Boxing Memories

[SinceThe70s]

As I'm washing dishes tonight, my boys flip to the hockey game and I vaguely hear "Lets Get Ready to Rumble!!!!" in the background. NO WAY! Michael Buffer!! That is freaking awesome! Is this a thing or did they just trot hm out for the Stanley Cup? 

 

Reminded me of a sport that I haven't paid any attention to for a long time (I've never seen a Mayweather fight). Hearing Buffer brought back a ton of memories:

 

Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman (before the grills), Holmes, Gerry Cooney (grew up a few blocks from me so probably an unknown to most),

 

The Michael Buffer years were great: Tyson, Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Buster Douglas. 

 

Anyone remember Fan Man from Holyfield/Bowe? That was nuts. 

 

 

 

And that's just the heavyweights. How about Sugar Ray and Duran (No Mas)?  

 

So what are your memories and/or thoughts on boxing then or now?

 

[Buffalo716]

Watch Vasyl Lomachenko.

 

He is a technician and a good medal winner. Multiple weight champion and maybe pound 4 pound #1 in the world

[BillsPride12]

Excellent thread topic...I saw Michael Buffer at the game earlier too and it also brought back boxing memories for me.  So much so that I had to text my old man and tell him Michael Buffer was doing boxing style introduction's at the hockey game!  Some of my all-time favorite sports memories were watching 90's boxing with my Dad and his buddies growing up.  I will post more in depth tomorrow because I'm about to head back to the couch for the rest of the night to watch the hockey and basketball games.

[Turk71]

Joe Muscato taught me and a couple friends how to box as teenagers in South Buffalo. He and his brother Phil were top 10 heavyweight contenders from Dunkirk.

  I remember Cooney fighting Holmes, the 'great white hope' Don King labeled him. He was a good puncher, not as good a defender. He only lost 3 fights I think, Holmes Spinks and Foreman.

[Augie]

My next door neighbor would pay for the Mike Tyson fights. We’d go an hour or two early, because the fights lasted about 12 seconds. 

[Dante]

1 hour ago, SinceThe70s said:

As I'm washing dishes tonight, my boys flip to the hockey game and I vaguely hear "Lets Get Ready to Rumble!!!!" in the background. NO WAY! Michael Buffer!! That is freaking awesome! Is this a thing or did they just trot hm out for the Stanley Cup? 

 

Reminded me of a sport that I haven't paid any attention to for a long time (I've never seen a Mayweather fight). Hearing Buffer brought back a ton of memories:

 

Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman (before the grills), Holmes, Gerry Cooney (grew up a few blocks from me so probably an unknown to most),

 

The Michael Buffer years were great: Tyson, Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Buster Douglas. 

 

Anyone remember Fan Man from Holyfield/Bowe? That was nuts. 

 

 

 

And that's just the heavyweights. How about Sugar Ray and Duran (No Mas)?  

 

So what are your memories and/or thoughts on boxing then or now?

 

Buffer is iconic. Nice to see they used him at the game tonight.

Speaking of great fights from that era. My fav boxer ever Larry! And Weaver had such power in both hands

 

[SinceThe70s]

6 minutes ago, Augie said:

My next door neighbor would pay for the Mike Tyson fights. We’d go an hour or two early, because the fights lasted about 12 seconds. 

 

We had pirated cable boxes at the time and didn't have to pay. 

 

You joke about the 12 seconds, but that was a thing and it was phenomenal and was a major contributor to boxings success at the time. The quick KO became expected. Tyson invigorated the sport and when Douglas took him down it was like Luke taking down the Rancor, nobody saw it coming.

[Augie]

2 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

We had pirated cable boxes at the time and didn't have to pay. 

 

You joke about the 12 seconds, but that was a thing and it was phenomenal and was a major contributor to boxings success at the time. The quick KO became expected. Tyson invigorated the sport and when Douglas took him down it was like Luke taking down the Rancor, nobody saw it coming.

 

Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.      ?

[SinceThe70s]

Just now, Augie said:

 

Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.      ?

 

One of the greatest lines of all time.

[Gugny]

This is actually a sad subject for me.

 

Between the late 70s and the late 80s, my entire family used to enjoy boxing; mostly heavyweights.  I became a pretty avid boxing fan, watching Sugar Ray, Sweet Pea, Duran, Boom Boom and everyone in between; all weight classes.

 

I was in A-School for the Navy the night Tyson got knocked out.  It was like the president was assassinated.  Seriously.  Everyone was in shock.  I was just pissed that I missed it.

 

As I got older, I realized how fixed boxing was.  My mind tried to fight it (I'm actually getting to that point with the NFL), but it became clearer and clearer.  

 

It was already obvious that Olympic boxing was fixed (and continues to be).  I'm not sure which fight was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.  But I can no longer enjoy boxing because I think many, if not most, decisions are pre-determined.

 

It's sad, because boxing was something I loved to watch and loved to share with my family and friends.

[plenzmd1]

70's and boxing on Wide World! Man , how I hated Ali back then

 

80's..the lightweights..my lord those fights were great..

 

Holmes-Clooney....this is gonna sound weird, but I can still till this day remember watching that fight in the bar of the Howard Johnsons on Pine Ave in the Falls. They must have had it for free or something as I cant ever remember being in there at any other time outside of being a little kid.

 

 

Of course Tyson..when Douglas beat him was with friends in NYC..it was that much of shock to hear he had lost you remember where you were when you heard about it. Never even though about watching the fight( i think it was on in the middle of the night no?) 

[row_33]

A few years ago I splurged on 3rd row ringside in Montreal for the Kovalev/Pascal title fight.

 

Nothing compares to that in sports as a spectator, 7th or 8th round TKO.

 

Closest thing was front row for a meet with Sergei Bubka and Billy Olson giving a decent effort on the circuit.

 

 

[jr1]

Terence Crawford is pretty good

[FappyTheClown]

 

12 hours ago, Dante said:

Buffer is iconic. Nice to see they used him at the game tonight.

Speaking of great fights from that era. My fav boxer ever Larry! And Weaver had such power in both hands

 

 

 

[SinceThe70s]

12 hours ago, Gugny said:

This is actually a sad subject for me.

 

Between the late 70s and the late 80s, my entire family used to enjoy boxing; mostly heavyweights.  I became a pretty avid boxing fan, watching Sugar Ray, Sweet Pea, Duran, Boom Boom and everyone in between; all weight classes.

 

I was in A-School for the Navy the night Tyson got knocked out.  It was like the president was assassinated.  Seriously.  Everyone was in shock.  I was just pissed that I missed it.

 

As I got older, I realized how fixed boxing was.  My mind tried to fight it (I'm actually getting to that point with the NFL), but it became clearer and clearer.  

 

It was already obvious that Olympic boxing was fixed (and continues to be).  I'm not sure which fight was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.  But I can no longer enjoy boxing because I think many, if not most, decisions are pre-determined.

 

It's sad, because boxing was something I loved to watch and loved to share with my family and friends.

 

Same. I had to look this up to jog my memory, but I think the tipping point for me was Holyfield/Lewis:

 

https://nypost.com/1999/03/24/ali-calls-holyfield-lewis-bout-biggest-fix-ever/

 

[Uncle Joe]

I always wanted Michael Buffer's job. Glad he is still going strong.

I've liked boxing since I was a kid and the one fight that I will always remember is Tyson-Holyfield. My boys were 9 & 10 then so I set up the TV on the patio and invited the guys over for beers and bbq. This was going to be my boys indoctrination to boxing. So Tyson has to go and bite off Holyfield's ear,  Sheesh, sorry boys that ain't boxing!

 

Watched Lomachenko box a few weeks ago and he is the real deal.

[Steve O]

18 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

As I'm washing dishes tonight, my boys flip to the hockey game and I vaguely hear "Lets Get Ready to Rumble!!!!" in the background. NO WAY! Michael Buffer!! That is freaking awesome! Is this a thing or did they just trot hm out for the Stanley Cup? 

 

Reminded me of a sport that I haven't paid any attention to for a long time (I've never seen a Mayweather fight). Hearing Buffer brought back a ton of memories:

 

Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman (before the grills), Holmes, Gerry Cooney (grew up a few blocks from me so probably an unknown to most),

 

The Michael Buffer years were great: Tyson, Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Buster Douglas. 

 

Anyone remember Fan Man from Holyfield/Bowe? That was nuts. 

 

 

And that's just the heavyweights. How about Sugar Ray and Duran (No Mas)?  

 

So what are your memories and/or thoughts on boxing then or now?

 

Oh I remember Cooney, especially this fight against Norton.

Thought for sure he would do the same thing to Holmes

My thoughts then and now? Back in the 70's and 80's I loved boxing, but I wasn't very proud of the fact that I loved to watch something so barbaric. Now I just don't watch it. 

18 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

 

[KD in CA]

18 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

Gerry Cooney (grew up a few blocks from me so probably an unknown to most),

 

 

I was a kid during the Holmes reign so the Cooney fight was one of the big event of that era, even if he was oversold and the fight didn't quite live up to the hype.

 

The rest of the '80s was incredible with the middle/welter/light weight classes, especially with so many fights being on live TV.  I do remember watching the Mancini/Kim fight live.

[BillsPride12]

We had the cheater box at my parents house growing up so we watched all the big PPV events back then..

 

The Holyfield-Riddick Bowe trilogy(I remember how outrageous the fanman thing was)

 

Tyson's big comeback fight when he got out of jail

 

George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer to win the heavyweight championship at age 40 something!

 

All the amazing fights with the little dudes of that era  Julio Ceasar Chavez, Sweet Pea Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, De La Hoya I could go on and on

 

The coolest part of all of it for me was just being appreciative my old man let me stay up late and hang out with his buddies for all the fight parties.  I always thought it was cool back then and now all these years later I appreciate those experiences even more.  I think getting exposed to the boys hanging out being boys at a younger age really helped me out with having good socializing skills as I grew up.

[BritBill]

I hardly watch any boxing now. I too think it's become too obviously fixed.

 

Also, the boxers seem to concentrate their talents on talking the talk beforehand instead of being able to walk the walk.

 

As a Brit, my favourite boxing time was the 90's Super Middleweight division. There seemed to be a top class title fight every weekend. Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Michael Watson, Steve Collins, Gerald McLellan to name but a few.

 

We had a local (he lived 100 yards from me) boxer called Henry Wharton. He was a wall. Like Homer Simpson in the episode of The Simpsons where he fought the world championship. Unfortunately, he was a Super Middleweight at the same time as the above mentioned fighters. He was as gifted a boxer as those guys. He lost on point to both Eubank & Benn.

 

Then came along Nassem Hamed (bit of a gobshite) and Ricky Hatton. I lost interest after those two really.

[row_33]

47 minutes ago, BritBill said:

I hardly watch any boxing now. I too think it's become too obviously fixed.

 

Also, the boxers seem to concentrate their talents on talking the talk beforehand instead of being able to walk the walk.

 

As a Brit, my favourite boxing time was the 90's Super Middleweight division. There seemed to be a top class title fight every weekend. Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Michael Watson, Steve Collins, Gerald McLellan to name but a few.

 

We had a local (he lived 100 yards from me) boxer called Henry Wharton. He was a wall. Like Homer Simpson in the episode of The Simpsons where he fought the world championship. Unfortunately, he was a Super Middleweight at the same time as the above mentioned fighters. He was as gifted a boxer as those guys. He lost on point to both Eubank & Benn.

 

Then came along Nassem Hamed (bit of a gobshite) and Ricky Hatton. I lost interest after those two really.

 

There's like 1,068 belts out there, impossible to keep track of anything.

 

A few years ago a lot of $$$ was spent to put title bouts on TV again, I enjoyed watching them on Fox and other networks. 

 

But it's a lost cause unless you can get a champion with public appeal, good or bad....

 

 

[Haslett_Stomp]

Hagler-Hearns.  That fight was incredible.

I was also a big Alexis Arguello fan.  Too bad he could never beat a completely wired Aaron Pryor.

[row_33]

2 hours ago, Haslett_Stomp said:

Hagler-Hearns.  That fight was incredible.

I was also a big Alexis Arguello fan.  Too bad he could never beat a completely wired Aaron Pryor.

 

Danny "Little Red" Lopez was a great NBC star for his reign. 

[FappyTheClown]

 

[Haslett_Stomp]

4 hours ago, row_33 said:

 

Danny "Little Red" Lopez was a great NBC star for his reign. 

 

Yes!  I still remember that Sports Illustrated cover.

 

An interesting Buffalo connection:  my father worked at Graphic Controls back in the 70's and 80's.  Jose Sulaiman, long-time president of the WBC, was an executive in GC's international division.  We would always see him in the ring on TV after title fights and we'd laugh and say "there's Jose!".

Edited May 30, 2018 by Haslett_Stomp

[Fadingpain]

Yes, they trotted Buffer out just for Game 1 of the Finals.  I thought setting up the hockey game like a heavyweight main bout was a great idea and fun.

 

If you want to get back into boxing, you need to subscribe to HBO.  They have most of the big fights now, always on a Saturday night.  

 

Jim Lampley also has a show on HBO called "The Fight Game" which is good and pretty much the only boxing related TV program I know of.

 

 

On May 28, 2018 at 11:09 PM, Augie said:

My next door neighbor would pay for the Mike Tyson fights. We’d go an hour or two early, because the fights lasted about 12 seconds. 

Those early Mike Tyson fights were something I'll never forget.  A bunch of them were on HBO.

That was when Iron Mike was young and mean and hungry for glory.  He wasn't the tallest guy in the world, but I can't imagine a boxer ever being more physically imposing.

 

He had that fast paced, attacking style, and the hand speed of a much smaller man....all combined with absolutely enormous punching power.

 

In one of those early fights he got in really close against his opponent, almost chest to chest, and fired an upper cut that I thought was going to knock the guy's head off.

 

It landed right under the guy's chin/jaw and it was lights out.  At like the 30 second mark of the fight.

At least that is how I remember it.

 

 

[Augie]

7 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

 

Those early Mike Tyson fights were something I'll never forget.  A bunch of them were on HBO.

That was when Iron Mike was young and mean and hungry for glory.  He wasn't the tallest guy in the world, but I can't imagine a boxer ever being more physically imposing.

 

He had that fast paced, attacking style, and the hand speed of a much smaller man....all combined with absolutely enormous punching power.

 

In one of those early fights he got in really close against his opponent, almost chest to chest, and fired an upper cut that I thought was going to knock the guy's head off.

 

It landed right under the guy's chin/jaw and it was lights out.  At like the 30 second mark of the fight.

At least that is how I remember it.

 

 

 

Not to mention.....he had a mean bite!   ?

[Fadingpain]

Just now, Augie said:

 

Not to mention.....he had a mean bite!   ?

Along with "Fan man" that is another fantastically weird piece of boxing history.

 

I remember that one well too!  

I think there are a lot of old/great fights on Youtube in their entirety.

 

I highly recommend anything with the great Mexicans from recent years. 

 

I personally love the Mexican fighters b/c they are true warriors and don't know what "quit" means.

 

Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Cesar Chavez, and my favorite: Juan Manuel Marquez.

 

Now we have Canelo Alvarez too, who is a hell of a good boxer.  Watch out for his fights.

 

The Morales/Barrera fight are positively epic...

Same for Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao.  

 

Marquez's KO of Manny in their 4th fight is one of the most devastating KOs I've ever seen.

 

Marquez's performance in their first fight remains one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.

 

Manny caught Juan Manuel not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES scoring 3 knockdowns in the FIRST ROUND...

 

Marquez then re-grouped, survived to the bell, and adjusted his fighting style...

 

He went on to beat the crap out of Manny while taking some amazing hits himself, and fought his way back to a draw...

 

An incredible fight if you haven't seen it.  It has to be on Youtube. 

 

 

[Fadingpain]

 

[Needle]

3 hours ago, Fadingpain said:

Along with "Fan man" that is another fantastically weird piece of boxing history.

 

I remember that one well too!  

I think there are a lot of old/great fights on Youtube in their entirety.

 

I highly recommend anything with the great Mexicans from recent years. 

 

I personally love the Mexican fighters b/c they are true warriors and don't know what "quit" means.

 

Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Cesar Chavez, and my favorite: Juan Manuel Marquez.

 

Now we have Canelo Alvarez too, who is a hell of a good boxer.  Watch out for his fights.

 

The Morales/Barrera fight are positively epic...

Same for Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao.  

 

Marquez's KO of Manny in their 4th fight is one of the most devastating KOs I've ever seen.

 

Marquez's performance in their first fight remains one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.

 

Manny caught Juan Manuel not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES scoring 3 knockdowns in the FIRST ROUND...

 

Marquez then re-grouped, survived to the bell, and adjusted his fighting style...

 

He went on to beat the crap out of Manny while taking some amazing hits himself, and fought his way back to a draw...

 

An incredible fight if you haven't seen it.  It has to be on Youtube. 

 

 

I agree 100 percent on the Mexican fighter opinion. They push the action and never give an inch. I love their tradition of courage in the ring.

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