Though stamina surely played a part, Shavers was definitely hurt in the 15th. IMO ten more seconds and he would have been KO'd.

Holyfield after Bowe (at least as a HW)
Winky after his early losses
Corrales after Mayweather (debatable)

At the time, I remember a lot of build-up and anticipation (at least in boxing circles) for RJJ and Toney at 168. Everyone knew these two were the best middles / super middles around. Although I admit it was probably not so well known to the general public. Also, i think Barrera-Morales I should get...

Calzaghe-Lacy
Ali-C. Williams
RJJ-Toney

Ward and Augustus/Burton... they had that on VS. (I think) two weeks ago. What a chaotic slugfest!

Victor*KC wrote:

Decagon wrote:Mike Tyson was one of the least balanced of the top 15 heavyweights of all time.

What did he lack speed,power? I'd like to know

His chin was pretty good too. I'd say he lacked a decent jab, foot speed and mental toughness. Great hand speed, combos and power in his prime.

Actually, I always thought Shavers was intimidiating. He was a pretty mean looking guy, and you always knew he could finish someone with one shot.

BoxBuzz wrote:Didnt Minter hold the belt at some point?

Sorry, my fault... you're right... I thought it was just the European belt, but he beat Vito for it... good catch

How about a couple of others from the Hagler era... Mustafa Hamsho and Alan Minter... both have some very good wins on their records

Skill-wise... Golota, if he weren't an absolute head case

Castillo Corrales II - Beautiful left hook... birds were flying around Chico's head after that

Hopkins body shot on DLH was pretty nice too

pundit v. Brockton

J-C wrote:Probably not top 5 but,

Duran - De Jesus
Greb - Tunney

Great call on Duran-De Jesus... you beat me to it. I think another one that definitely has to be there is Charles - Walcott.

Agreed... no doubt Corrales-Castillo I should be up there... especially over Rumble in the Jungle... sure, it was a huge upset, but the fight itself was not overly entertaining IMO. Heck, if it was just being judged on significance / upset, then Foreman-Moorer should be there (even though I don't th...

this fight doesnt make sense. in 1956 when marciano retired......liston was a young unproven nobody. he wasnt even a contender. by the time liston became a contender in 1958.......marciano was long retired Plus Marciano wasn’t any good anyway. Liston KO 15 seconds of round 1 over ANY version of Mar...

M. Spinks - M. Saad Muhammad ('80)
Marciano-Liston (mid-late 50s)
J. Marc-Mormeck - V. Jirov (late '02)
T. Hearns - M. McCallum ('86-'87)

Syntax Error wrote:Muhammad Ali -v- Joe Frazier, circa 1968.

amen to that!

Lewis-Bowe 94

I figured it had something to do with Frazier's ill will towards Ali, but wanted to make sure. It's actually an injustice it didn't happen... I'm guessing the public was screaming for it. You think that may have affected Ali's lackluster performances against Bugner and Norton early 73? Not that the ...

I wasn't old enough at the time to know why, but it amazes me, looking back, that Ali could not get a rematch with Frazier any time from late in 71 to early 73. It seems like he was running over every contender in the division, and I'm sure he wanted a rematch, so I'm curious to hear thoughts / reas...

Decagon wrote:I scored Norton II about a year ago, and had Ali up 7-5.

Can't wait to see it... from what I've heard, it really was a good fight to watch.

True, he got the nod on some close decisions, but mainly after Manila (when he was washed up IMO). Ali-Frazier II was not close IMO - you'd be hard pressed to give Frazier more than 4 rounds unless you were a fan. Hell, I was a fan, and I still couldn't. Haven't seen Norton II yet, but will soon, an...

Decagon wrote:You'd have to be really, really pro-Ali to give him six of those 12 rounds. I thought he won the rematch, though.

Agree for the most part... I think definitely four, I could see five, but six is a bit of a stretch. Norton definitely won IMO, but it was tough to score.

This fight was as hard to score as the two that followed. I think Ali-Norton I, II, and III could have gone either way and there wouldn't have been much complaint. Some people still argue about Norton getting jobbed in the third fight, but there are plenty of people that feel Ali pulled it out afte...

What a great topic and match-up. Personally I think Joe's swarming style favors him a bit in this one, especially as he would work Holy's body like no one ever did. I could see this going either way, but think Frazier wins a close decision with one KD (and a lot of swelling from Holy's shots) along ...

Did you develop an opinion as to when his jaw was broken? You know, I was trying to find it, but I just couldn't tell. I thought maybe in round 2 as they supposedly say, because he became so tentative - almost seemed afraid to throw - in rounds 4 and 5. And he danced all of Round 3. But I figured i...