Michael Nunn

Where do you rate his career.

Had everything but the whiskers. Very talented boxer, great speed and timing.

Ran into James Toney.

Ah well.

Fantastic physical talent - he was like a Middleweight version of Ali, apart from the cast-iron chin as you've alluded to (not that Nunn was chinny, mind you). The way he dazzled Tate to defeat was incredibly similar to the kind of unorthodox, hands-dangling, quicksilver attacks that Ali used to outclass his foes during his first title reign.

I'd say that Nunn probably did achieve just about enough to be considered a 'great' of sorts at Middleweight, insofar as you could argue that he belongs inside the top fifteen 160 lb men of all time. Against Tate and Kalambay, he was simply awesome, and although descriptions of the fight seem to differ wildly with what actually happened, the first six rounds of the Toney fight showcased his gifts, too.

The sad thing is that his career should have delivered more. No idea how he managed to dump decisions to Little and Liles - he should have been boxing rings around the pair of them, even if it was at 168 lb!

Fantastic talent, and a good career on the whole, but it should have been better, and almost certainly would have been had it not been for the self-destruct button he seemingly has built in to him, which accounts for his current day predicament.

His win over Tate is in my top ten displays of boxing talent of all time.
I remeber when he destroyed our own Crawford Ashley, felt sorry for Ash.

Always had a soft spot for Nunn. I tend to like southpaws.

I thought he was absolutely fantastic. Speed, timing, shot slection, he seemed to have it all and when on-song a joy to watch

Agree with ONETWO regarding his assessment of the Tate fight. Completely outclassed him and Tate was no mug.

Once the motivation left him he was not the same fighter but on his day he was truly a spectacle. He really should have done more with his career.

I'd take a peak, motivated Nunn to trouble anyone at 160lb

Why do you say... ran in to James Toney ah well....dismissively!!

He was outboxing Toney all fight!!!! Yep he got careless..

Nunn was one of the most gifted technicians I've ever seen!!!

tate was a quality boxer who was absolutely tutored by Nunn...A fight that should be watched by any up and comer!!

His career followed Curry's path.....

Sure he tended to stink but a la ko 1 Kalambay he could devastate as well..

Leonard rated him highly and didn't want to know!!

An under-achiever!! who never recoverecd from his Toney defeat..

Just had a read up on him as didn't know too much about him. Will be having a look on youtube this weekend at some of his fights...

One question that springs to mind though - is it really true he was convicted of trying to buy $24,000 worth of cocaine for $200 off an undercover cop? Surely there must've been a moment where he thought 'this deal sounds a bit too good to be true"... ???

Out of interest, prime for prime, how do people seen Nunn vs Hagler going?

Very sad I think he got eight years!!!!

Wonderful fighter..and you should check him out...

His pre-title stuff as well...

His left uppercut to stiffen Curtis Parker was a beaut!!!

Over 12 Nunn...................15 Hagler!!

It's a shame for Nunn that he emerged on the title scene just after the 160 lb crown had become fragmented (although the blow out of Kalambay removed any doubt as to who the best in the division was). Had he emerged a year earlier, he'd almost certainly have beaten Hagler for the undisputed title and thus his place amongst the Middleweight greats would have been well and truly secured.

I keep telling people this, but it always falls on deaf ears; Nunn's defeat to Toney was not a case of him simply getting careless and caught when in complete control. He pitched a shutout for the first six rounds, but from that point on, Toney was on top. By the eleventh, Nunn had been struggling to hold him off for a while. The score cards (they were in Nunn's hometown, for what it's worth) may have claimed that Nunn had only to stand up to win, but if you watch the fight properly you'll not that the signs had been there from round seven onwards.

For all of their talent, I actually think that Nunn against Hagler, prime for prime, would have been a stinker for the most part; their styles just wouldn't gel.

Each would be waiting for the other to force the fight. Hagler loved his man meeting him head on, but going toe to toe wasn't Nunn's strength, so he'd naturally be cautious of that option. I can see eight or nine terribly frustrating rounds for Marvin, like the ones he suffered against Duran and Leonard, before he eventually wears Nun down, similar to how Toney did, and stops him via a TKO in the championship rounds.

Think Jones jr...Hoppo..Nunn...were all better than anything Hagler faced!!!

In the Boxing dept...

Though If Hearns had boxed he'd be higher than them all!!

How Tommy must rue that fight...

Not to diminish Hagler...

Nunn was way ahead Chris!! He would have won on points comfortably....

Had he survived 5 mins...

But he didn't...

Superb talent. His Tate masterclass was pure genius. But to me he was a typical front running bully. As soon as his aura was busted he sauntered away and did sod all. Shame really. A little like Naz.

Hagler would be too much for him. A fight with Hearns would have been fun to watch.

azania wrote:Superb talent. His Tate masterclass was pure genius. But to me he was a typical front running bully. As soon as his aura was busted he sauntered away and did sod all. Shame really. A little like Naz.

Hagler would be too much for him. A fight with Hearns would have been fun to watch.

I dunno Az his personal problems caught up with his career.

Special talent in a division that turns out great fighters especially in the 90's

Nunn was a good spoiler......He'd work and tie Hagler up...

Marv by the time he gets started over 12 would be too far behind..

15..different perhaps!!!

Duran gave Marv nightmares with his Boxing..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Nunn was way ahead Chris!! He would have won on points comfortably....

Well, that's true according to the official cards, Truss. But I think those cards were ridiculously wide of the mark. By the eleventh I think Toney had closed the gap to a point or two, although he was certainly behind to some degree. Had Nunn somehow survived the eleventh, Toney need only have secured the twelfth to be decent value for a very, very close win, or at the very least a draw. From round seven onwards he was all over Nunn who wasn't getting punches off the way he'd been early doors. Toney hadn't been able to get in close to work the body in the opening stages, but that wasn't the case later on.

The scores on the cards before the stoppage, although I agree that Nunn deserved to be ahead in some capacity, were very rough justice on Toney.

I think Nunn would do better then Leonard did over 7 or 8 rounds but Haglar to put it on him in the championship rounds.

I had it 7-3...........

But I won't quibble.....interpretation is 9/10's of Boxing law...

I had Nunn up by a few rounds in the Toney contest. Agree with Chris though that it wasn't a case of getting careless and getting caught (such as Curry/McCallum) but a case of Toney's superior conditioning allowing him to wear Nunn down and stop him late

I'd take Nunn to decision Hagler over 12. Marv to wear him down and take it over 15 either via late stoppage or points.

I actullay think that Hagler would be the agressor in that fight

The official cards meant Hagler had to win the last 3 rounds against Duran to keep his belt. That was one of the most pathetic judging I have seen. Hagler was streets ahead. Judges scored for Duran because he wasn't doing as bad as expected. He had the sympathy vote.

He left it very late didn't he...as none of the commentators saw it coming!!

he got caught by a humdinger...If he'd spoilt he'd have lasted the course..in my opinion..

Agree with the opinion on Hagler-Nunn

Gentleman01 wrote:I had Nunn up by a few rounds in the Toney contest. Agree with Chris though that it wasn't a case of getting careless and getting caught (such as Curry/McCallum) but a case of Toney's superior conditioning allowing him to wear Nunn down and stop him late

I'd take Nunn to decision Hagler over 12. Marv to wear him down and take it over 15 either via late stoppage or points.

I actullay think that Hagler would be the agressor in that fight

In light of his condition ever since Roy Jones beat the carp out of him, that really did make me giggle

ShahenshahG wrote:

Gentleman01 wrote:I had Nunn up by a few rounds in the Toney contest. Agree with Chris though that it wasn't a case of getting careless and getting caught (such as Curry/McCallum) but a case of Toney's superior conditioning allowing him to wear Nunn down and stop him late

I'd take Nunn to decision Hagler over 12. Marv to wear him down and take it over 15 either via late stoppage or points.

I actullay think that Hagler would be the agressor in that fight

In light of his condition ever since Roy Jones beat the carp out of him, that really did make me giggle

Ha! I agree it's almost inconceivable to think that Toney could actually have entered a contest as the superior consitioned athlete.

He was hungry back then and a truly formidable fighter.

For Nunn to outbox that version of Toney is an achievement indeed. Even if he did gas in the second half of the fight.

Very much in the safety first Whittaker mode was Michael!!!

Had a personality that didn't endear him either....Big Mate of MC hammer as I recall!!!

For every Kalambay there was two stinkers that tended to precede it....

The Barkley fight was a real stinker!!!!!!!!!

as was the stinker with Starling and my...... poor dear dear Cobra!!!

88Chris05 wrote:It's a shame for Nunn that he emerged on the title scene just after the 160 lb crown had become fragmented (although the blow out of Kalambay removed any doubt as to who the best in the division was). Had he emerged a year earlier, he'd almost certainly have beaten Hagler for the undisputed title and thus his place amongst the Middleweight greats would have been well and truly secured.

I fully agree that Nunn would have had Hagler's number at that stage of his career, but I think that Herol Graham , who was Haglers mandatory at the time the Leonard fight was announced, would have beaten him to it. I will surely be in a minority here, but I will go to my grave believing that had they met in 86,Graham would have stood him on his head-even at his peak Hagler struggled with boxers, and the version that fought Leonard was so painfully slow that he wouldn't have been able to hit Graham with a handfull of rice.
And whilst it a shame for Graham,I'm glad it didn't happen- a disputed loss to Leonard, a fellow ATG and a fighter that would have always been linked in debates about the great fighters of the 80's even if they hadn't met, is far less damaging to Haglers legacy than being embarassed by brit that few american fans would have heard of.
A Nunn v Graham fight would have been unspeakably bad.

I remember several years ago when I first watched Nunn, I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of him before. The speed, the reactions, the power. This guy could have been as good as he wanted to be in my opinion, he could of been a staple of 'greatest middleweight' discussions instead of just a talking point.

I really like watching Nunn, watched him against Curry in Paris recently. Good fight.

Gentleman01 wrote:

ShahenshahG wrote:

Gentleman01 wrote:I had Nunn up by a few rounds in the Toney contest. Agree with Chris though that it wasn't a case of getting careless and getting caught (such as Curry/McCallum) but a case of Toney's superior conditioning allowing him to wear Nunn down and stop him late

I'd take Nunn to decision Hagler over 12. Marv to wear him down and take it over 15 either via late stoppage or points.

I actullay think that Hagler would be the agressor in that fight

In light of his condition ever since Roy Jones beat the carp out of him, that really did make me giggle

Ha! I agree it's almost inconceivable to think that Toney could actually have entered a contest as the superior consitioned athlete.

He was hungry back then and a truly formidable fighter.

For Nunn to outbox that version of Toney is an achievement indeed. Even if he did gas in the second half of the fight.

not sure his appetite ever left him!

to be fair, despite the mythical status of toney's defensive genius, it was entirely possible to outbox him, no shame in being shut out by jones, but his career was littered with mediocre performances among the good ones even back then.

nunn was very gifted, but whilst the leonard version was ready to be taken, i can't see nunn getting past a prime hagler... he'd have to go to the trenches from half way, and wouldnt deal with it in my view.