Many of us came to this forum to avoid them, but you can never truly be rid of them. The following is a poll for most annoying fans (not the fighters themselves) since the internet era, when we were exposed to the assorted fan manias:
Mike Tyson - his fans believe that his relatively brief prime is the standard for all other heavyweights to be measured by. They dismiss his crimes and transgressions dutifully. And many of them probably think that if Kevin Rooney trained him he'd become heavyweight champion NOW.
Oscar De La Hoya - hard for me to stay unbiased because he is my least favorite on this list. His fans consisted mostly of fangirls and guys who were kinda...um...soft. They bought into his phony "Golden Boy" persona and lost interest in the sport as soon as he was retired.
Roy Jones Jr. - nobody doubts how truly stunning his skills were in his prime. But his hardcore fans always overlooked the many contenders he skipped by claiming that Roy would have beaten them anyway, so why bother to have the fight? They are still very protective of Roy's legend and get very defensive when challenged.
The Klitschko's - newer fans believe that they are the beginning of the new era of super heavyweights, and that all who preceded them would be physically inferior and unable to compete. What gets dismissed is that their combined win list has no potential hall of famers, and that some of their losses were just plain embarrassing. And while no fault of theirs, the fanbase includes barely disguised racists who finally have a heavyweight to cling their agenda to.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - another undisputable talent whose fans take hero worship to a new level. They actually care how much money he makes as if they were getting a percentage of it. Like with Jones, his missed opponents get dismissed as having no chance anyway, so why bother. Most annoying is there belligerent arrogance if you claim that Floyd would have struggled with any past greats.
Manny Pacquiao - everyone likes Manny, he is a good guy. Also a very gifted fighter, but his fans become hypersensitive over any perceived slight or insult. It is one thing to be compared to the top talent of his era, but quite another to be compared to Henry Armstrong. One more loss and you can expect their loyalty to fade very quickly.
Mike Tyson - his fans believe that his relatively brief prime is the standard for all other heavyweights to be measured by. They dismiss his crimes and transgressions dutifully. And many of them probably think that if Kevin Rooney trained him he'd become heavyweight champion NOW.
Oscar De La Hoya - hard for me to stay unbiased because he is my least favorite on this list. His fans consisted mostly of fangirls and guys who were kinda...um...soft. They bought into his phony "Golden Boy" persona and lost interest in the sport as soon as he was retired.
Roy Jones Jr. - nobody doubts how truly stunning his skills were in his prime. But his hardcore fans always overlooked the many contenders he skipped by claiming that Roy would have beaten them anyway, so why bother to have the fight? They are still very protective of Roy's legend and get very defensive when challenged.
The Klitschko's - newer fans believe that they are the beginning of the new era of super heavyweights, and that all who preceded them would be physically inferior and unable to compete. What gets dismissed is that their combined win list has no potential hall of famers, and that some of their losses were just plain embarrassing. And while no fault of theirs, the fanbase includes barely disguised racists who finally have a heavyweight to cling their agenda to.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. - another undisputable talent whose fans take hero worship to a new level. They actually care how much money he makes as if they were getting a percentage of it. Like with Jones, his missed opponents get dismissed as having no chance anyway, so why bother. Most annoying is there belligerent arrogance if you claim that Floyd would have struggled with any past greats.
Manny Pacquiao - everyone likes Manny, he is a good guy. Also a very gifted fighter, but his fans become hypersensitive over any perceived slight or insult. It is one thing to be compared to the top talent of his era, but quite another to be compared to Henry Armstrong. One more loss and you can expect their loyalty to fade very quickly.
*awaits IronDan!
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