Top 21 most legendary heavyweight fights of all time

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 27 Jul 2006, 15:13

Thought this one may bring a new perspective. Here my (totally subjective) ranking. There is no fight after the 1970s in there, I guess because it takes more time to create legends. Fell free to add-revise-complement

1. The "fight of the century" Louis vs. Schmeling II
2. The "rumble in the jungle" Ali vs. Foreman
3. "I can do this all day, Mr Jeffries" Johnson vs. Jeffries
4. "I ain't gonna be jokin' I'll be pickin' and pokin'" Ali vs. Frazier I
5. "I have seen something" Schmeling vs. Louis I
6. The "thrilla in Manila" Ali vs. Frazier III
7. "I stepped into the ring once too often" Corbett vs. Sullivan
8. The "long count" Tunney vs. Dempsey II
9. "Chasing Mr. Burns down all around the world" Johnson vs. Burns
10. "Cinderella man" Braddock vs. Baer
11. The "massacre" Dempsey vs. Willard
12. The "phantom punch" Ali vs. Liston II
13. "Suzie Q" Marciano vs. Walcott I
14. "They would need to pay more to see me massacred" Louis vs. Baer
15. "Thors' hammer" Johannson vs. Patterson I
16. "I didn't want to become champ like this" Schmeling vs. Sharkey I
17. The "slugfest" Foreman vs. Lyle
18. "Frazier the pygmy" Foreman vs. Frazier I
19. "We wuz robbed" Sharkey vs. Schmeling II
20. "I can see nothing" Ali vs. Liston I
21. "Last up is the sissy" Baer vs. Carnera

yiddo14 · Post by **yiddo14** » 27 Jul 2006, 16:22

Great list

Surely Tyson/Holyfield II has to be on there though(for all the wrong reasons) But it's certainly a heavyweight fight that will always be remembered...

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 27 Jul 2006, 16:23

yiddo14 wrote:Great list

Surely Tyson/Holyfield II has to be on there though(for all the wrong reasons) But it's certainly a heavyweight fight that will always be remembered...

Actually, I thought about this one, but didn't want to extent the list into the 1990s for one fight....

But feel free to do so if you wish.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 27 Jul 2006, 18:01

Decagon wrote:After 1980, I'd add:
"The Bite" Holyfield-Tyson II

"Upset of the Century" Douglas-Tyson

"The Last Great White Hope" Holmes-Cooney

"A Star is Born" Tyson-Berbick

"A Superstar is Born" Tyson-Spinks

"Great for One Night" Bowe-Holyfield I

"Pole Axed! Low Blows, Stinking Show!" Bowe-Golota I
The quotes are all mine, save the last one, which came from the cover of Ring magazine.

Spinks-Holmes I, Tyson-Holyfield I come also to mind.
And maybe one day people will talk nostalgically about Lewis-Vitali (now I'm waiting for the reactions....)

Chuck1052 · Post by **Chuck1052** » 27 Jul 2006, 21:59

The most important world heavyweight title fight in my
lifetime, the first bout between Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad
Ali. It was between two fighters who entered the ring
undefeated in the professional ranks.

- Chuck Johnston

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 28 Jul 2006, 05:52

"Spinks breaks the jinx"

Spinks was the first LHW champ to move up and win the title, that's got to be worth a mention.

Collins2000 · Post by **Collins2000** » 28 Jul 2006, 07:03

For me it's Ali beating Foreman. Leading up to that fight almost all the experts were in total agreement that Foreman was going to win and the only debate was about how badly he was going to maul Ali. I think the only writer who went for an upset was Colin Hart and he probably went for Ali due to his admitted love for the man as he hasn't got another upset prediction right since.

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 28 Jul 2006, 08:10

The original list was great and there have been some nice additions. I would also consider:

"It Ain't Over til It's Over" Weaver-Tate
Patterson-Johansson II
"Fan Man" Holyfield-Bowe II
Norton-Holmes

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 28 Jul 2006, 09:16

Chuck1052 wrote:The most important world heavyweight title fight in my
lifetime, the first bout between Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad
Ali. It was between two fighters who entered the ring
undefeated in the professional ranks.

- Chuck Johnston

No doubt Ali-Frazier I was legendary, it was also dubbed "fight of the century" by some. There is really no point to try to come up with an exact ranking, and my attempt shouldn't be understood as such. Still, most would probably agree that Louis-Schmeling II or Ali-Frazier I were more significant than Baer-Carnera.

Grimm · Post by **Grimm** » 28 Jul 2006, 11:31

I don't know about the most legendary, but I'm pretty sure Tyson/Holyfield I and II were the most memorable along with the Ali/Frazier series.

hebrew_hammer · Post by **hebrew_hammer** » 28 Jul 2006, 16:40

If we can include non-title fights, then I thought Ibeabuchi-Tua was a great one. Most punches in a heavyweight bout since Thrilla in Manila (since they started counting, of course).

Collins2000 · Post by **Collins2000** » 28 Jul 2006, 17:00

Decagon wrote:Actually, they threw more punches than Ali and Frazier in Manila. The problem was that not too many people saw the fight.

For me, the fight of the 20th century will always be Johnson-Jeffries.

2nd only to Bill Tate vs Bearcat Wright.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 28 Jul 2006, 17:08

22. "Lend me your ear" Tyson vs Holyfield II

Box Buzz added this to my list, but this was HIS addition and should be recognized as such...

RAPID · Post by **RAPID** » 29 Jul 2006, 14:36

THESE HAVE TO BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED

1- FIRST FIGHT FRAZIER VS ALI
EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT ANY FIGHT AFTER
THE FIRST REALLY DIDN'T MATTER.

2- SPINKS VS ALI
3- HOLMES VS ALI
4- NORTON VS ALI

JC · Post by JC » 29 Jul 2006, 15:32

"If we were any fatter this it would be sumo" Willaims vs Skelton

sockdolager · Post by **sockdolager** » 29 Jul 2006, 16:16

RAPID wrote:THESE HAVE TO BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED

1- FIRST FIGHT FRAZIER VS ALI
EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT ANY FIGHT AFTER
THE FIRST REALLY DIDN'T MATTER.

2- SPINKS VS ALI
3- HOLMES VS ALI
4- NORTON VS ALI

not sure if this version of Ali had any "legendary" fights in him.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 29 Jul 2006, 16:43

I take it nobody here ever heard of

Sullivan-Kilrain
Jeffries-Fitzsimmons II
Jeffries-Sharkey
Dempsey-Willard
Dempsey-Firpo
Louis-Conn I
Marciano-Walcott I
Marciano-Charles I

History is wiped out by the modern "media."

Martin Sosa Cameron · Post by **Martin Sosa Cameron** » 30 Jul 2006, 11:18

Dempsey vs Firpo
Tunney vs Dempsey I
Louis vs J. H. Lewis
Marciano vs Louis
Marciano vs Charles II

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 30 Jul 2006, 11:27

granberry wrote:Sullivan-Kilrain

Good call.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 30 Jul 2006, 12:08

Martin Sosa Cameron wrote:Dempsey vs Firpo
Tunney vs Dempsey I
Louis vs J. H. Lewis
Marciano vs Louis
Marciano vs Charles II

Some interesting picks...

Dempsey Firpo was memorable as a slugfest, with Dempsey being kicked out of the ring by a brute slugger (and somehow being pushed back in time to make the count). But otherwise...?

Louis vs. Lewis - hmmm, Louis did a favor to his half-blind friend to grant him a big payday, but then made short work of him.

Marciano vs. Louis - memorable only because it was sad to see the once so brilliant Louis being knocked out like a journeyman.

Marciano vs. Charles II - perhaps memorable because of Marciano's (succesful) all-out attempt in the 8th and the quote of his cornerman ("knock him out now otherwise you'll bleed to death"). But as a fight, the razor close Marciano-Charles I was more memorable, in my opinion. Anyway, Charles was years beyond his peak in both fights.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 30 Jul 2006, 12:08

KOJOE90 wrote:
granberry wrote:Sullivan-Kilrain
Good call.

Sullivan vs. Kilrain had little to do with boxing, and more with a 19th century toughman show.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 30 Jul 2006, 12:33

pundit wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote:
granberry wrote:Sullivan-Kilrain
Good call.
Sullivan vs. Kilrain had little to do with boxing, and more with a 19th century toughman show.

What punkit knows about boxing

he could write on the head of a pin

and still have room for his name and address.

.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 30 Jul 2006, 12:35

pundit wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote:
granberry wrote:Sullivan-Kilrain
Good call.
Sullivan vs. Kilrain had little to do with boxing, and more with a 19th century toughman show.

As an historic event I think this fight is a worthy addition to the above list even though it was fought under London Prize Ring Rules.

It was no toughman contest. Sullivan and Kilrain where two outsanding fighters of their era, regardless of the Boxing 'codes' they fought under.

pundit · Post by **pundit** » 30 Jul 2006, 12:43

KOJOE90 wrote:
pundit wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote: Good call.
Sullivan vs. Kilrain had little to do with boxing, and more with a 19th century toughman show.
As an historic event I think this fight is a worthy addition to the above list even though it was fought under London Prize Ring Rules.

It was no toughman contest. Sullivan and Kilrain where two outsanding fighters of their era, regardless of the Boxing 'codes' they fought under.

Well, this depends on how you view boxing pre-Queensberry. For me modern boxing starts with the Queensberry rules, and the first modern heavyweight titlefight was Sullivan-Corbett. The bareknuckle stuff was a precursor to modern boxing. Toughman compeititions and some other recent inventions (cage fighting etc.) breath a bit the spirit of these pre-modern times.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 30 Jul 2006, 13:02

punkit thinks that

WHATEVER HE IS IGNORANT OF

is no good.

That is a standard low mentality response.

Top 21 most legendary heavyweight fights of all time

Top 21 most legendary heavyweight fights of all time

Re: Heavyweight Title Bouts

Re: Heavyweight Title Bouts