There’s plenty of buzz surrounding the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight boxing championship fight this weekend. All the attention on the boxing stage led us to take a look at the best fights of all-time. Think Klitschko and Fury could duke it out in an all-time classic to make history? Or will these classics live on as the best boxing matches ever? Read on as we take a look at the best fights boxing has put on show.
Get everything you need to know for a weekend of fisticuffs. Check out our complete preview for Klitschko vs. Fury as well as the experts picks for the world heavyweight championship.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]10 Best Boxing Fights of All-Time
10. Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera 1
[sc:Other240banner ]Mexico is a very proud boxing nation, repeatedly churning out world champions and contenders on boxing’s biggest stages. Here come Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera in February 2000 putting on quite a show for the whole world to see.
Morales and Barrera would batter each other for and epic 12 hard rounds. The two, despite being small and slender boxers, put on a performance that could live up to the likes of Ali-Frazier. Barrera had the only knockdown of the fight, but wound up on the losing end of a split decision.
9. Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
Muhammad Ali was done. Everybody knew that he was a shell of his former self, but many still followed him to this day. Ali was no longer loathed by the public; instead he was loved as a sentimental underdog looking for one last hoorah. Here comes George Foreman, the bulldozing heavyweight champion fresh off knockout victories over Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.
It was in this fight that the rope-a-dope was born. Ali would start the fight aggressively to throw off Foreman. But he let off in the fifth when he leaned up against the ropes to draw Foreman in. After a few solid shots to his jaw, Ali would whisper, “That’s all you got George?” Ali’s defense and trash talk dug George in a hole, who’d then lose in the eighth round by knockout.
8. Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton
If you love heavyweight slugfests, then the classic 15-rounder between Larry Holmes and Ken Norton may pique your interest. Holmes and Norton battered each other from bell-to-bell, setting themselves up for a winner-takes-all 15th round. Both fighters had no idea how the judges had scored the fight, but went into the 15th guns blazing. Norton landed a hook and uppercut to Holmes jaw. But Holmes was not to be outdone, he came back and pummelled Norton until the final bell to earn the decision.
7. Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis-Castillo
Mixed Martial Arts was slowly gaining steam, while boxing was already being relegated as a niche sport in 2005. It was the perfect time for a legendary fight between two ferocious fighters Diego Corrales and Mexican slugger Jose Luis Castillo. The Mexican had finished most of the rounds well enough to garner points, before exploding to knock down Corrales twice in the 10th.
Corrales kept spitting out his mouthpiece after the knockdown, which prompted some referee warnings. But it ultimately served him good. The breaks for the warnings gave Corrales enough time to shake off the cobwebs. After picking himself up after the second knockdown, Corrales blasted Castillo with several combinations before eventually stopping the fight by knockout.
6. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns
Tommy Hearns was the unbeaten WBA Welterweight Champion of the world when he took on WBC champ Sugar Ray Leonard. The bout was as action-packed as you could imagine with Leonard and Hearns alternating with the lead on the judges’scorecard.
Between rounds 12 and 13, Leonard’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, motivated his fighter exclaiming, “You’re blowing it son!” The statement only fired Leonard even more; he was on fire in the 13th round, knocking Hearns through the ropes. Leonard kept the pressure going, finishing Hearns with a vicious flurry in the 14th round. Hearns was leading on all the judges’ scorecards before the knockout, which makes Leonard’s finish even more amazing.
5. Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield I (and II)
Mike Tyson had an aura of invincibility. He seemed so powerful, fast and unbeatable that a journeyman Evander Holyfield was installed as a 25-to-1 underdog in their first fight. Holyfield had just won back-to-back fights in unimpressive fashion and was knocked out by Riddick Bowe before the victories.
Holyfield shocked the world, making Tyson do the stanky leg in the tenth before ending the fight a round later. A rematch was soon set seven months later. It didn’t live up to the hype after Tyson made it one of the most bizarre fights in boxing history. He bit Holyfield’s ear not once but twice, ultimately tearing out a piece of Holyfield’s ear. Tyson was disqualified and a melee ensued for fans still looking for a fight.
4. Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali 1
There are a lot of factors that makes this one of the best boxing fights of all-time. For one, it was a kickass fight with back-and-forth action. The man who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, Muhammad Ali, would lump Joe Frazier’s face with plenty of jabs. But Frazier eventually found his range, repeatedly battering Ali with his left hook.
Whenever it looked like Frazier would get the upper hand, Ali would come roaring back to life to make it interesting. A 15th round knockdown for Frazier sealed the deal as Ali went on to lose 9-6, 11-4 and 8-6-1 on the scorecards.
What make this one of the best boxing fights of all time are its cultural, political and racial implications. Frazier was viewed as the establishment’s champion, while Ali was brash about his opposition to the government. “The Fight” gained plenty of traction worldwide before the advent of social media and the internet. Many worldwide stopped what they were doing to watch “The Fight” including warring factions at that time.
3. Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns had quite a war back in 1985. The bout lasted only eight minutes but each second was as action-packed as the next. Hagler and Hearns threw everything at each other over the course of eight minutes; yes, even the kitchen sink. Hagler found his offensive rhythm in the second before he ultimately put Hearns down in the third.
2. Micky Ward vs. Arturo Gatti 1
Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti had a trilogy to remember. But neither of the following two could top their first matchup with Ward getting the nod after ten brutal rounds for both fighters. The match also featured arguably the best single round of boxing ever when Ward dropped Gatti with a body shot in the ninth. But Gatti rallied back later into the round to batter Ward. But the damage (knockdown) was done as Ward sealed the victory.
1. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 3
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier split their first two matches against each other, making for plenty of hype surrounding their rubber match. The match, which was dubbed the Thrilla in Manila , would forever be known as the greatest fight of all time. If you want to know what death feels like, just ask Ali. He said the bout was the closest to death he had ever been in a 14th round victory.
Ali wanted his corner to cut off his gloves after being beat senseless by Frazier. But the latter’s corner wanted to save their fighter from further punishment from Ali. Frazier’s corner had thrown in the towel just moments before Ali asked his corner out of the fight. Many still wonder what would’ve happened, not just in the bout, but in all of the heavyweight boxing landscape had Frazier’s corner let the fight go on.
There’s plenty more boxing to come from here on out. Create a betting account now and cash in as the best boxers in the world make history.
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