Best fight/worst fight.

Inspired by 6oldenbhoy's WSB thread and the merits of the York Hall, what are the best fights you have attended live and the worst?

For me, the best was in Sheffield 1997. It had Calzaghe beating Eubank for his first title in a cracking fight and Naseem Hamed beating Jose Badillo in what for me was his best 'pure' boxing performance of the lot. He took it seriously and busted up a very dangerous fighter. They also showed the second half of the Italy v England world cup qualifier in Rome on a big screen between an extended break in fights. I am not even a football fan but it only added to the experience. Great atmosphere and great night.

The worst experience? Naseem Hamed v Said Lawal in Glasgow. All that way to hostile territory for 35 seconds of action. To top it all off, some Scottish radge (quite possibly Superflyweight) threw a bottle and me and my friends.

The second Nigel Benn v Steve Collins comes a close second to being the worst night, in the manner of the ending anyway. Very disappointing, although having gone to the first effort, I only have myself to blame. It was saved by a good undercard and was only 5 minutes down the road when I still lived at home.

You've seen my best on the other thread. It's still hard to believe, looking back, that El Chapo and The Surgeon were getting it on in the East End of London, let alone that the fight was such a barn-stormer. I got to know Frankie quite well a few years later, in between his Chavez fights and taking the WBA title off Coggi and he was adamant that Rosario was by far the best hitter that he'd ever met.

Worst - more difficult, because I've been lucky enough not to see that many absolute stinkers in the flesh. Perhaps watching a world title eliminator between Pedro Sanchez and Kostya Tszyu in Melbourne might be the one - it was meant to be a competitive showcase of Kostya's great ability, but Pedro looked scared stiff and never threw anything. Quite an anticlimax, I recall.

The Malinga/Nardiello fight on the undercard of Benn/Collins I will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons (as previously mentioned, I'll happily take credit for starting the mexican wave out of sheer boredom). Steve Foster fought Chris Pyatt as well that night and I had to endure some drunk cretin screaming "COME ON STEVIE LAD!!!!!!!!" every fifteen seconds for 12 tortuous rounds

Captain, were you not one of the hundred odd thousand at the Chavez v Haugen fight at the Azteca? Sure I remember reading that way back?

That must be up there, surely?

Best would have to be Hatton Mayweather, first and only time in Vegas thus far, cracking atmosphere, brilliant weekend away with TSMR and got to have a chat with Earnie Shavers who was on the same flight over there as me, getting to see Mayweather live was not too shabby either.

Worst is difficult as I love going to fights live but Calzaghe Manfredo was not the best, tickets on the pitch so the missus could not see sod all and the three main fights were Amir Khan vs Steffy Bull, Calzaghe Manfredo and Enzo Mac vs Bobby Gunn. Not exactly a stacked card, however love Wales so weekend in Cardiff is always a pleasure.

Rowley wrote:Enzo Mac vs Bobby Gunn.

Did that not save the card for you, Jeff?

I was there, Tino, that's well remembered. Great atmosphere in its widest sense, but impossible to hear yourself think, hard to see anything from what seemed like three miles away, and the fight itself wasn't up to much. Spent quite a lot of time trying to assure people that I wasn't American.

The worst fight I've ever seen from ringside was, very probably, Skelton and Sprott's world title eliminator in 2007. Never seen such an unforgivable lack of finesse, desire, workrate etc from two men who were (somehow!) meant to be fighting for a world title in the near future. A good(ish) undercard just about salvaged the night on the whole, though.

The best fight I've seen in the flesh was either Carl Thompson against Sebastian Rothmann, when I was still at school, or Froch's world title win against Pascal. Both truly brilliant.

The best overall occasion I've had in boxing was Froch-Bute though, no doubt about that. Amazing atmosphere (but without the crowd trouble which has marred nearly every other show I've been to at the Capital FM Arena), Sugar Ray Leonard stood right next to us for much of the evening and, better still my home town fighter ripping away a world title from a previously unbeaten champion in thrilling style.

Great, great night.

Best fight has to be Burns Martinez in the Kelvin Hall. Went with a mate who knew as much about Boxing as I did about Astrophysics but by the end he was on his fight screaming. When Burns went down in the first we anticipated an early night, however he fought back showing tremendous courage in doing so.

Worst was Eammon Magee Takaloo in the Kings Hall. Scott Harrison was meant to top the bill, but didn't make the weight so Danny Williams was drafted in to headline instead. Didn't really care as Magee was the one we wanted to see, but he barely threw a punch all night. Takaloo wasn't much better, and as this was the first live event I'd ever been to I was questioning if I woild go to another.

Slightly off topic, but one of the strangest/thrilling experiences of a fight was the Bernard Dunne Cordoba fight. I'd been out all day watching Ireland win the Grandslam in Glasgow with no way of watching the fight. My dad, who wassn't Dunnes' biggest fan ended up iving me a running commentary over the phone. When Dunne put him down in the third, he went mental. When Cordoba had Dunne down twice in the fifth he waxed lyrical about how rubbiah Dunne was. Eventually in the 11th all was forgiven as Dunne knocked him out.

To top it all off, some Scottish radge (quite possibly Superflyweight) threw a bottle and me and my friends.

It wasn't me - you can get money back off glass bottles.

Best: Froch vs Reid

Worst: Froch vs Reid

That's not some commentary on it somehow being ace yet at the same time rubbish. It's just the only fight I've been to.

Best fight has to be Burns Martinez in the Kelvin Hall. Went with a mate who knew as much about Boxing as I did about Astrophysics but by the end he was on his fight screaming. When Burns went down in the first we anticipated an early night, however he fought back showing tremendous courage in doing so.

Worst was Eammon Magee Takaloo in the Kings Hall. Scott Harrison was meant to top the bill, but didn't make the weight so Danny Williams was drafted in to headline instead. Didn't really care as Magee was the one we wanted to see, but he barely threw a punch all night. Takaloo wasn't much better, and as this was the first live event I'd ever been to I was questioning if I woild go to another.

Slightly off topic, but one of the strangest/thrilling experiences of a fight was the Bernard Dunne Cordoba fight. I'd been out all day watching Ireland win the Grandslam in Glasgow with no way of watching the fight. My dad, who wassn't Dunnes' biggest fan ended up iving me a running commentary over the phone. When Dunne put him down in the third, he went mental. When Cordoba had Dunne down twice in the fifth he waxed lyrical about how rubbiah Dunne was. Eventually in the 11th all was forgiven as Dunne knocked him out.

Best - Froch vs Bute

Worst - Fury vs Johnson or whoever it was (last fight)

Absolute shambles.

Best- Frank Bruno v Lennox Lewis, CArdiff Arms Park
Worst David Haye v Audley...oh god I feel a migraine coming on ..

Best - Sullivan v Corbet
Great atmosphere, and cracking fight. Never knew it would be such a defining fight at the time. Still got Sullivans blood on my Nikes to this day.

Worst - Douglas v Holyfield.
Terrible just terrible.

mobilemaster8 wrote:Best - Froch vs Bute

Worst - Fury vs Johnson or whoever it was (last fight)

Absolute shambles.

What was so shambolic, mobile?

TopHat24/7 wrote:

mobilemaster8 wrote:Best - Froch vs Bute

Worst - Fury vs Johnson or whoever it was (last fight)

Absolute shambles.

What was so shambolic, mobile?

The number of scrap dealers in the crowd?

A few of us got V.I.P tickets off Audley Harrison for his fight at the Telewest, shouldn't have bothered.