GREAT FIGHTS THAT PEOPLE SEDOM TALK ABOUT

[elmersalsa]

One of the great fights that people seldom talk about was Gavilan vs Gil Turner
It was a FANTASTIC FIGHT with Gavilan winning by TKO in the 11th round. The only thing was that the referee should have stepped in waaaaaay much sooner. After that fight, Gil Turner was never the same.

Which are other great fights that people seldom talk about?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Worthwhile topic.

How about Tszyu-Hurtado & Echols-Brewer?

[My2Sense]

One of the great fights that people seldom talk about was Gavilan vs Gil Turner
It was a FANTASTIC FIGHT with Gavilan winning by TKO in the 11th round. The only thing was that the referee should have stepped in waaaaaay much sooner. After that fight, Gil Turner was never the same.

I must've watched Gavilan-Turner about 100 times, it's one of my favorites. IMO, it's the best fight of Gavilan that's on film.

As for other great fights that are often overlooked...

Eder Jofre vs. Joe Medel I - Fantastic fight, with two rounds in particular (rounds 5 and 9, if I remember correctly) being among the very best individual rounds I've ever seen. Had a great KO too.

Victor Galindez - Richie Kates I - Perhaps THE most overlooked great fight ever. I don't think I've ever heard anyone else talk about this one. Incredibly bloody war, with even the referee soaked in blood (mainly because Galindez kept wiping his face on the referee's sleeves every time he broke them from clinches ). Galindez fought from bell to bell with an intense fury that I've never seen him fight with again, before or since. Also had a great KO too.

Danny Lopez vs. Mike Ayala - One of the best fights I've ever seen. Many people thought Ayala (a brother of Tony Ayala) was in over his head in this fight, going up against the harder hitting and more experienced champion Lopez. But Ayala fought Lopez tooth and nail all the way before finally being stopped in the last round. Years later, Ayala would claim he shot up on heroin the morning of the fight.

Mike McCallum vs. Julian Jackson - This was basically a lighter weight, poor man's version of Hagler-Hearns, with Jackson in the role of the big puncher and McCallum as the all-around fighter who stepped up his game to meet the puncher's attack.

Nigel Benn vs. Michael Watson - This fight often gets overlooked when the great fights of Benn, Watson, and Eubank get brought up. IMO, this may have been the best of them all.

Leonard Dorin vs. Raoul Balbi I - Neither of these fighters really went as far as expected after this fight, which is probably why it's been somewhat forgotten. 12 rounds of absolute non-stop punching like I've never seen, before or since. Most people agreed that Balbi should've got at least a draw and retained his title. They had a rematch, which I never saw, and Dorin supposedly won another all action fight, but more decisively. This fight was on the undercard of the Mickey Ward- Jesse James Leija match, and it was supposed to just wet our appetites. It ended up stealing the whole show.

Dorin vs. Spadafora - Dorin surprised Spaddy and forced him into a war, but Spaddy met his challenge. Very strange scoring by the judges all the way, who basically seemed to look at every round and then score it the opposite that it should've been scored. Most people believe Dorin should've won.

Vargas-Mayorga - Many people beforehand dismissed this as just a pathetic matchup of has-beens. I was one of the few people who shelled out the money to see this (after debating it over in my mind all day long), and I was so glad that I did. Very dramatic, with a lot of surprises and shifts in momentum. I thought if that fight went into the late rounds, that Vargas would be the one to gut it out, but Mayorga surprised me by outgutting him. I thought Mayorga won it in the last round.

I believe Casamayor-Katsidis is going to become an overlooked fight (if it isn't already). It came on the heels of two other Fight of the Year candidates (Marquez-Vazquez III and Marquez-Pacquiao II) and seemed to be overshadowed by them just a bit, even though it was arguably the best fight of the bunch IMO.

[Robinson]

Ive got so many fights to get my hands onto.

[My2Sense]

After that fight, Gil Turner was never the same.

Speaking of Turner, he also had an all time great battle with Joey Giardello about a year after the Gavilan fight. That fight also ended with Turner lying on the ropes, eating big right hands from Giardello (although this time, Turner managed to last the distance).

By the time of his stoppage loss to Bobby Jones (about two years after the Gavilan fight), Turner had all the look of a burned out fighter. He did manage to score an impressive comeback win over Gene Fullmer (who he knocked out of the ring ) and also gave a strong performance in losing to a prime Carmen Basilio. But after losing to Fullmer twice in rematches, Turner was pretty much finished.

[JDGAFFLIN]

Leonard Dorin vs. Raoul Balbi I - Neither of these fighters really went as far as expected after this fight, which is probably why it's been somewhat forgotten. 12 rounds of absolute non-stop punching like I've never seen, before or since. Most people agreed that Balbi should've got at least a draw and retained his title. They had a rematch, which I never saw, and Dorin supposedly won another all action fight, but more decisively. This fight was on the undercard of the Mickey Ward- Jesse James Leija match, and it was supposed to just wet our appetites. It ended up stealing the whole show.

This was a terrific all action fight. I scored the fight a draw. Before the fight, I was debating even watching it, or going to to the bar to watch the Ward Leija fight, as I wasn't familar with either fighter. I watched round one, and never bothered leaving the couch till the fight was over.

[Jaywheel]

Dorin versus Augustus was a great battle too, overshadowed by the Ward-Augustus fight that people remember much more.

[JDGAFFLIN]

I wonder how many of times Augustas has fought in these types of fights? It seems like his resume is full of 'em, if you take a serious look back.

Same with Ward. Sure, we know the Gatti-Ward Trilogy. But Mickey vs. Shea Neary was a barn burner of a fight. As was Ward vs. Antonio Diaz.

[Borinken25]

Alexis Arguello vs Alfredo “El Salsero” Escalera I and II.
Wilfredo Gomez vs Lupe Pintor

[Goodnight, Irene]

One of the great fights that people seldom talk about was Gavilan vs Gil Turner
It was a FANTASTIC FIGHT with Gavilan winning by TKO in the 11th round. The only thing was that the referee should have stepped in waaaaaay much sooner. After that fight, Gil Turner was never the same.

I must've watched Gavilan-Turner about 100 times, it's one of my favorites. IMO, it's the best fight of Gavilan that's on film.

As for other great fights that are often overlooked...

Eder Jofre vs. Joe Medel I - Fantastic fight, with two rounds in particular (rounds 5 and 9, if I remember correctly) being among the very best individual rounds I've ever seen. Had a great KO too.

Victor Galindez - Richie Kates I - Perhaps THE most overlooked great fight ever. I don't think I've ever heard anyone else talk about this one. Incredibly bloody war, with even the referee soaked in blood (mainly because Galindez kept wiping his face on the referee's sleeves every time he broke them from clinches ). Galindez fought from bell to bell with an intense fury that I've never seen him fight with again, before or since. Also had a great KO too.

Danny Lopez vs. Mike Ayala - One of the best fights I've ever seen. Many people thought Ayala (a brother of Tony Ayala) was in over his head in this fight, going up against the harder hitting and more experienced champion Lopez. But Ayala fought Lopez tooth and nail all the way before finally being stopped in the last round. Years later, Ayala would claim he shot up on heroin the morning of the fight.

Mike McCallum vs. Julian Jackson - This was basically a lighter weight, poor man's version of Hagler-Hearns, with Jackson in the role of the big puncher and McCallum as the all-around fighter who stepped up his game to meet the puncher's attack.

Nigel Benn vs. Michael Watson - This fight often gets overlooked when the great fights of Benn, Watson, and Eubank get brought up. IMO, this may have been the best of them all.

Leonard Dorin vs. Raoul Balbi I - Neither of these fighters really went as far as expected after this fight, which is probably why it's been somewhat forgotten. 12 rounds of absolute non-stop punching like I've never seen, before or since. Most people agreed that Balbi should've got at least a draw and retained his title. They had a rematch, which I never saw, and Dorin supposedly won another all action fight, but more decisively. This fight was on the undercard of the Mickey Ward- Jesse James Leija match, and it was supposed to just wet our appetites. It ended up stealing the whole show.

Dorin vs. Spadafora - Dorin surprised Spaddy and forced him into a war, but Spaddy met his challenge. Very strange scoring by the judges all the way, who basically seemed to look at every round and then score it the opposite that it should've been scored. Most people believe Dorin should've won.

Vargas-Mayorga - Many people beforehand dismissed this as just a pathetic matchup of has-beens. I was one of the few people who shelled out the money to see this (after debating it over in my mind all day long), and I was so glad that I did. Very dramatic, with a lot of surprises and shifts in momentum. I thought if that fight went into the late rounds, that Vargas would be the one to gut it out, but Mayorga surprised me by outgutting him. I thought Mayorga won it in the last round.

I believe Casamayor-Katsidis is going to become an overlooked fight (if it isn't already). It came on the heels of two other Fight of the Year candidates (Marquez-Vazquez III and Marquez-Pacquiao II) and seemed to be overshadowed by them just a bit, even though it was arguably the best fight of the bunch IMO.

Have you seen the relatively-unknown (to Americans) Katsidis-Earl bout? Scintillating.

[dr_devious]

Michael Moorer vs Smokin Bert Cooper is a personal favourite of mine, a real thriller. Doesnt get mentioned much at all

[Counter-puncher]

Jeff Fenech - Marcos Villasana

Merqui Sosa - Prince Charles Williams 1&2

Orlando Canizales - Kelvion Seabrooks

Chacon - Art Frias

[Elton John]

Ive got so many fights to get my hands onto.

While you're at it look at Baslio-Demarco 1,2 and Napoles-Backus 1, 2 so you can see for yourself what a REAL welter looks like.

[Elton John]

My all time favorite - Aaron Davis-Mark Breland. I'm surprised this fight never gets mentioned. It is a classic and really shuld be up there at the top. Other classics-Gomez-Pintor, Mancini-Kim even slightly more intense than the Pryor-Arguello match the previous night, although not on the same level of class.

[Robinson]

Patterson-Quarry 1 and 2. Two great and close bouts that are to me anyhow
exciting and well, controversial.

Holyfield-Cooper - I suppose it has some talk, but its under appreciated as an
actual fight. Entertaining and brief, Cooper shows how well he can bang.

Frazier-Bugner- I just like this fight. Both men get inside those trenches and
just trade.

Frazier-Quarry 1 and 2. - Definite Frazier victories but Quarry is game and
makes this short lived though exciting.

Im sure there are plenty more...those are some that just come to mind.

[telboy66]

Bob foster v Chris finnagan Chris fought the fight of his life that night against one of the true great lightheavys & exhaustion more than anything else got to him in the 14th & foster stopped him but he went out on his shield like a warrior

[Collins2000]

Nigel Benn - Anthony Logan

[My2Sense]

My all time favorite - Aaron Davis-Mark Breland. I'm surprised this fight never gets mentioned. It is a classic and really shuld be up there at the top. Other classics-Gomez-Pintor, Mancini-Kim even slightly more intense than the Pryor-Arguello match the previous night, although not on the same level of class.

Good calls on Davis-Breland and Mancini-Kim.

The Davis KO is simply one of the best and most brutal KOs in the entire history of boxing. It nearly knocked Breland's head off his pencil neck and into the third row. You just knew Breland had to be finished after that.

The Mancini fight doesn't get talked about much because of how tragic the ending was. Just like the Griffith-Paret fight. Both were all time great action fights, but the ending (understandably) overshadowed everything else. Plus, a lot of people simply may not be able to watch them.

[My2Sense]

Doug Jones-Zora Folley. What was fight of the year that year? This was surely a contender.

I saw Jones-Folley (their second fight, I presume) for the first time on ESPN Classic a while back. I definitely think it was one of the best heavyweight fights ever.

Jones' fight with Bob Foster was pretty good as well.

Ken Norton vs. Jerry Quarry was an all time great heavyweight fight too IMO, at least for as long as it lasted. Damn, Quarry took some punches in his career!


Jeff Harding and Dennis Andries had probably the most underrated trilogy of fights ever.

[My2Sense]

And how could I forget??? One of my very favorite fights of all time...

Dick Tiger vs. Joey Giardello IV

One of the best middleweight fights ever IMO.

15 rounds of pure drama.

One man hungry to regain his title, the other man determined to keep it.

This was Tiger's most complete performance IMO. His footwork, his timing, his combinations... everything came together for him in this fight.

[funso banjo baby]

The Second Muhammed ALI Floyd Patterson fight

this was both boxers greatest performance IMO

check it out

[allworld80]

Gonzales/Letterlough