[poRmawayncmop]

Would you say the old champions loved what they did? that they loved to fight?

They had the undeniable will to dominate their opponent.
Pit bulls were selectively bred to fight for more than a century, well maybe a couple of centuries.
If they would not fight, they are eliminated from the gene pool.
Pit bulls didn't "love" to fight ... more accurately ... they are genetically programmed for it.