Most heart

[BlackWater]

Who is your pick for the fighter with the most heart? The one who believed in himself, who believed he could win even when he was beaten. The one who would not quit and never backed down from a fight. Trained like every fight was their last one.

[Loewe]

Patterson and Frazier getting in there with Liston and Foreman after getting blasted out in the first fight is an example of great great heart.

[McGrain]

James J Braddock.

[Chinxkid]

The more busted up the better! Ok, let me clarify; the fighters that were so beaten up, hurt, bleeding, blinded eyes, broken bones, who fought on, went the distance and in some cases won the fight. I know a guy, broke his hand in the second round in the Garden, and went on to take the unanimous decision. Any guesses?

EDIT: Coyness is such a low-handed ploy...Charley Young Zivic of course!

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[he grant]

Sonny Liston ... you've got to pull his shoulder to stop him ... he'd die before he quit ...:lol:

All kidding aside there have been so many I don't even know where to start ...

[riggers]

Tommy Hearns

[McGrain]

Sonny Liston ... you've got to pull his shoulder to stop him ... he'd die before he quit ...:lol:

Please don't drag that shit in here man.

[McGrain]

Tommy Hearns

Wow...nice pick. I never thought about it before, but he's got great heart.

[robert ungurean]

Saad Muhammad
Micky Ward
Arturo Gotti
Holmes
Ali
Hagler
At one time
Chavez

[janitor]

Mickey Walker, Bat Nelson, Tom Cribb, Joe Jeanette.

I could go on.

[Minotauro]

Evander Holyfield, Archie Moore and Charles he showed a lot of heart in many of his fights look at his first fight with Marshall as well as the previous names mentioned.

[SchweitzerMan]

Tommy Hearns

Damn you beat me.

[Maxmomer]

Dempsey, Frazier, Ketchel all pop immediately to mind.

[Vantage_West]

wildcard choice
Iran Barkley

[TIGEREDGE]

MUHAMMAD ALI

the way he instantly picked himself up from that left hook against JF in the FOTC

[Bokaj]

I like Byrd's comment after Vitaly had quit. It was something to the effect that "I've fought with a broken hand and with a broken jaw, it's part of the game, you just don't quit". That's the attitude a true champion should have, and I think most great fighters have displayed it at some time or other. No one has mentioned Marciano, surprisingly enough. Basilio was a tough bastard as well; as was LaMotta. There's been a lot of tough Italians.

[pugilist_boyd]

Dempsey,jeffries,jake Lamotta,ward,gatti,rocky Marciano,rocky Balboa/ha Ha ,fitzsimmons,frazier,patterson,ali

[BlackWater]

Of course there are a lot. They needed to be that way to get to where they were. Who is your favorite of all of them?

[stevebhoy87]

Names that spring to mind for me would be

mickey walker
muhammed ali
diego corrales
Jess willard - taking that beating from dempsey in the 1st round and coming out for more

[Bill Butcher]

The man in my avater & particularly in that fight he proved it beyond doubt.

[CANNONBALL]

Iran " the blade" Barkley,especially in Hearns 1. cut to ribbons and being broken in half by body shots found that right hand from nowhere...

[Doppleganger]

Most boxers that fight at world level have great heart, otherwise they wouldn't be there. It would be easier to pick the fighters that didn't have heart, like Bruce Seldon or Audley Harrison for example.

[Larson]

Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe Calzaghe

[the cobra]

Carmen Basilio, hands down.

[Bill1234]

Tex Cobb. The man had a head of stone, and anyone who takes the kind of punishment he took from Holmes for 15 rounds and doesn't even get frustrated has a ton of heart.

Carmen Basilio, Jake LaMotta, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Ezzard Charles, Thomas Hearns, Arturo Gatti, Mickey Ward, and Gene Fullmer.

[Russell]

Most boxers that fight at world level have great heart, otherwise they wouldn't be there. It would be easier to pick the fighters that didn't have heart, like Bruce Seldon or Audley Harrison for example.

Even Seldon has demonstrated tons of heart. Like when he kept getting up after eating serious shots from McCall in the final rounds of their match.

Hard to find a fighter who DOESN'T have heart.

[salsanchezfan]

The more busted up the better! Ok, let me clarify; the fighters that were so beaten up, hurt, bleeding, blinded eyes, broken bones, who fought on, went the distance and in some cases won the fight. I know a guy, broke his hand in the second round in the Garden, and went on to take the unanimous decision. Any guesses?

EDIT: Coyness is such a low-handed ploy...Charley Young Zivic of course!

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


............Your dad, no? Christ, look at that guy. Blood everywhere. Yet stood in and got the win. I salute him.


This is an illustration of why there really is no answer to this question. "Heart" comes in many forms, not all of which involve getting up from a thousand knockdowns or an eyebal torn out or whatever. It's sometimes as subtle as a personal battle within oneself, as was the case with junior-lightweight Tyrone Jackson, who developed a reputation as a "freezer." Sometimes it is more overt, such as Jake Lamotta relaizing he couldn't beat Robinson in their sixth fight, and relegating himself to taking all that Ray could put forth. In fact, he made THAT the battle after about the 11th round.


Courage has many faces. There is no answer to this.

[marciano1952]

Willard went 2 more rounds after that beating in the first comeback somewhat in those 2 rounds befor his cornor stopped it

Jeffries in the Fitzsimmons Rematch when Fitz removed all the padding in his gloves

Greb, Walker, Braddock, Joe Gains, battling Nelson, and Ad Wolgast come to mind

[marciano1952]

also Joe Grim

reading his story I couldnt thank of this man as a real humen I cant imagen what it would have been like seeing him taken thos beatings

[Chinxkid]

............Your dad, no? Christ, look at that guy. Blood everywhere. Yet stood in and got the win. I salute him.


This is an illustration of why there really is no answer to this question. "Heart" comes in many forms, not all of which involve getting up from a thousand knockdowns or an eyebal torn out or whatever. It's sometimes as subtle as a personal battle within oneself, as was the case with junior-lightweight Tyrone Jackson, who developed a reputation as a "freezer." Sometimes it is more overt, such as Jake Lamotta relaizing he couldn't beat Robinson in their sixth fight, and relegating himself to taking all that Ray could put forth. In fact, he made THAT the battle after about the 11th round.


Courage has many faces. There is no answer to this.
I agree Sal. There's no answer to this. You don't get into that ring at least not for too long unless this question is moot. It takes what it is gonna take, there's never a question about it. Ironic, you should say, "an eyebal torn out," because that eye, his left eye, he end up losin' years later, a result of the damage it took not just in this fight but throughout. You ended up with what you ended up with, and were lucky to have it. Thanks for recognizin' him.