I've never seen Hatton fight!

I would've liked to have seen his last one... although you could predict the outcome just by looking at the two of them at the press conference

Very true.

I can attest to that from my own first hand personal experience.

And if you or Turi wouldn't mind....

I have an idea from the context, but what exactly does it mean to be "gutted" by something?

I saw his last fight in the US on TV. He's a really tough cookie--very determined. Dunno if he's ready for Mayweather, but he'll give him a hell of a fight.

Very true.

I can attest to that from my own first hand personal experience.

And if you or Turi wouldn't mind....

I have an idea from the context, but what exactly does it mean to be "gutted" by something? [/b][/quote]In context "gutted" is UK slang for disappointed,albeit very disappointed!

I guess this is as good a place as any to post this clip. It's a recent interview with Jake LaMotta. He's 90 years old now, which is really unbelievable. If you're a fan of the history of the fight game, you'll enjoy this.

He's 90 now. For a guy who got hit as often as he did, he's pretty lucid--lotta 90-year-olds who never lifted a glove aren't as lucid. DeNiro spent a lot of time with him making "Raging Bull." Now I see where he got the voice he used at the end, when he was doing the nightclub bit.

I never saw LaMotta fight when I was a kid. But that's probably because he fought a lot outside NYC, and fights on TV in that era never showed fights outside NYC.

What's amazing is that ill-tempered people rarely live that long (stress, blood pressure, not to mention having someone that you beat up shoot you ).

Well, what was it that Billy Joel sang, "Only the good die young"?

Amazing! I had forgotten that Jake LaMotta was still with us.

On a somewhat sadder note, tonight on the news I heard that Joe Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer five weeks ago and is now receiving hospice care. Doctors have not yet told him how long he has to live.

For someone of my generation, the Ali/Frazier fights pretty much summed up what boxing was all about: Two fine athletes with incredible heart, giving it their all. I am truly saddened to hear the news about Joe Frazier's condition.

Signor V.

My mom is a few years younger than LaMotta, but they were from the same neighborhood and she knew him and his brother. She said they were pigs, though.

I heard about Frazier today, too, and it was very sad news.

That is awful news about Frazier. I saw the first Frazier/Ali fight in a movie theater in Brooklyn. Great bout!

I've always heard the same thing, Babe. Pretty much all of the guys from that generation are gone. But of the old timers from Pelham Parkway that knew him, they all said the same thing: That the LaMottas were trashy, low rent people, even after they made some money.

I mean, if you've read the book, LaMotta very casually and matter of factly admits to having raped at least two women. Of course he never referred to it as rape, but just read his description of what happened.

They used to show up at the CYO dances at Immaculate sometimes. And they were definitely trash.

"Smokin" Joe, from a time when the public actually gave a fuck (and most importantly knew) who was the champion.

I bet you more kids now can name the current UFC champion.

Muhammed Ali is my favorite. But I think Lennox Lewis would easily defeat almost any other listed in the poll. He "owned" Mike Tyson.

Ali was a great one, my favorite though is George Foreman and of course Rocky Marciano, just because he was a paisan and great.

What happened to great heavy weight boxers? All the greats are gone and now there's nobody people are into watching. The old guys were great.

Heard he was a racist, but Larry Holmes was good too.

There are still greats around, but their in lower weight classes, the majority of great heavy weights in the golden age were black, now those physically gifted guys play NFL or basketball, boxing is a tougher game than any to make it in.

Ali was at his best in 1965-1967. You already saw some signs of Parkison when he made a comeback in the 1970s. His was more stiff in his posture when he fought against Joe Frazier (may he rest in peace) and George Foreman.

Ali really did the impossible by defeating Foreman in 1974. I think that fight is the most epic in the entire history of mankind. I'm serious. George Foreman would never be the same after this fight. He was a changed man.

He absolutely was a changed man. Maybe it was the defeat that showed him that he needed to gain 100lbs and become likable or now one would buy his grills.

This thread inspired me to watch "The rumble in the jungle" last night, two great fighters of their day and arguably the greatest boxers of all time. The heavyweight division is not the same anymore and i think there hasn't been any "great" fighters since Tyson and Lennox Lewis.

Greatest of all time would have to go to Walker Smith AKA Sugar Ray Robinson. The epitome of the sweet science and completely ruled the Welterweight and middleweight divisions in his prime. Even bounced back to regain world titles 5 times after losses etc. Almost won a light heavyweight world title as well before succumbing to the heat. There would be no Ali without pioneers like Robinson. Complete package.

Robinson was tops, the best "pound-for pound" fighter ever. But his using the heat as an excuse for losing the Joey Maxim fight always bothered me just a little bit. Like it wasn't just as hot in that ring for Maxim?

Hey PB, how you doing?

I believe it was a legit excuse, if you watch the fight, Robinson was boxing well and was controlling the fight with great straights and good ring generalship. The judges all had him ahead before he couldn't continue any longer. In this case I just reckon the heat affected Ray more. You even see him stumble to the corner and he actually went to hospital after the fight and spent weeks in bed sick afterward.