Boxing Classics. My 5 Favorite Fighters. - kensoldtimeboxingchat.com

1. Sugar Ray Leonard. Ray was the first boxer when I became a serious fan of the sport in the late 70’s to grab my attention. His first title win over Wilfred Benitez on November 30, 1979 captivated me from beginning to end. The first closed-circuit fight I ever attended was his June 20,1980 brawl with Roberto Duran, which I saw in Fort Worth, Texas. He rematch win over Duran, followed by his late round comeback over Thomas Hearns on September 16, 1981 created lifelong memories for me. I also had the privilege to see him live in 3 of his training camps, the first in Buffalo for his bout in May 1982 with Roger Stafford that never happened. The second time was for his comeback fight with Kevin Howard in 1984, and the final time in Hilton Head, South Carolina for his momentous bout with Marvin Hagler.
2. Larry Holmes. Holmes was the reigning heavyweight champ when the sport became important to me and his bout with Ken Norton on June 9, 1978 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas was the fight that lit the spark of interest. In those days, bouts were aired live on network television, but I also went to see many of his big fights on closed-circuit in arenas near my home in south Jersey. Larry retained his title with 20 consecutive defenses over 7 1/2 years, a feat that stands on his own. In 1988, I even drove to Easton, Pennsylvania to stay at his hotel, the Larry Holmes Commodore Inn, just because I liked him that much. My memories of him are fond ones, born at a time when boxing was new to me.
3. Michael Spinks. The first time I became aware of Michael was on October 18, 1980 when he knocked out Yaqui Lopez in the 7th round in Atlantic City. His knockout of Marvin Johnson the following March with one left uppercut sticks in my mind as much as any in my life. When he won his first world championship with a unanimous 15 round decision over Eddie Mustafa Muhammad on July 18, 1981 in Las Vegas, I got so excited you would have thought I had won, that’s how much I identified with fighters I loved. I also got to see Michael train at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas before his first bout with Larry Holmes and for an entire week at Trump Castle in Atlantic City while he prepared to fight Gerry Cooney. He was always kind and gracious to me on the occasions we met and I only have fond memories of him and his ‘Spinks Jinx’.
4. George Foreman. During his first heavyweight title run, I was just a kid and not a huge fan of boxing. However, when he came out of retirement in March 1987, I was right on board, watching as many of his bouts as possible, no matter how hard it was. We didn’t have cable tv at the time, so I would drive to my either of my sister’s apartments to see them, or have them tape them for me so I could watch them later. While many laughed at his comeback, it inspired me and when he earned a title shot with Evander Holyfield on April 19, 1991 at Atlantic City, I was thrilled. I made the hour long drive to Trump Plaza to watch him train for more than a week, got to meet him and ask him questions, too. Despite losing to Evander, George kept fighting and when he signed to meet Michael Moorer on November 5, 1994 in Vegas, I knew he could win. His 10th round knockout to regain the championship at 45 years old is one of the happiest moments in my life as a boxing fan. On April 22, 1995, I finally got to him see fight live at the MGM Grand Garden Arena against Axel Shulz, a close decision win. When George died on March 21, 2025, I cried for days, feeling as if I had lost a member of my family, I loved him that much.
5. Sugar Ray Robinson. The greatest ever fighter ‘Pound for Pound’ is on my list of top favorites because he transcends time and his skills were almost supernatural to me. Any boxer with an iota of common sense has him as number one on the all-time great list. Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard put him there as well as countless others. My father told me stories of going to see him live at Drive-In movie theatres in the 1950’s, which fascinated me. I learned about Ray’s legendary career by renting VHS tapes in the mid 1980’s from a store, and watching them over and over again. That was followed by reading biographies and magazine articles, all of which engrossed me. My personal passwords include his name, my own tribute to the greatest boxer ever. When morons today list boxers that couldn’t carry his jockstrap over him on the all-time great list, it proves only one thing. They know nothing about boxing or its history. ‘Pound for Pound’ the greatest boxer that ever lived, Sugar Ray Robinson.

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