I have to say that on the basis of pure technical boxing and NOT hype, the Mickey Ward / Arturo Gatti trilogy was the best mathcup ever. Both guys are as tough as nails. Mickey Ward has that DEVESTATING liver shot that freezes opponents. Arturo Gatti BROKE HIS HAND and continued to not only fight but throw the right for 6 more rounds. Both guys were staggered several times and just kept on going. I love boxing, and this was a glorious example of why.
OK, just found out BOTH guys broke thier right hands in the fight and continued to fight. Gladiators in every sense of the word. I'm sorry I won't see Ward fight again, but glad this was his last and best fight.
Ya'll are crazy...Todd Bridges vs. Vanilla Ice/ Tonya Harding vs. Paula Jones. Seriously though some of Sugar Ray Leonard's fights are my favorites: Duran 1 & 2, Hearns, and Haglar.
I used to love to watch Jorge Paez fight. He's probably the worst technical fighter ever, but he definitely put on a Sugar Ray Leonard type fight. Playing around with his opponent, mocking them, dancing during a fight, and mock wobbly knees were part of his package. If I'm correct, I think he held some sort of title back in the early to mid 90's.
All three Ward/Gatti fights were fantastic, and Ward/Gatti will definitely go down in history as one of the greatest boxing rivalries ever. The greatest rivalry in boxing history, IMHO, was Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta.
This was the absolute best boxing rivalry that I was able to witness on tv. The guys just kept fighting their hearts out. Also it was for no belts and they still gave it their best.It was a great final ending in Mickey Ward's 18 year career.
I truly feel that this one was better than the first one. Im a big boxing fan and I was amazed that Gotti kept on punching with his broke hand. Great Fight.
Ali-Frazier Dempsey-Tunney and: 'He can run but he can't hide' Schmeling pulled off one of boxing's biggest upsets Continuing his look at boxing duels that dominated a decade, BBC Sport Online's Alex Trickett revisits the 1930s and Louis versus Schmeling. They were billed as swastika versus Stars and Stripes. Aryan master-race versus freed slave. But, contrary to popular opinion, the two fights between Max Schmeling and Joe Louis were not about pitting the Nazis against the free world. At least, not as far as the boxers were concerned. Schmeling, a German at the time of Hitler's insurrection, retained a Jewish manager and wanted only to stamp his authority on the heavyweight division. Louis, born of sharecropper stock, was merely interested in establishing himself as the dominant boxer in the world. When the two men had first met in 1936, Schmeling - a former heavyweight champ - was considered by many to be a sitting-duck for the prodigious Louis. At 23-0, Louis was on the verge of his first title shot, and had a fierce arsenal of punching weapons to call upon. Their first fight was surprising however. Schmeling cannily outboxed the younger man, landing his right frequently, and Louis did well to survive until the 12th round, before falling to the canvas for the third and final time. When Schmeling returned to Germany victorious, he became a reluctant symbol of Aryan supremacy. United behind a black man for almost the first time, the American public, meanwhile, called for a rematch and revenge. Both arrived on a summer night in 1938. Louis was champion by now, having seen off James J Braddock in eight rounds the year before, but he refused to acknowledge the title until he had avenged his only professional defeat. "I don't want to be called champ until I lick Max Schmeling," he would say. In Yankee stadium, Louis earned this recognition at last. More determined than ever, he prevailed in 124 brutal seconds, showering Schmeling with punches and landing one that fractured two vertebrae in the challenger's back. Then, the champion showed his legendary finish, knocking his opponent down three times before the referee stepped in. German radio listeners did not hear the end. When it became apparent that Schmeling was doomed to defeat, the Third Reich broadcast went mysteriously dead. Afterwards, while their countries got on with the business of war, the two boxers - who were to become good friends - went in their different directions.
Ali/Frazier Leonard/Hagler Bowe/Holyfield Didn't Ali lose to Ken Norton once? If anyone could post all of Ali's losses, I would appreciate it (except for when he was long gone and lost to Trevor Burbick, I believe).
Try this site, Freak: If I am reading this right, I see that he lost to the following: 1971 - Lost to Joe Frazier - knocked out in the 15th round(?) 1973 - Lost to Ken Norton - decision (split, 12 rounds) 1978 - Lost to Leon Spinks - decision (split, 15 rounds) 1981 - Lost to Trevor Berbick - knocked out in the 10th round (?)
Yea, you are probably right codell. I just didn't know how to interpret that site and it said "Lu" when he fought Frazier for the first time.
No, your interpretation was right. It was a 15 round decision. Frazier did knock down Ali in the 15th, so thats why i thought that.
That was a rivalry? One fight? One one-sided fight? One one-sided fight in which the wrong person was given the victory while the other was so upset with the "business" that he retired, moved across seas, and began making deodorant commercials? That was no rivalry. That was a sham.
Leonard frustrated him, stayed away from his power, mixed it up enough to steal rounds with flurries (smart boxing), and simply hit Haglar more times with more power. Haglar never changed his strategy to knock Leonard out of his game plan, he just kept slowly coming at Leonard-- Haglar never controlled the fight like he should have. Leonard's strategy won him the fight just like Ali's "rope a dope" beat Foreman. Everyone thought Leonard was going to get crushed, but he just outsmarted Haglar. I've watched that fight several times now, and to call it a sham is ridiculous.
I agree. Leonard just outsmarted Hagler. Leonard was a smart boxer. Hearns-Hagler was the real rivalry.
