As has been discussed ad nauseam over the last few months, this weekend's fight between PBF and Hatton brings together two polar opposites in terms of fighting style and personality. Based on the reaction in this forum and in others, it seems clear that the personality contrast is the most interesting aspect of this fight. It is clearly what is driving the promotion of this event. Mayweather (okay, sure it's part show) is the insufferably arrogant, money-flashing ambassador of the hip-hop set, while Hatton comes across as the modest, working class everyman (yeah, that word was trite two months ago, but oh well).
Anyway, if this question hasn't been asked recently, I'd be interested to see a short list (top five) of who people think are/were the most arrogant and the most humble fighters they've seen. Feel free to add a justification or clarifying comments. Here's a quick and dirty list to start it off. I'm sure my list will change when I see some others.
Top Five Most Arrogant (in no particular order)
1. PBF Mayweather: -no clarification necessary
2. James Toney: - Will apparently never admit a loss and would kick the shit out of God himself
3. Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver : - arrogant and delusional
4. Julio Cesar Chavez : -one of my all-time favs, but his inability to acknowledge a loss or his opponents effort belies his enormous arrogance
5. Roy Jones Jr :- chapped my ass the way he paraded around for years (actually, he hasn't really stopped) declaring his P4P supremacy all the while dismissing many great fighters like Chavez, Barrera who fought and occasionally lost competitive fights.
Top Five Most Humble (in no particular order)
1. Mickey Ward : - every man's everyman (said it again). Humble to a fault.
2. Shane Mosely : - confident, but respectful. also very gracious in defeat
3. Jesse James Leija : - great competitor, great sport
4. Diego Corrales : - Confident guy, took losses with dignity
5. Ricardo Mayorga : - kidding really, but he did kneel down and beg forgiveness from a punk like Vargas (can't think of a greater act of humility than that)
Disclaimer: Race seems to be a big issue in this forum, so I'm certain that someone will point out that 4 of 5 fighters on my arrogant list are black and that there are no blacks on my list of humble fighters (from what I understand from some posters, Mosely and Corrales aren't at all black). Let me just say that my father was a Mexican-Irish mix and my mother was a black Puerto Rican raised in the Phillipines, so I believe that pretty much gives me license to praise and disparage pretty much anybody that I want. I am not, however, Jewish.
If mayweather was humble and Ricky was really arrogant I possibly would be rooting for Mayweather not Hatton but that's not the case. It's not just about country.
What about Augustus? Sort of arrogant in the ring in a strange way, but humble out of the ring from the little I haev seen
Humble:Glen Johnson
Wlad klitschko
evander holyfield
ricki hatton
kelly pavlik
diego corrales
mosley
arrogant:
ANTHONY MUNDINE!
ANTHONY MUNDINE!
NASEEM HAMED!
MAYWEATHER JNR
UM WHO ELSE??
Hey, you're the only guy who found it easier to identify humble fighters than arrogant ones. Funny that you've got Mundine twice though.
Some of those guys on your humble list could stand to be a little more arrogant though (e.g. Guinn, Brewster). It would serve them better in the ring to have some pride. I thought Guinn was going to be a real player in the Heavyweight division, but he just has the weakest quitter attitude.
100% agreed on Guinn. I flat out feel bad for the dude. He's a talented fighter, but he's humble to the point of having no self-confidence whatsoever.
With Brewster, his power, heart and seemingly inhuman chin managed to provide the necessary equalizers to get him through a lot of his fights, at least post-KO Nation.
Humble
Ricky Hatton
James Toney
Morrade Hakkar
Juan Diaz
Tony Margarito
Arrogant
Bernard Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe
Wladimir Klitschko
Manny Pacquiao
Floyd Mayweather
Morade Hakkar will just be giddy to know he made any superlatives list. :banana: :headbang:
I'll try to limit my list to fighters I've yet to see mentioned, and also limited to active and/or recently retired:
Humble (in no particular order, and extended beyond five):
Famoso Hernandez, Wlad Klitschko, Juan Diaz, Steve Forbes, Grady Brewer, Miguel Espino, Lamon Brewster, Stevie Johnston, Lamont and Anthony Peterson, Dominick Guinn, Israel Vazquez, Rocky Juarez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Chad Dawson, Tomasz Adamek, Kermit Cintron, Andy Lee
Arrogant:
Oscar de la Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, Joel Casamayor (or did I miss him among the first five pages), O'Neil Bell, Edison Miranda
Some of those guys on your humble list could stand to be a little more arrogant though (e.g. Guinn, Brewster). It would serve them better in the ring to have some pride. I thought Guinn was going to be a real player in the Heavyweight division, but he just has the weakest quitter attitude.
Most arrogant...
1. Chris Eubank....He fought every fight in love...with himself.
2. Nasem Hamad..he really thought he was supernatural. Little turd.
3. PBF..what can I add that you guys don't already know
4. Hector Camacho..fought wearing a diaper & thought he looked cool! (???)
5. Muhammad Ali...arrogant in a funny, sort of comical way.
Most humble...
1. Joe Louis...easily the most humble champ of all time
2. Rocky Marciano...What other 49-0 fighter never bragged on himself?
3. Henry Armstrong...another PFP Great that let his fists talk for him
4. Floyd Patterson...too shy and backward to ever boast
5. Ray Mancini...always thanked God & his family. Proud fighter, no arrogance
Good lists.
Humble
Ricky Hatton
James Toney
Morrade Hakkar
Juan Diaz
Tony Margarito
Arrogant
Bernard Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe
Wladimir Klitschko
Manny Pacquiao
Floyd Mayweather
______________________________________
do u even watch Boxing
Toney Margarito Humble perhaps u should watch the Paul Williams fight & Maragrito's post fight reaction bitter aint the word
as for Pacquiao being arrogant if never heard anything so stupid when has Pacquaio ever been arrogant or Vlad
Humble
Ricky Hatton
James Toney
Morrade Hakkar
Juan Diaz
Tony Margarito
Arrogant
Bernard Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe
Wladimir Klitschko
Manny Pacquiao
Floyd Mayweather
i dont think Manny Pacquiao is arrogant:nonono:
Humble:Glen Johnson
Wlad klitschko
evander holyfield
ricki hatton
kelly pavlik
diego corrales
mosley
arrogant:
ANTHONY MUNDINE!
ANTHONY MUNDINE!
NASEEM HAMED!
MAYWEATHER JNR
UM WHO ELSE??
Humble
Ricky Hatton
James Toney
Morrade Hakkar
Juan Diaz
Tony Margarito
Arrogant
Bernard Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe
Wladimir Klitschko
Manny Pacquiao
Floyd Mayweather
how the hell can you put Wlad in there???you need your list re arrranged
Top Five Most Arrogant (in no particular order)
1. PBF Mayweather: -no clarification necessary
2. James Toney: - Will apparently never admit a loss and would kick the shit out of God himself
3. Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver : - arrogant and delusional
4. Julio Cesar Chavez : -one of my all-time favs, but his inability to acknowledge a loss or his opponents effort belies his enormous arrogance
5. Roy Jones Jr :- chapped my ass the way he paraded around for years (actually, he hasn't really stopped) declaring his P4P supremacy all the while dismissing many great fighters like Chavez, Barrera who fought and occasionally lost competitive fights.
Top Five Most Humble (in no particular order)
1. Mickey Ward : - every man's everyman (said it again). Humble to a fault.
2. Shane Mosely : - confident, but respectful. also very gracious in defeat
3. Jesse James Leija : - great competitor, great sport
4. Diego Corrales : - Confident guy, took losses with dignity
5. Ricardo Mayorga : - kidding really, but he did kneel down and beg forgiveness from a punk like Vargas (can't think of a greater act of humility than that)
___________________________________________________________
Most arrogant
Floyd Mayweather ,obvious reasons
J C Chavez after the Randall Loss especially
Mike Tyson abnother big baby whos lost his dummy :bottle:
Naseem Hamed for obvious reasons :owned:
Marvin Hagler after his defeat to Ray Leonard :bottle:
Most humble
Nigel Benn after his defeat to Chris Eubank
Sugar Shane just a humble guy ,never complains or acts bitter afterwards
Evander Holyfield
Mikel Kessler
Dela Hoya
notable mention for arrogant Vivian Harris :bottle: lmfao
Glen Johnson was probably the most humble boxer I have ever seen...
No need to mention the arrogant boxers, though I think it is important to note that there is a difference between confidence, arrogance, and simply pretending to be as part of an act.
I'll try to limit my list to fighters I've yet to see mentioned, and also limited to active and/or recently retired:
Humble (in no particular order, and extended beyond five):
Famoso Hernandez, Wlad Klitschko, Juan Diaz, Steve Forbes, Grady Brewer, Miguel Espino, Lamon Brewster, Stevie Johnston, Lamont and Anthony Peterson, Dominick Guinn, Israel Vazquez, Rocky Juarez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Chad Dawson, Tomasz Adamek, Kermit Cintron, Andy Lee
Arrogant:
Oscar de la Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, Joel Casamayor (or did I miss him among the first five pages), O'Neil Bell, Edison Miranda
Muahamad Ali: -especially in pre-fights
2. James Toney:
3. Wikny Wright: - see Taylor VS Wright
4. Marco Antonio Barrera : see 12th round Barrera-Hamed. He slammed Hamed's face into a turnbakle cause he knew he was winning the fight. Pure arrogance.
5. Naseem Hamed :Uh!
Top Five Most Humble (in no particular order)
1. Glen Johnson : - "I'm not the best, i just want to fight the best"
2. Shane Mosely : great.
3. Joe Luis Castillo - very honest guy
4. Diego Corrales : - Confident guy, took losses with dignity
5. Jermain Taylorhe's nice
Chico was (still sounds strange to use past tense for him, RIP) one of my favorites, but he was hardly humble in defeat. He tried to beat up his own stepfather for mercifully stopping the Floyd fight. He went to his grave believing he was robbed of the opportunity to turn the tide in the first Casa fight. He firmly believed he was robbed in the rubber match. In his (and Shaw's) mind, the 2nd Castillo fight didn't count because JLC was overweight, yet dismissed any suggestions of his gaining extra recovery time in the 10th and final round of their epic first fight.
Aside from the Clottey fight, not sure I could disagree more with you on that claim. I agree he was humble, but certainly not because he was gracious in defeat.
Interesting topic.
I will never consider Eubank as arrogant. He had the typical swagger in the ring but was really a very nice and gracious person outside it.
I'm not even going to both really with the arrogant list. There's just too many. Some obvious ones would be: Ali, Hamed (jack off inside and outside), Toney (nice guy though), Duran (also a very nice guy outside), Benn, Holmes....the list goes on and on...
Most humble: Kostya Tszyu is a huge credit to this sport. I wish there were many more like him. His attitude in winning and losing is what every sportsman should strive for. A genuinely humble, sincere man. Just check out the post fight interviews from Tszyu/Hatton.
Arguello: Really nice guy who respected the sport and his fellow fighters and opponents deeply.
Corrales: I think everything about him has been said already.
Marciano: Was always respectful of opponents and the sport. Gave everything he had and was gracious and a softly spoken gentleman who shied away from the fame and spotlight so many wanted to put on him.
Mosely: Great genuine person that was always smiling and happy even after his losses which he took with a great deal of respect towards his opponents.
18y ago
Five Most Arrogant / Five most humble | BoxingScene Community