I'm okay with Duran - Barkley, not sure if it's the best fight ever but it certainly showed the skills of Duran like nothing else I've seen before and in fact, if someone tells me they don't appreciate boxing, then this is the fight to see, how a much smaller Duran can use his skills to offset the power and size of Barkley. As far as other fights go there's just so many. Leonard - Duran I, Foreman - Lyle, Hagler - Hearns, Ward - Gatti trilogy, Corrales -Castillo, which reminded me of the Gatti-Ward fights), Holyfield - Bowe trilogy, Lewis - V.K., Dempsey - Firpo, Ali-Frazier triolgy, Foreman -Ali, and on it goes.
Part of what makes a great fight for me is the backdrop and the atmosphere. The start of Benn v McClellan is something else, you feel like you are there.
My list is usually as follows. 1. Barrera vs Morales I 2. Arguello/Pryor I 3. Corrales/Castillo I 4. Saad/Lopez II 5. Duran/Barkley 6. Carbajal/Gonzalez I 7. Zaragoza/Banke II 8. Bowe/Holy I 9. Barrera/Mckinney 0. Bowe/Golota II
The most heart-stopping fight I saw ringside was when Rocky Graziano,an 8-1 underdog,came from a terrible beating at the hands of Billy Arnold "New Joe Louis ",and kod Arnold in the 3rd round,in 1945. Bedlam arose in MSG, and made Rocky the new "Stanley Ketchell" in boxing. A Digitalis fight for sure. Dempsey- Firpo Foreman-Lyle Almost any Mathew Saad bout...
surely FOTC has to be there seeing as you were there! Also Burt seeing as its the 40th anniversary of that fight coming up could you do a write up or account of the events before the fight, you at the fight and your experience of the fight and after..... I would love to hear it all from someone who was there.
I'd have Leonard / Hagler up there too, to come back at 30 to win in a tight S/D. Whether you think Hagler won or SRL won is irrevlevant, it was a fantastic performance by SRL.