Part II: The Most Defining Fights Per Weight Class: Today The Heavyweights

Not as significant as others mentioned already and certainly not a defining fight in the weight class but I have to mention Hamed-Kelley as a personal choice. The whole occasion of that fight was a spectacle and the way the fight unfolded was fantastic. Big Hamed fan and I love going back to watch that fight especially with the HBO commentary.

 

I'm in a rush right now, so I'll expand on this post later:

In no order:

Barrera vs Morales II
Morales vs Pacquiao I
Pacquiao vs Barrera I
Pep vs Saddler I + II
Saddler vs Elorde
Sanchez vs Gomez
Ramos vs Moore
Criqui vs Kilbane
Saldivar vs Ramos
Arguello vs Olivares

I'll try and pick a top three later when I expand on the post...won't be easy! :yep:good

 

Saldivar-Ramos is a GREAT shout! The start of the era :yep

Especially after the Davey Moore fight, sad, sad stuff.

 

Good thread by the way Don:goodquite interested to hear alot about both Feather and Bantam Weight:thumbsup

i watched Olivares - Arguello the other day, thought Ruben was winning before he got caught

Pacquiao Barrera is a good shout aswell, what a way to announce yourself on elite scene

 

Thats is perhaps one of the only fights I won't get bored of before I die. :good Everything about it is just poor entertainment.

Hamed-Barrera deserves a mention as well I think, not a top 3 but one of Barreras very best and hugely significant despite people generally downplaying Naz's standing.

 

:good

 

Danny Lopez vs Sal Sanchez.

A legend was born:good

 

Ali Vs Foreman: we all know of the build-up, we all know of where both men were going into the fight.

We now know that Ali achieved something that will never be replicated: he stopped George Foreman!

IMO, the greatest win of all time in any weight class.

 

Jack Johnson v Jim Jeffries - Surely the first defining fight in heavyweight history not only a clash between two of the best heavyweights the world had seen up until that point but a clash of races. This ultimately had implications for boxing in a number of different ways but also the social climate of the day.

Joe Louis V Max Schmeling II - Having been soundly beaten by Schmeling first time round the Joe Louis train had been derailed his rise to superstardom that once looked a certainty now didnt seem so certain. The return was decisive and quick. All fought against a backdrop of racial tension and the rise of Nazi Germany and the impeding World War.

Ali v Foreman - Well Flea said it.. probably the single greatest win in boxing history?

 

Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali 1 and 3. Just two huge, memorable fights with two of the greatest heavyweights of all time and one of the best boxing rivalries ever. the bad blood only added to it.

Sonny Liston vs Floyd Patterson-Not only because it was a matchup between two great heavyweights. A lot of people might not notice this but their was a lot of racials stigma and historical significance involved in this fight. Most of the white and black establishement didnt want this fight to take place and Liston had to wait a long time for his chance. Everyone, including the US president was rooting for Patterson. David Remnicks book ''King of the World'' goes into great detail about the circumstances surrounding the bout.

 

John L Sulivan V's James J Corbett. The start of the modern era and the boxer V's Brawler match up.

Tyson V's Spinks. Tyson at his most electric, terrifying best. He still is a cultural icon because of those few years at the top destroying just about everybody. The world is still waiting for a Heavyweight to take over like that again.

 

Dempsey - Willard. Dempsey brought modern science to the sweet science