The fighting system is amazing but the game could have benefited from being deeper.
The fighter models were very detailed and realistic and as far as I know were very true to life. The presentation on a whole was superb although there could have been a wider range of arenas and boxers to choose from.
When it comes to the actual fighting mechanics, Fight Night realy comes through though. The right analog stick is used to control the way you punch which allows you to really control the way you fight. You can choose how far to wind up and the angle you want to come in at in addition to deciding the type of punch. You also can control the height of the punch and block differnt areas with individual hands. All of this takes a lot to get used to, but once you master the system it will be hard to return to a normal face button based setup.
Two complaints I did have though were that the haymaker punches were a bit overpowered and that the method for getting up after a knockdown was a bit odd. Still though even the complaints were only parts of the game that were slightly less imprssive.
The game does what it is meant to do well although a better sort of career mode and an overall deeper game would have made a huge difference.