Two Greats meeting in the ring.

Leonard-Hearns
MAB-Morales
MAB-Hamed (depending if you consider Hamed great/prime)
MAB-Pacquaio (depending if you consider them prime)
Burley-Holman Williams
Moore-Charles
Charles-Bivins (depending if you consider Bivins great)
Bowe-Holyfield
DLH-Tito
Mayweather-Corrales/Castillo (depending if you consider them great)

I only read top10 after making the list and a good few of them arent top10, they are nearish their prime though

 

Heavyweight
Frazier-Ali
Foreman-Frazier

You could argue that neither Ali nor Frazier were at their primes.

Light Heavyweight
Archie Moore-Harold Johnson
Loughran-Tunney

Pretty hard to judge whwn Moore's prime was though.

Middleweight
Tiger-Giardello
Tiger-Griffith

Both, Griffith and Giardello a borderline Top10.

Welterweight
Robinson-Gavilan

Light Welterweight
Locche-Cervantes
Cervantes-Benitez
Canzoneri-Berg

You could argue Benitez wasn't prime when he beat Cervantes.

Lightweight
Canzoneri-Ross
Williams-Jack
Canzoneri-Ambers
Armstrong-Ambers

Jack and Ambers are borderline Top10.

 

Spinks- Braxton LH
Hearns- Leonard Welter
Duran- Dejesus 2 Lightweight
Chavez-Rosario Lw
Jones-Toney Not Jones fault Toney came in drained
Barrera-Morales 1 2
Tapia-Romero JB
Delahoya-Trinidad Welter
Curry-Mccory
Patterson-Joahannsen
Zarate-Zamora
Barrera-Naseem (naz was in his prime)
Chavez-Taylor I
Arguello-Mancini
Griffith-Paret

 

And in which fight two Top10 fought each other?

And I don't think Naz was in his prime when he fought Barrera. He was already slipping when he fought Kelley. He was still very good though.

 

Well all these guys were elite in their divisions at the time. In all those cases all were top 2 fighters. Do you mean top 10 contenders? IF so this thread could go on forever, especially back in the days where it was a regular thing for 2 top 10 guys to fight eachother.
I think Naz was in his prime he just finally fought a great fighter in his prime. And Kelly exposed Naz as less than unbeatable thats all. Once he stepped up his comp, he didnt look so awesome its not that he was slipping.

 

He means top10 of all time in their respective divisions I believe

Hamed was only 27, but had stopped training hard, theres a documentary pre-MAB and he does little to no training, he took success for granted by that stage and thought MAB would be another knock over job. If you see him when he was 21 he was far more athletic, would throw combinations, body shots and importantly was far more fleet footed.

 

Read he hread. It's not about two top-fighters but two Top10 of all-time fighting each other in heir prime.

Nah, watch his fights before and then his later matches. His defense and skills are largely gone and he became totally powerhappy. He sared believing in his own hype and power and ignored he rest. He was still in his prime physically but not when you consider everything.

 

I wish I knew who originated this whopper. The Corbett-Jackson draw took place on May 21, 1891. It's also been argued that the best version of Corbett who ever stepped foot in the ring was the one Jeffries pulled it out of the fire from at Coney Island.

If Tommy Burns is accepted as a great heavyweight, then it must be acknowledged that he was at the height of his powers at age 27, when Johnson wrested the title from him.

Schmeling didn't fight particularly well against Max Baer, but he was still just 27 years old when they squared off. Baer himself was only 26 when Louis produced his peak performance at Maxie's expense. Baer would not lose for another two years, and when he did (to Tommy Farr), he promptly avenged the defeat.

A pairing of two great prime heavyweights doesn't guarantee a great fight like the FOTC, but to say such an event will never happen strikes me as ignorantly mindless hyperbole (like most such sayings).

 

Monzon-Napoles and Gomez-Zarate come to mind.

 

I think that Corbett - Jackson is probably the closest we get to prime for prime greats squaring off. Ali Frazier is the next closest. Schmeling Louis I is much closer than people give credit. Holyfield Bowe must be given consideration, also. The Langford/McVey fights would also be extremely close. Ali Foreman might qualify also and possibly even Foreman Frazier.

I agree, it does happen a little regularly than suggested, although i guess that thire are arguments in all of the above fights that at least one participant wasnt prime for some reason or another. EG, Ali had the Layoff, Jackson the injured ankle, etc.

 

Barbados Joe Walcott vs Joe Gans.

We might never see that kind of fight again!

 

Good stuff Bodhi :good which do you think is the best match up pound for pound as far as both fighters being closer to their respective primes than any of the others - and the respective quality (all time ratings) of the combatants compared to any of the other examples etc?? I'd say Robbie and the Keed has to be almost it - let me know what you think - and also does this qualify it as being held up as the match-up of all-time/the century?

 

one of the Greb-Tunney set-to's?