If you had to top "The War" by picking two fighters...

Mike Tyson vs Ray Mercer.

Mercer in his prime had a cement chin and never saw a punch he didn’t want to eat. He also could punch and liked to bang. He and Tyson would of been fun.

 

Duran vs. Pryor is a good one.

 

Henry Armstrong vs Julio Cesar Chavez

I think quite a few would be more action packed than Hagler v Hearns but not many would be such a high level combination of skill and action.

 

One of the problems I have with that is how an in decline Ali stopped him in 10. And Ali was more willing to mix it up in the 70s than Larry practically ever was.

I just can't see prime Holmes doing too much else besides circling Lyle and knocking the bejesus out of him with the jab.

I totally grant you that it would be super cool to see them mix it up (Lyle definitely could knock Larry down, but get up roar back after... but watch Holmes against Shavers (through most of both fights). He rarely fell into mixing it up with him. Larry would have known all about Lyle's power and done his best to stay away from it. Lyle would eat that jab worse than Berbick did, and the right would eventually run him into the ground.

 

I see what you're saying, but Lyle was the same height as Larry, and would not be as easily controlled by the jab as Shavers. Lyle had much better stamina as well. I don't agree about mixing it up though. Larry often mixed it up with big punchers, whereas Ali often didn't. He certainly didn't against Lyle.

 

Two perfectly valid points.

 

Benn v Jackson.could of happened .

 

Agree wholeheartedly, its become almost mythical !
A more even and bitterly contested rd 1 for me would be Frazier/Quarry 1 .

 

I agree.
Obviously the quality was higher in the war but i still feel benn v barkley if it hadnt been stopped was on its way to an epic fight

 

A wonderful list of fights...i tip my hat to you sir!

 

What more do you want like?
Two elite fighters with big power had a crazed brawl from the opening bell.

 

Preferably a crazed brawl that lasts a bit longer.

 

Epic Slugfests!
Bert Cooper vs Frans Botha
Bert Cooper vs Tommy Morrison
Jeff Fenech vs Manny Pacquio

 

That doesn't lessen the fight though.

 

I mean, it kinda does if you're comparing it to something. If you're ranking a fight, and both have a similar level of action, then surely the better fight is the one with more action? Hagler-Hearns has like three minutes of ATG war, then 8 minutes of average fighting. I'd take Duran-Leonard 1 over it.