BoxRec

Courtesy of The Ring:

1945 -- Rocky Graziano KO 10 Freddie Cochrane
1946 -- Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano
1947 -- Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony Zale
1948 -- Marcel Cerdan KO 12 Tony Zale
1949 -- Willie Pep W15 Sandy Saddler
1950 -- Jake LaMotta KO 15 Laurence Dauthuille
1951 -- Joe Walcott KO 7 Ezzard Charles
1952 -- Rocky Marciano KO 13 Joe Walcott
1953 -- Rocky Marciano KO 11 Roland LaStarza
1954 -- Rocky Marciano KO 8 Ezzard Charles
1955 -- Carmen Basilio KO 12 Tony DeMarco
1956 -- Carmen Basilio KO 9 Johnny Saxton
1957 -- Carmen Basilio W15 Ray Robinson
1958 -- Ray Robinson W15 Carmen Basilio
1959 -- Gene Fullmer KO 14 Carmen Basilio
1960 -- Floyd Patterson KO 5 Ingemar Johansson
1961 -- Joe Brown W15 Dave Charnley
1962 -- Joey Giardello W10 Henry Hank
1963 -- Cassius Clay W10 Doug Jones
1964 -- Cassius Clay KO 7 Sonny Liston
1965 -- Floyd Patterson W12 George Chuvalo
1966 -- Jose Torres W15 Eddie Cotton
1967 -- Nino Benvenuti W15 Emile Griffith
1968 -- Dick Tiger W10 Frankie DePaula
1969 -- Joe Frazier KO 7 Jerry Quarry
1970 -- Carlos Monzon KO12 Nino Benvenuti
1971 -- Joe Frazier W15 Muhammad Ali
1972 -- Bob Foster KO 14 Chris Finnegan
1973 -- George Foreman KO 2 Joe Frazier
1974 -- Muhammad Ali KO 8 George Foreman
1975 -- Muhammad Ali KO 15 Joe Frazier
1976 -- George Foreman KO 5 Ron Lyle
1977 -- Jimmy Young W12 George Foreman
1978 -- Leon Spinks W15 Muhammad Ali
1979 -- Danny Lopez KO 15 Mike Ayala
1980 -- Matthew Saad Muhammad KO 14 Yaqui Lopez
1981 -- Sugar Ray Leonard KO 14 Thomas Hearns
1982 -- Bobby Chacon W15 Bazooka Limon
1983 -- Bobby Chacon W 12 Cornelius Boza-Edwards
1984 -- Jose Luis Ramirez KO 4 Edwin Rosario
1985 -- Marvin Hagler KO 3 Thomas Hearns
1986 -- Stevie Cruz W 15 Barry McGuigan
1987 -- Sugar Ray Leonard W12 Marvin Hagler
1988 -- Tony Lopez W12 Rocky Lockridge
1989 -- Roberto Duran W12 Iran Barkley
1990 -- Julio Cesar Chavez KO 12 Meldrick Taylor
1991 -- Robert Quiroga W 12 Kid Akeem
1992 -- Riddick Bowe W 12 Evander Holyfield
1993 -- Michael Carbajal KO 7 Humberto Gonzalez
1994 -- Jorge Castro KO 9 John David Jackson
1995 -- Saman Sorjaturong KO 7 Humberto Gonzalez
1996 -- Evander Holyfield KO 11 Mike Tyson
1997 -- Arturo Gatti KO 5 Gabe Ruelas
1998 -- Ivan Robinson W 10 Arturo Gatti
1999 -- Paulie Ayala W 12 Johnny Tapia
2000 -- Erik Morales W 12 Marco Antonio Barrera
2001 -- Micky Ward W10 Emanuel Burton
2002 -- Micky Ward W10 Arturo Gatti

Odds on Micky Ward sweeping 3 years in a row???

Not many fights this year have been better than Ward - Gatti 3...

yes gatti vs ward 3, toney vs jirov and vitiali vs lewis

also calzaghe vs mitchell best uk fight of the year,

Domestically the Fearon v Walker 4 round punch-a-thon is going to be up there aswell...Maybe undercard fight of the year?

1991 -- Robert Quiroga W 12 Kid Akeem

Did anyone see this fight? I remember reading about it at the time and it was an unholy war apparently. I believe Kid Akeem collapsed and was very badly damaged at the end of it?
Can't remember clearly, the mists of time have clouded my memory..

Seem to remember Gatti v Wilson Rodriguez was right up there with the very best - both coming back from the brink several times - looked up the year and I think it got edged out by Holy/Bowe 1.

Amazing to think Holmes v Norton didn't make it either, defintely a better fight than the winner that year: Spinks/Ali.

Benn v McClellan might've been there too, if not for the tragic end.

Danny Lopez v Mike Ayala was unbelievable Even more so when you hear Ayala admit years later he was a heroin addict at the time. Cant' imagine that helped him in any way at all.

TerribleTerry wrote:Domestically the Fearon v Walker 4 round punch-a-thon is going to be up there aswell...Maybe undercard fight of the year?

1991 -- Robert Quiroga W 12 Kid Akeem

Did anyone see this fight? I remember reading about it at the time and it was an unholy war apparently. I believe Kid Akeem collapsed and was very badly damaged at the end of it?
Can't remember clearly, the mists of time have clouded my memory..

Yes, I've got it on tape somewhere. Brutal brutal fight. Quiroga, one of the best super-flys of all time (along with Galaxy, Roman, Orono and Laciar) was fighting at home in San Antonio and the crowd got him through it. Akeen collapsed after the decision was announced and was stretchered from the ring to chants of "DOA" from the crowd.
Nice atmosphere.

get in the ring wrote:Odds on Micky Ward sweeping 3 years in a row???

I see Marciano and Carmen Basilio pulled off that feat in the 50's.

And Graziano.

and

1946 -- Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano
1947 -- Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony Zale
1948 -- Marcel Cerdan KO 12 Tony Zale

tony zale

REAL_DEAL wrote:and

1946 -- Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano
1947 -- Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony Zale
1948 -- Marcel Cerdan KO 12 Tony Zale

tony zale

Yes, The Man of Steel as well. Great fighter. Always overlooked in the middleweight all-time listings.

A few questions for debate about the Ring's fight of the years...

Firstly,

Chavez - Talyor, who believes referee Richard Steele was right to stop the fight with only 2 seconds left on the clock, and with Taylor leading on 2 of the 3 cards?

Whats the greatest short fight on the list. ie the fight that was over in 6 rounds or less?

I say Foreman - Lyle or Hagler - Hearns. I loved Foreman - Lyle most though, due to the huge amounts of knockdowns with those tiny 10oz gloves. It was brutal, though is underappreciated due to it being a non title fight.

Finally, what fight do you think is overrated on that list, and which fight do you think is underrated???

From the fights I've seen, I'd say Holyfield - Bowe is somewhat overrated. It was a cracking fight, but it wasn't non stop action like you're led to believe if you haven't seen it.

Underrated, again from the fights I've seen...Duran - Barkley.
An old Duran it must be said, put in a great performance and went toe to toe with the big hitting Barkley, which led to some furious exchanges between the two warriors.

get in the ring wrote:A few questions for debate about the Ring's fight of the years...

Firstly,

Chavez - Talyor, who believes referee Richard Steele was right to stop the fight with only 2 seconds left on the clock, and with Taylor leading on 2 of the 3 cards?

Whats the greatest short fight on the list. ie the fight that was over in 6 rounds or less?

I say Foreman - Lyle or Hagler - Hearns. I loved Foreman - Lyle most though, due to the huge amounts of knockdowns with those tiny 10oz gloves. It was brutal, though is underappreciated due to it being a non title fight.

Finally, what fight do you think is overrated on that list, and which fight do you think is underrated???

From the fights I've seen, I'd say Holyfield - Bowe is somewhat overrated. It was a cracking fight, but it wasn't non stop action like you're led to believe if you haven't seen it.

Underrated, again from the fights I've seen...Duran - Barkley.
An old Duran it must be said, put in a great performance and went toe to toe with the big hitting Barkley, which led to some furious exchanges between the two warriors.

Chavez v Taylor was the fight that got me into boxing.. What a fight!! After seeing that I couldn't fail but love the sport. At the time I thought Chavez was a shade lucky to get the stoppage but Taylor absorbed alot of punishment. He had a cut inside his mouth and swallowed alot of blood and also had a damaged orbital socket.
I think time has gone to show that Chavez, whilst not landing the flashy combos that Taylor was getting off, was quietly breaking Taylor up and Chavez went on to have many more good nights, whilst Taylor, despite a brief reign at Welter was never really the same fighter again.

Duran - Barclay was a stunnning result. It cemeted Duran for me as one of the true all time greats. To see a former lightweight do that was immense.

I really enjoyed Holy v Bowe 1 though - it pitted and under sized but massive hearted heavy against a true giant of the ring whose coming out party it was. Still enjoy that fight, especially the tenth round even today - excellent stuff.

get in the ring wrote: Chavez - Talyor, who believes referee Richard Steele was right to stop the fight with only 2 seconds left on the clock, and with Taylor leading on 2 of the 3 cards?

While I was sorry for Taylor in that one, GITR, I think he made the right decision..

For this reason: It's now down as an all-time classic: The great Mexican, facing certain defeat, comes back in the dying seconds to floor and stop his great American rival - with 2 seconds left in the fight!!

It's the stuff of legend...if Steele had let it go, history would just show Taylor W12.

Give me the dramatic any time

get in the ring wrote:A few questions for debate about the Ring's fight of the years...

Firstly,

Chavez - Talyor, who believes referee Richard Steele was right to stop the fight with only 2 seconds left on the clock, and with Taylor leading on 2 of the 3 cards?

Whats the greatest short fight on the list. ie the fight that was over in 6 rounds or less?

I say Foreman - Lyle or Hagler - Hearns. I loved Foreman - Lyle most though, due to the huge amounts of knockdowns with those tiny 10oz gloves. It was brutal, though is underappreciated due to it being a non title fight.

Finally, what fight do you think is overrated on that list, and which fight do you think is underrated???

From the fights I've seen, I'd say Holyfield - Bowe is somewhat overrated. It was a cracking fight, but it wasn't non stop action like you're led to believe if you haven't seen it.

Underrated, again from the fights I've seen...Duran - Barkley.
An old Duran it must be said, put in a great performance and went toe to toe with the big hitting Barkley, which led to some furious exchanges between the two warriors.

Steele's call in their first fight was okay in my opinion. Meldrick was badly hurt, didn't answer Steele when asked if he was okay after the knockdown and had a busted eye socket. One more punch could have been dodgy.
As for best short fight: I would agree that Foreman-Lyle is an absolute classic. It was one of the first 'big' fights in Vegas and helped cement Ceasar's Palace as an established boxing site to rival, and eventually surpass, New York's legendary Madison Square Garden.
Overrated fight: Benvenuti-Griffith in 1967. A lot of knockdowns, but sloppy fare.
Underrated: Pep beating Saddler in their rematch in 1949. It was Pep's last great fight, and he gave one of the best boxing displays of all time to outpoint a man who had knocked him out in four rounds just a few months earlier.

I'm not as 'clued up' with the 'old school' scene as much as some of you guys...but in retrospect just how fast was Meldrick Taylor???

I have seen a few of his fights, and I just cannot get over how quick this guy could shoot off 6,7,8 punch combinations to head and body. He had a lightning quick jab and right hand, and threw some razor blade hooks and uppercuts on the inside (which he did to great effect against Chavez).

He was so fast, and so fluid...in truth he should have acheived so much more in the sport. That Chavez shocker ruined him, no doubt about it.

Some good crackers there...

One fight that coulda made it was the Mickey Ward-Shea Neary fight....
That was one of the first fight I saw and got me hooked on boxing...

There have been some great domestic clashes this year, involving British boxers, my top 3 so far are:

3. Khaliq-Bergman
2. Maccarinelli-Scott
1. Takaloo-Rock

Calzaghe-Mitchell didn't last quite long enough...

Also Brett James-Sammy Smith was a great fight...

REAL_DEAL wrote:yes gatti vs ward 3, toney vs jirov and vitiali vs lewis

also calzaghe vs mitchell best uk fight of the year,

Toney vs Jirov was too one-sided for me.

Diaz vs Quiroz II was a great fight, swinging one way then another. That's the only contendor for Ward vs Gatti III. I disagree with Bunce and Woodhall who thought their second bout was better, no way the final meeting was much closer.

get in the ring wrote:I'm not as 'clued up' with the 'old school' scene as much as some of you guys...but in retrospect just how fast was Meldrick Taylor???

I have seen a few of his fights, and I just cannot get over how quick this guy could shoot off 6,7,8 punch combinations to head and body. He had a lightning quick jab and right hand, and threw some razor blade hooks and uppercuts on the inside (which he did to great effect against Chavez).

He was so fast, and so fluid...in truth he should have acheived so much more in the sport. That Chavez shocker ruined him, no doubt about it.

Yes, it's horrible about Meldrick's current plight. There is no way he should be fighting. The sad thing about the sport is, without one governing body, a fighter can always find someone to let him fight. Kennedy McKinney is the same. He's also totally shot, but he's clinging on for one last shot at glory in his mind. Photographer Ed Mulholland told me that after shooting one of McKinney's futile comeback fights recently, he was heading back to his hotel with his wife and stopped into a convenience store. McKinney wandered in, walked right up to the register, cut in front of his wife without a word, and asked for a pack of cigarettes! The cashier was frightened said Ed: she had no idea who he was and he looked pretty beat up and out of it. He got his cigarettes and left into the night.
Guess he was training hard for his next appearance...
Back to Meldrick, who was the youngest man ever to win an Olympic gold at just 17 in 1984. I've been hearing about his speech - or lack of it - on numerous forums. Every genuine boxing fan is concerned. And if ever a situation demanded the need for a national boxing commission, this is it. Let's face it, many fighter carry on too long and wind up in a bad way. But they are often obscure fighters who slip through the net (Ali and Terry Norris apart). How can high profile fighters like Meldrick Taylor and Kennedy McKinney be allowed to deteriorate before our every eyes! Meldrick has been shot since 1992 when Crisanto Espana butchered him for the welterweight title in this country. America is a massive country, yes. It's also the home of boxing and leads the way in every other aspect of the sport except the tricky and volatile issue of a national commission. Someone needs to make a decision that sticks! It seems a final decision concerning a boxer's safety in one state is just the opposite in another state. That's madness.
In many ways, the Chavez fight ruined Taylor physically AND mentally. To see Meldrick like this now, I wonder if things would have been different if he had been allowed to continue two more seconds and won the fight (which he would have done on points). Maybe if he had gotten the victory, he wouldnt have found the need to continue now.
Steele was an experienced ref. He should have seen the RED LIGHT signifying ten seconds. It was right behind Meldrick.

MightyWarrior wrote:Benn v McClellan might've been there too, if not for the tragic end.

That brings up an interesting question: is there some kind of unwritten rule that a fight in (or due to) which one of the fighters is killed or disabled is not eligible for fight of the year? I say give the fighters their due. One of the very few bright spots in Gerald McClellan's existence is when his fans write to him and tell him how much they loved seeing him fight. Surely there could be no better way to reward his sacrifice in the ring than by way of a Fight of the Year award.

But I can understand how this would be politically a very sensitive issue - in my imagination, I can already hear the dirt-digging reporter asking "How can Ring Magazine REWARD such savagery? Shocking, just shocking..."

Eric the Viking wrote:

MightyWarrior wrote:Benn v McClellan might've been there too, if not for the tragic end.

That brings up an interesting question: is there some kind of unwritten rule that a fight in (or due to) which one of the fighters is killed or disabled is not eligible for fight of the year? I say give the fighters their due. One of the very few bright spots in Gerald McClellan's existence is when his fans write to him and tell him how much they loved seeing him fight. Surely there could be no better way to reward his sacrifice in the ring than by way of a Fight of the Year award.

But I can understand how this would be politically a very sensitive issue - in my imagination, I can already hear the dirt-digging reporter asking "How can Ring Magazine REWARD such savagery? Shocking, just shocking..."

Perhaps they thought Sorjaturon - Gonzales was just the better fight.