Things they wish they never said.

1.“I’ll never lose to a Negro.” – Alan Minter before his fight against Marvin Hagler. Minter was destroyed in 3 rounds.

2.“I’ll never lose to a white boy” – Bernard Hopkins before his 12 round decision loss to Joey Calzaghe.

3.“He should be locked up for impersonating a fighter.” – Sonny Liston prior to losing the HW Championship to Cassius Clay via 7th round T.K.O.

4.“The first one to take a backwards step is a sissy.” – John Mugabi’s comment to Marvin Hagler before their 12 round championship MW bout. Hagler stopped Mugabi in round 11…..and no, he didn’t take a backward step.

5.“I don’t train for bums.” – Riddick Bowe’s pre fight comment on his bout with Andrew Golota. (Note: Check out the fight. Not only should Bowe have trained, he should’ve carried a knife in the ring.)

6.“That’s’ right. I’m not training for that bum.” – Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) in reference to his 1963 fight with Henry Cooper. Cooper knocked Ali down with a dynamite left hook in the 4th round. Of course they don’t call him the GOAT for nothing. He got up and finished Cooper in the 5th round, as he had predicted.

7.“I never went down.” – Tommy Hearns during an interview with Howard Cossell in reference to the 13th round of his fight 1st bout with Sugar Ray Leonard. Hearns was pounded through the ropes twice.

8.“See Earnie, I can punch a taste too.” – Ken Norton’s comment to Earnie Shavers prior to their 1978 Heavyweight elimination bout. Both were watching a film of Norton’s KO of Duane Bobick. Of course, he would have no such fortune against Earnie Shavers, who he succumbed to in the first round.

9.“It’s gonna be a chiller and a killer and a thriller, when I take out the gorilla in Manila.” - Muhammad Ali before his 3rd fight with Joe Frazier. As far as the fight was concerned, Ali was in a fight for his life. Though he would stop Frazier via 14th round T.K.O., Frazier’s rage led to an attack on Ali that actually turned him into a nearly shot fighter. Though he had some great moments following his epic battle with Joe Frazier, he would never be the same again.

10. “ We need this round, Meldrick.” – Lou Duva’s comment to a beat up Meldrick Taylor prior to the 12th round of his bout with Julio Caesar Chavez. Meldrick, who looked like he had been hit by a small car, only needed to survive the 12th round in order to win a decision. He opted to fight and was stopped in the final stanza with only 3 seconds left in the fight.”

Any additions welcomed.

I remember being a kid and screaming at the tv for Meldrick to just stay away.

i don't deserve to get beat up like this-victor ortiz

can't exactly recall what was said but i do remember that roberto duran started one of his antics consisting of insults and said something nasty about wilfredo benitez's mother. Unlike other fighters who wait until the fight, wilfredo instantly punched duran in the face and a mini brawl broke out.

here's some of it in spanish although they don't say what was said. they do said that after some insults wilfredo's father don goyo told wilfredo "punch him in the face" and wilfredo did.

Don King promotor de Roberto Durán, en la solidez de su campaña pugilística, estipuló el altercado para el 30 de enero de 1982 en el Hotel Casino Caesar Palace de Las Vegas

La conferencia de prensa que oficializó éste esperado combate, se celebró en el Hotel Waldorf Astoria de Nueva York y al encontrarse los dos al entrada del Gran Salón, Roberto Durán quiso intimidar a Benítez, con su vocabulario especial y el padre de éste le arengó: «Dale en la cara», y así lo hizo, Wilfredo Benítez, le estrelló derecha al rostro a Durán, después hubo una seguidilla de golpes y forcejeo que separó el promotor Don King, pero quedó viva la rivalidad entre ambos.

En este pasaje se comprobó el respeto que cobró el puertorriqueño Wilfredo Benítez en la mente de Roberto Durán, por que después en la mesa que compartían lo vimos conversando amigablemente y los ojos del panameño acusaban respeto por su contrario al despedirse de la prensa ambos pugilistas.

"Yes"

Tex Cobb when asked if he would sign to fight Larry Holmes.

flapanther2001 wrote:"Yes"

Tex Cobb when asked if he would sign to fight Larry Holmes.