The genesis of my boxing love affair began on September 16, 1981 at the tender age of eight. On this memorable night, Sugar Ray Leonard stopped Thomas "The Hit Man" Hearns via TKO after fourteen exhilarating rounds of back-and-forth action. This was the first fight that I ever heard being discussed by my father and his friends, advertised on television, and promoted on billboards and posters on the street.
In an era when most big fights could be seen on network or cable television, this fight was only available via closed-circuit broadcast (viewable on a large screen, at a large facility and for a large fee). All of these factors made the big fight an event, one that grabbed my attention and didn’t let go.
My family’s finances were too modest to afford cable at the time, and closed-circuit was a pipe dream. I eventually watched the fight several weeks later on ABC. In the fight, Hearns stung Leonard with his piston-like left jab and right hand early and often, until the swollen and battered Leonard turned the tide late in a gut-wrenching battle filled with drama, suspense and violent closure.
As I watched in awe, the fight somehow lived up to the unbelievable hype that preceded it. Little did I know that this concept would escape many super fights for years to come.
For me, no super fight can surpass my "first" on September 16, 1981. However, here are three others that left lasting impressions on me – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, 04.15.85
The Good. Sometimes super fights can actually live up to their hype. That’s what I told myself after watching replay after replay of Hagler-Hearns. Hagler’s scintillating TKO victory (3) over Hearns exemplified the notion of "quality over quantity," as it was the only time that I have seen fans content after paying to watch a fight that only lasted three rounds. The action was that memorable. To this day, it ranks as the most exciting fight that I have ever seen between Hall of Fame boxers in/near their prime.
Felix Trinidad vs. Oscar De La Hoya, 09.18.99
The Bad. Super fights often don’t live up to their hype. Everything Hagler-Hearns was, Trinidad-De La Hoya was not. In a fight that appeared to have all of the ingredients necessary to make a super fight – massive pre-fight buzz, a sold out arena, and two champions in their physical primes, the proverbial egg was laid. Early on, the "Golden Boy" befuddled Trinidad with his jab and lateral movement, but seemingly ran out of gas (and to many observers) courage, as he put on his dancing shoes and spent most of the waning rounds darting away from the ineffective aggressor Trinidad.
The judges apparently overlooked the "ineffective" part of Trinidad’s aggression, and awarded him with a highly-controversial majority decision over De La Hoya. The bigger story was that the fight had no drama, excitement or memorable moments. I’ll always remember this fight for being the biggest disappointment in my years watching the sport.
Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney, 06.11.82
The Ugly. The American scourge of racism was all over this one as soon as the fight was signed. Not since Jack Johnson challenged Jim Jeffries in 1910, had a heavyweight title fight between two American fighters had such racial overtones, with Cooney playing the role of the "Great White Hope" and Holmes acting as the "Black Hat" in this super fight. Many fans rooted for Holmes (blacks) and Cooney (whites) for reasons "skin deep." Holmes’s dominant TKO (13) victory over the game, yet overmatched Cooney, is still one of the most-watched fights in the history of the sport, for better and for worse.
