

For me, it was the Jeff Fenech - Azuma Nelso fight that ended in a draw. It was a great fight and i believed that Fenech won it. I cant remember what year it was but i think that it was in 1991?

Hatton vs Kosta, you could actually feel the atmosphere watching it on the TV.

Froch vs Pascal, was always interested but never an avid fan.

As I got into boxing late it was good as I had so many quality fights to watch, which has now dried up, but some are always worth watching again!

Floyd vs De La Hoya I reckon.

I was always a boxing fan but not to the point I am now. Sky's hype for that one had me staying up despite not really understanding the size of the fight. Since then it has snowballed for me to the point where I'm watching domestic scraps at my local sports centre.

Love it!

Not sure there was one fight but there was certainly one fighter and that was Naz, Sheffield lad like myself and his pomp pretty much coincided with me starting work and being in a position to attend fights in person.

Not sure when I made the transition from 'big fan' to 'hardcore.' I'm just about old enough to have seen and remember the very back end of the Bruno, Benn, Eubank etc days. Bruno was my first boxing hero; his fights with McCall and Tyson II (or in the latter case, the pre-fight hype) got me hooked and from then on I wanted to watch boxing every time it was on television.

I suppose the fight which made me a real hardcore fan (as in, tempted me to dig up what I could about old-time fighters, learn the history of each division as best I could etc) would be the first Victor Galindez-Richie Kates fight, as odd as that may sound. It was shown to me many years back by a family member, and from that moment on I wanted to watch the fighters from past eras just as much as the current ones. Galindez remains, perhaps, my favourite fighter of all time for a few reasons, some of which are relatively obvious, others which are a bit more complicated and personal to me.

Like Chris remember watching Benn, Eubank and the rest fight but it wasn't until Hatton beat Tzuyu and Calzaghe beat Lacy that I really got back into.

same here , hatton mayweather , the build up was fantastic also haye v mormeck ,

Calzaghe- Jeff Lacy

Strangely the fight that 1st got me interested in boxing was one I didnt even watch... Tyson v Holyfield, the whole media fuss got me interested and wanted to be a part of the fun.....

Lewis v Rahman 1 was the 1st fight I waited up for.

But is was Hatton v Tzuyu that 1st really got me hooked and Hatton v Mayweather that tipped me over the age.

The fight between Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johanson was the fight that got me hooked on boxing and I had to wait a full year to see Floyd get his title back. Great stuff.

The first fight I ever watched was Bruno v Witherspoon as a wee 9 year old in 1987. I wasn't even allowed to watch it, but I sneaked out of bed and watched it on a tiny little TV in my parents room whilst they watched it downstairs. I then flittered around the sport for ages before watching Mike McCallum v Jeff Harding in 1994 and that got me hooked. My memory is probably playing tricks on me, but I just remember McCallum putting on an absolute masterclass and picking Harding apart as he walked forward. It's probably not how it happened but I haven't watched it since!

Sadly though, I would say the older I get, the less 'hardcore' I have become. I used to go to shows all the time, and have been to Glasgow, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool and various small hall shows in London watching the sport, but I more than likely wouldn't bother now unless it was something spectacular in the UK. I used have boxing heros as well like Lewis, Benn, Eubank, Naz over here, and then guys like De La Hoya and Lopez over the pond. I enjoy watching guys like Mayweather, Pacquiao, JMM and Cotto these days but I don't have the same emotional attachment to them.

A combination of time and frustration at all the rubbish that comes with the sport has really dampened my enthusiasm over the years. It was always my second sporting love after rugby, and that gap has grown wider in recent years.

Boo hoo.

wouldnt say i was hardcore, but my first memory of boxing was watching foreman bounce frazier on world of sport, and then the rumble in the jungle had me hooked.

you teeny boppers are making me feel very old, thank god for rapidringsroad!

I remember my first fight which was McCall vs Bruno Wembley. I was only about 9. But remembered it for a long time. Also remember Benn vs McClennan. What a war. However, in terms of "what got me into the sport as a die hard fan", id have to say Hatton vs Kosta Tszyu. That was absolute classic. If HD was on back in 05 i would have thought i was at the MEN! The atmosphere was electric, the fight was a tear up, and the heavy under-dog ground out a great win.

Hooke ever since.

d260005p wrote:Also remember Benn vs McClennan. What a war.

I must have missed that one.

I remember being in shock after the first Barrera Vs Morales fight. 1. Because I couldn't believe that it was possible to keep that sort of tempo and intensity going for 12 rounds, yet maintain a great degree of skill. 2. I couldn't believe Morales got the nod. Was gutted... It was Tyson who originally got me interested in the sport but that Barrera fight had me hooked..

Leonard vs Hagler was the first fight I saw that had me wanting more.

paperbag_puncher wrote:I remember being in shock after the first Barrera Vs Morales fight. 1. Because I couldn't believe that it was possible to keep that sort of tempo and intensity going for 12 rounds, yet maintain a great degree of skill. 2. I couldn't believe Morales got the nod. Was gutted... It was Tyson who originally got me interested in the sport but that Barrera fight had me hooked..

I've watched the whole fight 3-4 times and every time find no reason to award him the win but saying that I thought Morales got shafted in the rematch!

Morales-Barrera I was indeed a staggering fight. I'd go with the general feeling that Barrera was a little unfortunate. Not a highway, but his big finish in round twelve, even ignoring the incredibly dodgy 'knockdown', should probably have got him a very narrow win, or at least a share of the spoils. Mind you, Morales probably deserved a draw next time out, so it's swings and roundabouts. Barrera definitely took the third, I think. Probably the most decisive fight of the three. Fantastic series, just wish they'd both knocked it on the head within a year or two of its conclusion.

Turned me hardcore?

Skelton vs Williams.......

Joking aside, Lewis vs Tyson. I was hooked, I was casual to that point - stayed up to watch Holyfield vs Tyson, but when Lewis was involved, that was it. The way he pulled him apart really showed me the boxer vs the puncher (I'm aware Tyson was a good boxer but Lewis was just better) and what could happen when skill outclassed an opponents power.

I don't believe you are 23, Chris, you are clearly at least twice that age with your accumulative boxing knowledge;)
Not sure which fight was first,but I also remember Bruno v Witherspoon, the whole country was convinced Bruno would win. McGuigan v Eusbio Pedrosa, which was genuinely an event that could be described as phenomenal.

Skelton vs Sprott