There are some rivalries or grudges that kind of defy all conventional logic in boxing. The hatred, jealousy, and ego is such that no amount of time passing by seems to let up.
When Ali announced he was unretiring in 1980, Frazier followed suit facing Jumbo Cummings. He desperately wanted Ali again for a fourth match. The loss in Manila was too much for Smokin' Joe.
Whenever George Foreman remotely hints at having one more fight, Larry Holmes stands up and reminds him that he's ready and waiting, that he hasn't forgotten how they nearly fought in 1999.
Whenever Chris Eubank is in the same room with Steve Collins or Nigel Benn, the old feelings resurface and he wants to go to war again. The same tension can be felt whenever Collins is in the same room with Roy Jones.
There are tons of examples of this--- but maybe the only example I can think of where two men made good on seeing it through regardless of the passage of time has got to be Azumah Nelson and Jeff Fenech.
Though it was never said so I tend to believe that the movie GRUDGE MATCH starring Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro had to have been based loosely on Nelson and Fenech.
They fought each other in 1991 and 1992, but the rubber match did not happen until 2008. Fenech was 44 years old and Nelson was 49 years old.
Can anyone else think of famous grudges or rivalries in boxing where the combatants either hated each other for years or managed to fight each other after several years?
To The Ends of the Earth
Re: To The Ends of the Earth
Riddick Bowe tries to attack Lewis even now. The irony is that their rematch had never happened. Lewis ended up as an undisputed champion, so he stopped giving damn about Bowe, while Riddick, whose career had a bitter downfall, keeps to think about the lost Olympic final to Lewis and the lost profession opportunity against Lewis.
Re: To The Ends of the Earth
Not sure if it was a grudge match or not but Albert Davila fought Frankie Duarte 10 years after their original fight
Re: To The Ends of the Earth
I read at the time that Fenech's family asked Nelson not to hurt himHomicideHenry wrote: ↑26 Nov 2021, 07:15 There are some rivalries or grudges that kind of defy all conventional logic in boxing. The hatred, jealousy, and ego is such that no amount of time passing by seems to let up.
When Ali announced he was unretiring in 1980, Frazier followed suit facing Jumbo Cummings. He desperately wanted Ali again for a fourth match. The loss in Manila was too much for Smokin' Joe.
Whenever George Foreman remotely hints at having one more fight, Larry Holmes stands up and reminds him that he's ready and waiting, that he hasn't forgotten how they nearly fought in 1999.
Whenever Chris Eubank is in the same room with Steve Collins or Nigel Benn, the old feelings resurface and he wants to go to war again. The same tension can be felt whenever Collins is in the same room with Roy Jones.
There are tons of examples of this--- but maybe the only example I can think of where two men made good on seeing it through regardless of the passage of time has got to be Azumah Nelson and Jeff Fenech.
Though it was never said so I tend to believe that the movie GRUDGE MATCH starring Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro had to have been based loosely on Nelson and Fenech.
They fought each other in 1991 and 1992, but the rubber match did not happen until 2008. Fenech was 44 years old and Nelson was 49 years old.
Can anyone else think of famous grudges or rivalries in boxing where the combatants either hated each other for years or managed to fight each other after several years?
Re: To The Ends of the Earth
It is many years ago now.... .but a British TV channel (maybe Channel 4) did a very good "experience-based" recreation of what it was like to be a Roman Gladiator and who they were, how they trained, what the life was about.
It was kind of a precursor of the stuff Ant Middleton and his buds have done to death with his SAS stuff.....but with sandals, swords and shields.
They totally and maybe unwittingly hit pay-dirt by putting Benn and Eubank into a competitive situation and needing to spend time with each other and it duly massively kicked-off.
These two just absolutely loathed each other and all over again - always will, until the end of time - and a slightly offbeat history documentary where they were filling in the gaps for the academics got very spicy indeed.
It was kind of a precursor of the stuff Ant Middleton and his buds have done to death with his SAS stuff.....but with sandals, swords and shields.
They totally and maybe unwittingly hit pay-dirt by putting Benn and Eubank into a competitive situation and needing to spend time with each other and it duly massively kicked-off.
These two just absolutely loathed each other and all over again - always will, until the end of time - and a slightly offbeat history documentary where they were filling in the gaps for the academics got very spicy indeed.
Re: To The Ends of the Earth
Robinson vs Basilio.