Most Important Fight Of All Time

[SUGARRAYSMELEE]

I'd be interested to know what people think is the most important fight ever.

I believe it is either Louis/ Schmeling 2 or Johnson/ Jeffries.

What other fights do you consider extremely important and why?

[jaclem2]

....two good cboices....i'll add corbett/sullivan....marquis of queensbury rules...corbett's use a newer boxing style.....the most famous fight and biggest upset of its time..

[jaclem2]

...oops...just noticed it was a poll between two fights...hard to say...each was highly important in its own time...jeffries the white man the "hero" in the first....louis the Black man in the second.
maybe louis vs max has the edge because it had international repercussions.

[Seamus]

If we're talking about the most anticipated HW bouts of alltime, those two, forgone conclusion fights shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Frazier vs Ali I.

[Goodnight, Irene]

If we're talking about the most anticipated HW bouts of alltime, those two, forgone conclusion fights shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Frazier vs Ali I.

Good thing we arent, then.

[raylawpc]

If we're talking about the most anticipated HW bouts of alltime, those two, forgone conclusion fights shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Frazier vs Ali I.

They weren't foregone conclusions at the time. A majority of sportswriters picked Jeffries; the odds in Louis-Schmeling were pretty close, as I recall.

I've always believed the three most significant fights in terms of transcending boxing were Jeffries-Johnson, Louis-Schmeling II and Ali-Frazier I.

[SUGARRAYSMELEE]

If we're talking about the most anticipated HW bouts of alltime, those two, forgone conclusion fights shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Frazier vs Ali I.

They weren't foregone conclusions at the time. A majority of sportswriters picked Jeffries; the odds in Louis-Schmeling were pretty close, as I recall.

I've always believed the three most significant fights in terms of transcending boxing were Jeffries-Johnson, Louis-Schmeling II and Ali-Frazier I.

This seems to be the general consensus among most, I guess it is true.

[JC]

Of the two listed I'd go for Johnson/Jefferies because it was important politically and was a milestone in boxing history. Louis/Schmeling is important politically but slightly less of an important fight in the history of the sport IMO.

[Jaywheel]

If we're talking about the most anticipated HW bouts of alltime, those two, forgone conclusion fights shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Frazier vs Ali I.

Good thing we arent, then.

[wsbuf]

Wouldn't Jack Johnson vs Tommy Burns be more significant? Without that fight there may not have been a Johnson-Jeffries bout.

[raylawpc]

Wouldn't Jack Johnson vs Tommy Burns be more significant? Without that fight there may not have been a Johnson-Jeffries bout.

By that reasoning, Louis-Braddock and Frazier-Ellis were more significant . . .

[Ambling Alp]

In a way they were as significant. Many fights that a fighter won that doesn't seem that significant helped make a later fight of his more significant. It is sort of how you look at things.
You also have to define what does "important" mean here? Importance in terms of it's impact on society, it's importance strictly in the sense of boxing history, the excitement building up to the fight, or what?

[dempseyfire]

In terms of global interest, both Schmeling-Louis II and Johnson-Jefferies eclipsed Ali-Frazier. They were seen as being MUCH bigger than boxing . . .they were the defining sporting events of their age.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Dempsey/Carpentier is worth a mention, though not at the political levels of the other ones.

[theone]

in recent years..lets say the last 20 years I would say the most important for the sport itself was Barrera vs McKinney. This great match seemed to usher in a new golden era for fighters under 135lb.

[elmersalsa]

No fight in boxing history was more important than the Fight of the Century of March 8, 1971...Ali vs Frazier I. I think Johnson vs Jeffries was second.

[yancey]

"In terms of global interest, both Schmeling-Louis II and Johnson-Jefferies eclipsed Ali-Frazier." dempseyfire


You are way, way, way, way off with that statement.

[raylawpc]

"In terms of global interest, both Schmeling-Louis II and Johnson-Jefferies eclipsed Ali-Frazier." dempseyfire


You are way, way, way, way off with that statement.

No, he's right on. Go back in the microfilm and look at the coverage. You'll see dempseyfire is right.

[yancey]

"In terms of global interest, both Schmeling-Louis II and Johnson-Jefferies eclipsed Ali-Frazier." dempseyfire


You are way, way, way, way off with that statement.

No, he's right on. Go back in the microfilm and look at the coverage. You'll see dempseyfire is right.

Amiably disagree.

And the FOTC truly was bigger than boxing, too.

[dempseyfire]

"In terms of global interest, both Schmeling-Louis II and Johnson-Jefferies eclipsed Ali-Frazier." dempseyfire


You are way, way, way, way off with that statement.

No, he's right on. Go back in the microfilm and look at the coverage. You'll see dempseyfire is right.

Amiably disagree.

And the FOTC truly was bigger than boxing, too.

Ali-Frazier I was a very big fight but one of several big sporting events of its time. Footage of Johnson-Jefferies negotiations, training camps, what they ate for breakfast etc. was front-page material for MONTHS. It was viewed with interest worldwide as a test of eugenic theory and white superiority in the age of colonialism and segregation (this was before popular opinion made it a given that people of West African descent excelled at sports on the level of whites, especially in sports such as boxing which required 'heart' or 'grit'). Yes Ali-Frazier also had racial overtones during the era of Civil Rights and Vietnam, but in term of overall scale, it's not really even comparable.

[jaclem2]

..dempsey and those who agree with him are right... ali/frazier simply doesn't belong in this discussion...

[Seamus]

Everything about both fights was outside the ring hype. All the newspaper articles in the world weren't going to make them great fights. Schmeling pulled an upset the first time and now he was 2 yrs older and going on 33, had only 3 fights in that time, and Louis was now the champion and looking unbeatable. There was only going to be one result.

[yancey]

..dempsey and those who agree with him are right... ali/frazier simply doesn't belong in this discussion...

[Brutu]

John L.Sullivan vs James J. Corbett.
Unless the underlying theme here is race yet again.

[raylawpc]

John L.Sullivan vs James J. Corbett.
Unless the underlying theme here is race yet again.

I would assert that, in the 19th century, Sayer-Heenan and Sullivan-Kilrain were more significant, at least in terms of public interest, pre-fight coverage and historical impact. (Which, it would seem, has become the theme of this thread.)