15 Most Exciting Warriors of the Ring

[Panamaniac]

You'd be hard pressed to find a.boring Joe Frazier fight.....

Smokin Joe has to be on the list

I agree. The only reason he didn't make my list is because 15 other guys popped into my head first. Even when he was getting his ass kicked (the Foreman losses), it was exciting...

[Panamaniac]

Ali had some really boring fights, as did Louis. Or are you ranking them by their good performances only? At their best they were both very exciting and pleasing to watch

The rest are all great picks.

Be that as it may, they still fit the criteria of the thread - they were exciting warriors that put butts in the seats. Every fight may not have been a barnburner, but that doesn't mean they don't qualify.

Nah, I feel the same way too. I want to see someone knocked out or stopped, whether it's in the first or final round. Other than their big fights, I found Ali and Duran to be rather dull when I got around to watching their career sets. Too much dancing around and holding IMO. I know that might be sacrilege here, but that's my personal opinion. I still think they're great fighters though, just didn't find a lot of their lesser known fights all that exciting.

Ali's style was to "float like a butterfly" (dance around) before he "stung like a bee." ("Rumble, young man, rumble, ahhh")

As for Duran, most of his dull fights came after Iran Barkley, way past his prime. He established his legend by being the most exciting fighter ever to come out of Latin America. The holding you mentioned came from the other guy to keep from getting hit, as in "The Brawl in Montreal."

[Panamaniac]

I don't find fights that are over in one or two rounds particularly exciting sorry. In fact, when I see one I feel ripped off.

Poet

Let me see if I get this straight: Are you saying you don't find this exciting solely because it ended within two rounds?

[vbtube]yMGzKcbCYPc[/vbtube]

[The Surgeon]

For me Tyson despite not always being in great fights epitomised excitement, he could slip a shot and come back with a fight ending bomb or turn on a dime and fire out a blistering combination up and down. Even when well past his best he kept his exciting edge, even if it was half for the wrong reasons.

Here's my attempt at a list

Mike Tyson
Arturo Gatti
Prince Naseem Hamed
Nigel Benn
Jack Dempsey
Joe Frazier
Matthew Saad Muhammad
Roberto Duran
Felix Trinidad
Gerald Mcclellan
Evander Holyfield
Aaron Pryor
Tommy Hearns
Erik Morales
Miguel Cotto

God that was rough!
EDIT: Dropped Bert Cooper for Tommy Hearns!

[joe strong]

it's tough to call who the most exciting fighters are because every boxer gets involved in some boring fights but arturo gatti was in so many good fights i'd have to put him up there. evander holyfield was in many good slugfests too. lamon brewster has also been in several great fights as well...

[jabsRstiff]

Doesn't look like anyone has the dude in my avatar on their lists!

All he did was come out throwing the hardest punches you'll ever see with both hands until he or the other guy fell....and usually it was the other guy falling in spectacular fashion.

I rate his one-punch KOs of world class guys like Norris and Graham as more exciting than Gatti going toe-to-toe with mid-level guys.

[The Surgeon]

Doesn't look like anyone has the dude in my avatar on their lists!

All he did was come out throwing the hardest punches you'll ever see with both hands until he or the other guy fell....and usually it was the other guy falling in spectacular fashion.

I rate his one-punch KOs of world class guys like Norris and Graham as more exciting than Gatti going toe-to-toe with mid-level guys.

Thought about it but he just missed my cut, as did Bert Cooper, Lew Jenkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, Paquaio, Arguello, Jamie Moore, Mosley, Barkley ect ect

[SBleeder]

The problem I have with lists like this is that "exciting" is completely, 100% subjective.

To me, watching Nicolino Locche slip punches is the most exhillirating thing I've ever seen in a boxing ring... but many (most?) people probably consider him boring because he's not an offensive fighter.

By contrast, most people loved watching fights like the Gatti/Ward trilogy, or fighters like Mike Tyso... I find him incredibly boring (I wouldn't pay $ to watch one inning of a baseball game) and never really enjoyed Gatti/Ward.

[dan_cov]

Roy Jones Jr (in his prime of course)

[SBleeder]

I found Ali and Duran to be rather dull when I got around to watching their career sets. Too much dancing around and holding IMO.

When in the blue hell did Duran ever dance?!