Fighters who look the part, & ones who don't

The earlier topic about fighters freezing before fights got me thinking what makes them freeze; sometimes I think the way the opponent looks is a factor

Some fighters/boxers look like hard b**tards, people like Tyson particularly, Bruno although always came across a nice guy you would've known not to mess with him, & Liston looked scary as hell

Some don't, one that always springs to mind for me is Darren Barker, if you showed me a picture of him & said he was an athlete & I had to guess which sport, the last would be boxing, I like him & he's a good fighter but just doesn't look like a fighter.

I always thought Hatton looked tough too, probably the flat nose & battered face but you can see a mile off he's a boxer, but then Calzaghe, like Barker is another who doesn't look like a fighter at all, even compared to most of his opponents he didn't look as ripped/strong

I remember in either Eubank's or Benn's book (can't remember which but think it was Eubank) says that they felt full of confidence until they got into the ring & saw Michael Watson who looked really pumped up & up for it & was ripped & really looked like he'd trained hard, obviously Eubank didn't freeze but a less mentally strong person easily could've, incidentally Eubank & Benn both looked the part I think & intimidated opponents, particularly Benn

How much do you think the way fighters look can intimidate opponents, or do you think the way they look doesn't make a difference as at pro level you know all about your opponent way before, not like it's the first time you've seen them on the night.

Nicky Piper!!!!

Yeah Piper defo, remember seeing him fight Benn or Eubank (whoever he fought first) & thinking this guy's a boxer?? I was about 11, thought he has a massive looking head, couldn't have been hard to hit the size of the thing

Here's a few more that I don't think look like fighters at all

Lennox Lewis, Audley Harrison, John McDermott, Mayweather, Naz

The younger Khan doesn't look scary at all. Just looks like some spindly asian chav off the local council estate who you could flatten without a second thought.

Hearns always had the most bad-ass stare!

How about your Gary Stretch from the Eubank days..........

Matty Hilton...Julio cesar chavez....Jeff Chandler........Darrin van horn..

Not many boxers that take as many shots as Froch would have such a protruding conk

Prince Aaron and Joe Murray are also worth a mention as both dont look particularly intimidating

Some good examples thanks guys

Kostya Tszyu & Zab Judah

I think it's definitely true in some cases. We're all just human beings at the end of the day, and we all have certain visual triggers which, for whatever reason, can put that shred of doubt in our minds.

Even someone like Ray Robinson could be made to feel uneasy by the sight of someone, for instance. Looking back on the first Turpin fight, he said "Right there at the weight in, Turpin impressed me. His torso looked like it was carved from oak. If he could box even a little bit, I was in trouble."

I think there are plenty of fighters out there who can put all of this kind of stuff aside, but I'm equally sure that many others have been put off their stride by such things.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:How about your Gary Stretch from the Eubank days..........

Not sure what his acting peak is, World Trade Centre or Megashark versus Crocosaurus...

Going back a good number of years I always imagined there was something very unthreatening looking about Bob Fitzsimmons. A skinny beanpole of a guy with a mop of ginger hair is hardly a guy likely to strike fear in your heart, until he lands one on you of course.

Probably say GGG looks like a boy and not some brutal power punching machine.

Mayweather
Piper

Adam Smith......

seanmichaels wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:How about your Gary Stretch from the Eubank days..........

Not sure what his acting peak is, World Trade Centre or Megashark versus Crocosaurus...

Top films!!!

I dont agree with Gary Stretch - i remember thinking to myself watching Dead Mans Shoes that he must have done some boxing without knowing who he was

Terry Marsh never looked much like a boxer to me, but had his successes in the ring. Terrible shot out of it by all accounts.

bhb001 wrote:Terry Marsh never looked much like a boxer to me, but had his successes in the ring. Terrible shot out of it by all accounts.

You're right never much looked like a boxer...

Mayorga always looked crazy, would not want to mess with him ever.

I always think that GGG and Maidana look so boyish and unthreatening despite having fearsome punching power.

Oscar looks like a camp weatherman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1AhnWAhHc

cannot be viewed enough

One of the scariest looking boxers out there had to be Ike Ibeabuchi. Utterly fearless and seemed to just know he'd win. Still remember him wiping out Chris Byrd. Sadly the psych reports proved he was as unhinged as his pre-fight stares.

Agree with Nicky Piper. He looked like a politcal correspondent. Always thought Oscar was too much of a pretty boy to look like a fighter.

Wilder looks quite scary.

This guy looked far less frightening than he was!

Spoiler:

Muhammad Ali looked far too pretty to be the greatest heavyweight ever.

I never get why people say Maidana looks unthreatening. He's got a weird, satanic look about him.

Donaire looks like some cute tween. Also has a left that could decapitate a moose.

Shavers looked quite fearsome, lovely guy but he's just got eyes that say he'll hurt you.

Always thought Eamonn Mcgee looked a tough old sod.

He's got that very Celtic look to him, Collins, McCullough and Harrison are the same.

Chuvalo in his younger days didn't look particularly tough but as he aged and more battle worn he started to look like the toughest SOB out there.

Ricky Burns looks like he should be sitting round the back of some boarded shops drinking strong cider out of a 2 litre plastic bottle. Nothing to worry about, unless he's with half a dozen like minded souls and they're carrying swedges!

Marvin Hagler always looked like a tough mo'fo.

Even when he smiled it looked like he was imagining how good your eyes would taste when he bit your face off.

Joe bugner always looked like he was from emmerdale

Ray Leonard was a tough tough man but never looked it, still doesn't.

John McDermott looks like he was set for a night in with a 4 pack and a curry. although that's what he probably did.

Cotto has an odd look to him, he has sad eyes (probably the gayest thing i've said in a while) but you can see he's a tough b-stard.

someone like anthony crolla looks like a lad you'd see down the pub with his mates. he always has a smile on his face is generally a happy bloke. quigg on the other hand looks intense all the time.

Gentleman Jim Corbett..............

Bob fitzsimmons..............

Hector Camacho

Barrera looks like a fighter now but didn't during his prime.

John McDermott looks like he was set for a night in with a 4 pack and a curry. although that's what he probably did.

Cotto has an odd look to him, he has sad eyes (probably the gayest thing i've said in a while) but you can see he's a tough b-stard.

someone like anthony crolla looks like a lad you'd see down the pub with his mates. he always has a smile on his face is generally a happy bloke. quigg on the other hand looks intense all the time.

That boy Anthony Crolla.

Even worse when he talks, doesnt look or sound like a fighter at all.

bellchees wrote:Barrera looks like a fighter now but didn't during his prime.

Would you really have enjoyed walking down an alleyway with a Barrera type half way down looking at you....

Sullivan reminds me Nietszche.

Never thought Joe Louis looked that tough, looked too amicable.

Would not have liked to be on the wrong end of a Hearns staredownd though

Jim Watt, back in the day, had a really intense look about him which I imagine a few opponents found unsettling. He was so wiry, but his face always seemed so weathered and he had those piercing eyes which gave him the look of a head case.

A family member of mine was at the weigh in and fight against Davis, and he's convinced to this day that Watt, who was being backed by almost nobody outside of the UK beforehand, effectively did Davis in before the fight. Davis was being teed up as the next super star of American boxing and had been pretty noisy and disrespectful in the build up, even when Mickey Duff unexpectedly won the purse bids to get the fight in Glasgow.

But at the weigh in, when asked to do a head-to-head shot, Watt gave Davis the meanest looking scowl you could imagine and apparently you could just see the confidence and cockiness draining out of Davis straight away. It was such a hard stare that Davis is supposed to have said nary another word for the rest of the day.

I've never been able to find any film of the weigh in, sadly, but I can well imagine it being true.

My picture of Julian Jackson didn't come through. His flat top and big lips made him look ridiculous but he was a fearsome fighter.

One of Amir Khan's early opponents was a guy called Baz Carey. He looked like the sort of guy who sat in the corner of the pub with his mates and shouted obscenities at anyone who came near him, then would happily smack you round the back of the head with a pool cue. Wasn't a brilliant fighter but was VERY tough looking.

Nigel Benn's eyes just before the first bell in his early fights were the scariest thing I have ever seen in a boxing ring. They looked deep into his opponent's soul and tore it apart whilst his fists knocked 7 shades out of him.

Joe Calzaghe looked more like someone who worked at Kwik Fit, and Ricky Hatton I thought looked as threatening as a fat kid playing football, emphasised by his rather boyish haircut. Then he hit you...

88Chris05 wrote:Jim Watt, back in the day, had a really intense look about him which I imagine a few opponents found unsettling. He was so wiry, but his face always seemed so weathered and he had those piercing eyes which gave him the look of a head case.

A family member of mine was at the weigh in and fight against Davis, and he's convinced to this day that Watt, who was being backed by almost nobody outside of the UK beforehand, effectively did Davis in before the fight. Davis was being teed up as the next super star of American boxing and had been pretty noisy and disrespectful in the build up, even when Mickey Duff unexpectedly won the purse bids to get the fight in Glasgow.

But at the weigh in, when asked to do a head-to-head shot, Watt gave Davis the meanest looking scowl you could imagine and apparently you could just see the confidence and cockiness draining out of Davis straight away. It was such a hard stare that Davis is supposed to have said nary another word for the rest of the day.

I've never been able to find any film of the weigh in, sadly, but I can well imagine it being true.

Dunno chris. Think most people were petrified of doing a face off with watt. Would you fancy it?... with jimbo's love of the Glasgow kiss?

I know. Can you imagine if Watt and Conteh had been in the same weight class? It'd have been like watching a documentary on rhinos or something.

88Chris05 wrote:I know. Can you imagine if Watt and Conteh had been in the same weight class? It'd have been like watching a documentary on rhinos or something.

   

I'm seeing a pair of rutting goats.

Back on topic, I'm nominating George foreman in both categories. Early george as scary man, and late George as big cuddly bear.

Something intimidating about McClellan.

Would never have messed with David Tua, even when he got a bit roly poly, always looked really intense.

Tyson needless to say would scare the bejesus out of me.

Suprised noones said Foreman, was a MEAN looking man in his prime, and then he got a bit old and fat and was a nice old Grandad type figure.

AlexHuckerby wrote:
Suprised noones said Foreman

So I'm a no-one now Alex? You can be hurtful sometimes.

I think you've misunderstood, Milky. I'm sure Alex didn't mean it in a nasty way. I think he called you 'no-one' because 'no-one's perfect', mate. John Eales style!

Or maybe, as he was late to the party he realised he was 'second to' no-one. Michael nunn style.

milkyboy wrote:

AlexHuckerby wrote:
Suprised noones said Foreman

So I'm a no-one now Alex? You can be hurtful sometimes.

Noones he's a mexican featherweight isn't he ???.......whereas Milky is a lightweight..

You can be hurtful sometimes truss