Sturm vs De La Hoya was very close to being this. Fight was on a ppv card with Hopkins also fighting no one to setup Oscar vs Hopkins.
Floyd vs Judah by Baldomir. Yes it has happened, but the expectations were not the same after Judah got beaten by limited Baldomir.
Lewis - Bowe in early 95. Many don't know that that fight was all but done, and had Lewis beaten McCall he'd have faced Riddick next.
Bute was almost talking about Froch as a tune up for Ward. That one went about as badly wrong as you could imagine.
Williams had no idea how savage a beating that upset was going to get him at the time. He came into my school to give us a talk and sign photos of him stood over Tyson as "Danny Williams - the man who knocked out Tyson" genuinely thinking he could upset Vitali.
Norris/Trinidad never happened because Norris lost to Keith Mullings. Norris only gave Mullings a shot because he was robbed vs Marquez for a shot at the IBF title.
Well the fight still happened but Morales v Raheem was sort of a tune up for the second Pacquiao fight, they even fought o the same card where Pacquiao beat Hector Velasquez.
Antonio Margarito vs Miguel Cotto Even though the fight still happened Paul Williams beating Margarito set the fight back and the hype.
Pavlik v Martinez was sort of a tune up for a Pavlik v Paul Williams fight, that figh had dragged out getting made and so Martinez got the fight on the back of giving Williams fits in the first fight, Martinez beat them both from here and that fight never happened.
Broner vs Maidana-ruined A.B. vs Money Maidana ruined the early Broner vs Mayweather set up that Haymon was trying to put together a mega PPV. Ortiz vs Berto-ruined Berto vs Mayweather Another fight Haymon was gonna put on with his earliest hypejob Andre Berto against Mayweather for the WBC title.
Ray Leonard vs Hector Camacho-ruined Leonard vs De La Hoya That would have been one hell of a superstar resume even more than it is if Oscar could have fought Sugar Ray Leonard. Camacho was suppose to be a tune up/elimination fight for Leonard at middleweight to set up a Oscar De La Hoya fight at either 147 or 154.
You are missing the point here. Horn wasn't a tuneup and Manny wasn't heading into another fight. Point of the thread are fights that where set up, but a tuneup derailed it.
It might not have been a tune up in the traditional sense but it derailed the Crawford fight for Pacman.