Do you have to have a huge heart to be considered a great fighter ?

[Dynamite Kid]

Do you have to have a huge heart to be considered a great fighter ?

I think so, it separates the good from the exceptional.

You have to have the skills to but you know what i mean, we are talking elite fighters.

What ever you think of Ali, Holmes, Frazier one thing you cannot deny is the amount of heart these guys had, they have been in knocked down drag out wars in their career's and always shown that Championship to heart to either.......... finish like a Champion even when dominating or dig deep in the toughest circumstances.

Ali had sustained way too much punishment towards the end of his career but there he was giving Berbick all all he can handle when he clearly had no business being in a prize ring.

I consider Joe Frazier to be the toughest SOB ive ever seen.

Holmes to me is the epitome of a GREAT! champion, he did not have the quality of opposition but he fought for his belt like a true Champion, he refused to lose his belt and even when he was on the way down good fighters still weren't able to capitalize, he finally lost to Spinks but i think he was 36 by that time.

Weaver, Shavers 2, Carl Williams, Snipes, Norton, Larry was a champion with lots of heart just like Ali, Frazier.


I know i posted this before but this is a shell of Muhammad Ali and look at the heart, desire of the man in the final round of the Spinks fight.

6.10

[Obama]

I'd say so. And even tho some great fighters perhaps showed a lack of heart in some fights, I think you have to look at their overall careers and not just a few choice moments.

[GJC]

I guess it depends on where you draw the line as to an elite fighter.
I can't think of too many of the top atg fighters who didn't have heart. You can point out Duran's no mas but then have to balance it against the fighter who went out into round 2 against Hearns. Duran must have been certain that he was going into certain pain and defeat.
Patterson taking a disguise against Liston against the fighter who perservered with his back against Ali.
I think if you take the top notch fighters careers as a whole they sometimes wobble but face adversity and are carried out on their shields.
I guess to paraphrase, boxing doesn't build character it reveals it.