BoxRec

Also why?

Frazier-Ali 1. March 8, 1971.

Nothing can touch the magnetism of the event. Fight was pretty great too.

Result was a surprise as Ali was expected to win on points or Frazier by KO.

If Frank Sinatra is taking pictures, its a pretty big event.

The shot that knocked Ali down in the final round was like Kennedy being shot.

I did a top 100 fights list years ago and saad/Lopez 2 & Pryor/arguello 1 were my top 2. Why? I only rated fights i saw live, so anything before 75 was omitted. Just two amazing wars with constant momentum changes and the highest drama. Saad won out because if round eight.

For some reason so many guys are so enamored with TFOTC, and while it was an excellent fight, I thought the Thrilla In Manila was definitely better. So many great fights, hard to pick just one. Leonard v Hearns I is up there along with Sanchez v Nelson.

For me it's probably Bobby Chacon vs Bazooka Limon IV (1982 Fight of the Year)

Ridiculously entertaining with multiple rounds resembling Holyfield vs Bowe, Round 10.

Seamus wrote:For some reason so many guys are so enamored with TFOTC, and while it was an excellent fight, I thought the Thrilla In Manila was definitely better. So many great fights, hard to pick just one. Leonard v Hearns I is up there along with Sanchez v Nelson.

I like The Thrilla better than the FOTC as well.

Mainstream - Saad Muhammad v Lopez 2.

Obscure - Matty Clarkson v Travis Dickinson (you will not see a better see-saw battle). Two relative unkowns fighting for chump change on Channel 5 & they beat the brown stuff out of each other & neither one would give up.

Muangchai Kittikassem v Jung Koo Chang deserves a shout

Syntax Error wrote:Mainstream - Saad Muhammad v Lopez 2.

Obscure - Matty Clarkson v Travis Dickinson (you will not see a better see-saw battle). Two relative unkowns fighting for chump change on Channel 5 & they beat the brown stuff out of each other & neither one would give up.

Sounds like Lee/locicero. I'll check it out. Thanks

gilgamesh wrote:For me it's probably Bobby Chacon vs Bazooka Limon IV (1982 Fight of the Year)

Ridiculously entertaining with multiple rounds resembling Holyfield vs Bowe, Round 10.

I had that 3rd or 4th. Can't recall, with Vazquez/Marquez 3. Mab/god 1 is another in the running. Castillo/corrales gets docked for the horseshit ending.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:

gilgamesh wrote:For me it's probably Bobby Chacon vs Bazooka Limon IV (1982 Fight of the Year)

Ridiculously entertaining with multiple rounds resembling Holyfield vs Bowe, Round 10.

I had that 3rd or 4th. Can't recall, with Vazquez/Marquez 3. Mab/god 1 is another in the running. Castillo/corrales gets docked for the horseshit ending.

Yeah the ending always hurts Castillo vs Corrales for me as well. Barrera vs Morales 1 is another of my absolute favorites, and Vazquez vs Marquez 3 was definitely killer. The best of their fights.

By "greatest" I take it we are talking about the event as a whole, the magnitude of the fight, the impact it had on boxing, the contest itself etc
If we were talking "best", I'd probably go for a Coralles vs Castillo or Morelez vs barrera type fight, but "greatest"?

It has to be one of Ali's fights against Frazier or Foreman. FOTC, Thriller in Manila or Rumble in the Jungle

It's hard to pick which of the three. But there is no fight in history, that people will still be discussing so frequently, years down the line, as these fights.

Mayweathers fights with De la hoya, Canelo and Pacquiao, may have grossed more, The fights with Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran, may have been super fights but nothing eclipses the biggest Ali bouts in terms of magnitude, Global attention and historical significance.


















Carl Froch - "Did you know I fought George Groves in front of 80,000 people at Wembley?"

Well, if it the event, then fights like:-

Johnson v Jeffries
Tunney v Dempsey 1 & 2
Louis v Schmeling 2
Frazier v Ali 1
Ali v Foreman
Ali v Frazier 3
Leonard v Hagler
Holyfield v Tyson 1 & 2
Mayweather v Pacquiao

were all mega events, but only a couple of them could realistically be amongst the greatest fights ever.

I am mostly interested in the heavyweights so I guess my favourite was Ali-Frazier 3 'The Thrilla In Manila'.
Ali-Foreman 'The Rumble In The Jungle' and Frazier-Ali 1 'Fight Of The Century' were great fights also.

BitPlayer wrote:Also why?

The greatest fight of all time has yet to be fought... It could be Joshua-Ortiz, because they can both box and punch very well and neither has ever been down or ever lost a fight... It could be as long, brutal, and savage a fight as ever fought.

Possibly the greatest fight to date was Joe Louis-Max Schmeling I.. Schmeling was a 48-7-4 massive underdog who pulled off one of the greatest upsets in fistic history.. Schmeling's manager died in the dressing room just before the fight, but asked Max to win with his dying breath.. Schmeling said It was very traumatic but that he had prepared so long and hard nothing could stop him.. Louis was 24-0 and steam rolling toward the Heavyweight Championship and was certain to get there.. Louis had unreal hand speed, skill, and punching power, as well as one of the greatest boxing trainers ever in Jack Blackburn.. Schmeling was a former Heavyweight Champion, but thought to be fading after he was knocked out by Max Baer and suffered several other significant defeats.. He wasn't as disrespected as Buster Douglas was before the Tyson fight, but few Boxing people other than former Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, gave him a chance. Johnson said Schmeling was a very dangerous opponent for Louis's jabbing style.

Louis fought hard, but his jab and hook were countered brilliantly with Schmeling's right handers.. It was a dramatic fight with ebbs and flows.. Schmeling said it was his best fight ever, and he was so determined to win that and he felt like he could fight for days.. He ended it in the 12th round with a smashing right to the jaw.. Louis said "The referee's count sounded like a man yelling at me from very far away.. It didn't make any difference."

Schmeling was denied his promised title shot at Jimmy Braddock and other major fights in the aftermath.. Germany was hated at the time.. In fact, Braddock didn't fight for over 2 years after winning the title.. All offers from Schmeling were turned down and Braddock promptly lost to his first challenger, Joe Louis.

gilgamesh wrote:I like The Thrilla better than the FOTC as well.

Agreed.

The Thrilla felt like both men were giving it their all... And then some... And then some more again.

Just the complete & utter conviction from both men, their passion to win this last destined fight over their great rival...

I really don't think that we will see the like again. It was meant sooo much to both of them.
Absolutely compelling every time i watch it.

I think it depends which criteria we are judging the fights. There are plenty of fights that were very dramatic like Mahyar Monshipour vs Sansak Chatchawal (excuse my spelling. Those that have seen this fight, know what fight I am talking about). It was a fight like no other. I have never seen a fight of that caliber. Both boxers were throwing leather non stop in France. If this fight would have happened in America live on PPV people would have been claiming for a rematch. The problem was that these two boxers were unknown champions and the weight class (the 122lbs division) are not popular in America. If they were at least lightweights or welterweights, everybody would have been talking that THIS FIGHT is the best fight ever seen.

But, when I rate a great fight, I consider many attributes. What makes a great fight? I put all factors into play. I got to have a balance. Some of these questions would be:

1. Was the fight very anticipated by even casual boxing fans that don't know nothing about the sport?

2. Did the fight surpassed the expectations and the hype?

3. Was it a fight that captivated the public imagination?

4. Were the two fighters the very best fighters in the world?

5. Was it the fight a controversial match?

6. Is it a fight that people are going to talk about, maybe 10, 20, 30 or 50 years from now?

Of the criteria above, the ones that come quickly to my mind are:

Sugar Ray Leonard vs Thomas Hearns I.....Definitely, the best fight I have seen in my lifetime. This fight had all the factors above.

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier I....I didn't see it live. I was a toddler on March 8, 1971. But, as a student of the sport of boxing, THIS FIGHT WAS THE BEST FIGHT EVER! It surpassed all expectations. The magic in the air. The whole world was watching. Everytime I see the replay of this fight makes me wonder what was like. Only those that saw it live on tv or in the arena know what was like. Two undefeated champions at heavyweight giving the public their all. The hate between both men and the social and political aspects of the fight were in place. Not to mention the contrasts and high skill level of both men. I mean, they were fierce rivals. It could not get better than that.

Bobby Chacon vs Bazooka Limon IV....Along with Leonard vs Hearns I and Monshipour vs Chatchawal, is the best fight I have seen in my lifetime. If we're talking about action-packed fights of my lifetime, these 3 right here I watch every time.

Duran vs Leonard I was the most anticipated fight of my lifetime. But, in action, to me, was not better than Leonard vs Hearns I. Sometimes you gotta give up some. You can't have the cake and eat it, too.

Featherweight bout - Milander Hall, Hialeah FL 1987 - Don Brockington (1 -6) Vs. Ed Pollard (10-2) - five knockdowns in three rounds, two each, with Brockington finishing Pollard with his third KD - a mini Hagler-Hearns, they went at it for non-stop for three rounds, neither taking a step back, both getting up from hard KDs. Should have been seen by a million people; they should have been paid millions. Anyway, best fight I ever saw.

There seems to be a lot of potentially great fights out there... But there are so few great fights that actually ever happen.

The match-ups are so bad... Fighters are matched to get them wins -- and not to create dramatic, competitive, and breathtaking fan experiences.

Pacquiao-Marquez IV had a little of everything... 3 knockdowns and a smashing KO that was a dramatic ice job... But who wants to risk that result??? Every time those 2 fought, that was the potential ending at any time.. Pacquiao took almost a year off.. When Joe Louis was knocked out by Max Schmeling he was back sparring 2 weeks later and fought Jack Sharkey less than 2 months later ... That would be impossible today, knowing as much as we know about the brain.. It was only about 20 years ago that we stopped putting football players back into the game ... after they came to on the sidelines.

As others has said, the term 'greatest' can mean several things. As for favourite, I'd say Barrera vs Morales I.

APerno wrote:Featherweight bout - Milander Hall, Hialeah FL 1987 - Don Brockington (1 -6) Vs. Ed Pollard (10-2) - five knockdowns in three rounds, two each, with Brockington finishing Pollard with his third KD - a mini Hagler-Hearns, they went at it for non-stop for three rounds, neither taking a step back, both getting up from hard KDs. Should have been seen by a million people; they should have been paid millions. Anyway, best fight I ever saw.

How many ppv sales did it get?

PPV sales??? ... Some of the best fights I've ever seen have been obscure and poorly attended fights... Some of the worst fights I've ever seen I've paid the most money for.. You don't really know what you're going to get until the fight is paid for obviously.. Was May-Pac any good??? Hell NO!!

One of the greatest fights I've ever seen was the savagely fought draw between James Toney and Mike McCallum... McCallum had been chasing Hagler, Hearns, and Leonard for a several years.. He a was very frustrated man.. He was aging just a bit at 35 so he was a little impatient.. He was determined to put a beat down on Toney and told him so.. Toney is foul mouthed anyway, got pissed as Hell and wanted to put McCallum out cold.

They both trained very hard and fought very hard.. Made for a great fight.. You could sense the tension before the fight as they got the instructions.. It was a tremendous fight, but the draw was a bit disappointing to MM. He was a little bitter. I think that was the last really great fight McCallum had in him.

Kalan wrote:PPV sales??? ... Some of the best fights I've ever seen have been obscure and poorly attended fights...

I was kidding

you know that, right?

Fotc

Naz-Kelley was a superb fight that doesn't get a lot of press these days.