The 10 best fights in boxing history
The coronavirus pandemic has put many things in our lives on hold. Among them, many of the boxing fights that the sport’s fans have been eagerly waiting for have been postponed. However, many bright and spectacular fights involving true aces have survived in history. Why not recall these iconic pages now and relive the excitement once again. The fights between the coryphaei of the ring are worth it.
Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman. October 30, 1974, Kinshasa
The fight is widely regarded as one of the most exciting fights in boxing history. Today it is talked about as the unqualified triumph of Muhammad Ali, but then, in 1974, the prospects of the greatest boxer of all times in this fight, to put it mildly, were perceived sceptically. George Foreman was at the peak of his career and was known as a boxer with a “cannon” punch. But what happened during the fight was that the audience, and even the most experienced experts, were shocked. George Foreman, as usual, started the fight actively, expecting to wear down his opponent. But Mohammed not only held his own, but in the eighth round with an impressive series of punches sent his rival to the knockout.
Mohammed Ali vs Joe Frazier, third fight. October 1, 1975, Manila
The third, final, fight of the great rivalry between two of the greatest heavyweights in the history of modern boxing. At this point, the boxers had already met each other twice in the ring, each with a victory. The third, titled “A Thriller in Manila”, was the moment of truth, to see who was the better boxer. The fight, which lasted 14 rounds, left both Ali and Frazier exhausted. They both took a lot of heavy blows from each other. The fight was stopped on the initiative of Fraser’s assistants.
Ali was formally declared the winner, but people on his team also said afterwards that if Fraser hadn’t stopped the fight, they would have had to do so. By the time the fight was stopped, both heavyweights were already completely exhausted.
After the fight, Mohammed Ali apologised for making offensive remarks about Frazier before the fight. He said that he overdid it during the promotional campaign. And then Ali spoke about his opponent in an exclusively respectful manner. But Fraser tried to avoid any contact with Muhammad Ali as much as possible after the fight in Manila.
Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns. April 4, 1985, Las Vegas
Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. In the 80s every fight of these four great fighters was a landmark event. When these four fighters got to know each other in the ring, it was a fight of epochal importance. These boxers had repeatedly met in the ring, as each of them desperately wanted to be the best. But Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns had only one fight. But what a fight! It went down in boxing history as “The War”. It was one of the most entertaining fights and to this day it is a textbook one.
Sugar Ray Leonard vs Marvin Hagler. April 6, 1987, Las Vegas
This fight went down in boxing history as one of the most dramatic, unexpected and sensational fights. Before the fight, Marvin Hagler, the undisputed light-middleweight champion of the world, was the odds-on favorite. The chances of Sugar Ray Leonard were seen as more than slim.
The boxer, once a nightmare for his opponents, had not fought in three years. But already from the first round something unimaginable began to happen in the ring. The audience saw Leonard as he was at the peak of his career. The whole fight went with his undisputed advantage. After the loss, Hagler could not cope with the stress and ended his career.
Roberto Duran vs Irene Barkley. February 24, 1989, Las Vegas.
Roberto Duran is a boxer with a very interesting and controversial career. During his time in the light-heavyweight division he was the best, winning many impressive victories. When Durand started to compete in heavier weight classes, fortune often turned away from him. He had successes, but only in shocking defeats.
By 1989, Durand was already a veteran, and not a star in the sky. So when his bout with Irene Barkley was announced, they predicted him to win. Especially since Barkley had beaten Thomas Hearns convincingly in his previous fight. But it was a sensation: Duran survived all 12 rounds with flying colours, showed unbelievable boxing and finished the fight as the winner by decision of the judges.
Marco Antonio Barrera vs Erik Morales, first fight. February 19, 2000, Las Vegas
These Mexican boxers are not just rivals. They have a long-standing personal grudge against each other. That’s why they’ve always been a branch of hell when they meet in the ring. After each of their three fights the boxers looked as if they had been in hell. The most “hellish” and most impressive was their first fight.
Israel Vazquez vs Rafael Marquez, third fight. March 1, 2008, Carson
These Mexicans had four fights between them. The result of this fight was a 2-2 draw. Throughout the 12 rounds, the opponents managed to stay in the ring for only one fight, the third one. This fight is considered the most spectacular boxing match between the boxers.
Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward, first fight. May 18, 2002, Ancasville
The boxers had 3 fights and each one was extremely hard, but at the same time very entertaining and was a feast for the boxing fans. Experts did not agree on the best of these fights. However, most of them believe that the first fight, won by Ward, was the best. The overall score of the fight was 2:1 in Gatti’s favour.
Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield. June 28, 1997, Las Vegas.
Experts and boxing connoisseurs call this fight the best fight of the last decade of the twentieth century. The fight was first announced back in 1991, but during six years it was postponed more than once for various reasons. When the two fighters were finally in the ring, the peak of their careers and peak performance was already behind them.
But the six-year wait of the fans was still rewarded: they received 11 rounds of top-class boxing. It is common knowledge that Tyson lost this fight by knockout. But the fight itself for 21 years was unquestionably recognised by experts as the best fight ever made by heavyweight boxers.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko. 29 April 2017, London.
When this fight was first announced, experts were already naming a winner. All the odds were in favour of Anthony Joshua, who was in excellent form. He combined youth, impressive successes and promising prospects. Wladimir Klitschko, 41 years old at the time, had already left behind a ten-year period, when he was a threat to all opponents in the heavyweight division.
The 11-round bout ended with Joshua winning by TKO. But for the younger boxer, this victory was not an easy one. The venerable opponent had his last fight in the professional ring, showing top-notch boxing and ending his career with dignity.
Bonus. Ricardo Torres vs Kendall Holt, second fight. July 5, 2008, Las Vegas
This fight was an opportunity for Kendall Holt to take revenge. After all, Ricardo Torres had beaten him by knockout the year before. And Holt took the opportunity he was given. The fight was notable also for being one of the shortest fights between fighters of the same level. Holt managed to knock Torres out just one minute after the start of the first round.
