We move on to voting for the best Round 15 of all time. You can check the results of rounds 1-14 on the master thread: https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/let’s-create-the-perfect-fight-round-by-round.648592/ I did not create a master list of greatest rounds. Over a period of some two months, we have taken nominations on the thread above. If your favorite (completed) Round 15 of all time isn’t here, I wish you had taken time to nominate it. This has hardly been a secret. Ground rules: The point of this exercise is to construct a mythical best 15-round fight of all time, and this fight is going the distance, so each nominated round has to go the full three minutes — so something like the 12th round of Chavez-Taylor I is not eligible. All weight divisions are eligible. And in rounds where the participants faced each other more than once, please specific which fight. Gloved era only. And importantly, this should be about the best rounds not the most historically significant. Voting will be set to stay open for three days. As this is the last round, touch ‘em up and come out voting! Here are our nominees: Bobby Chacon-Rafael “Bazooka” Limon IV (fast forward to 48:02) This content is protected Larry Holmes-Ken Norton (watch from start) This content is protected Corneilus Boza Edwards-Rafael “Bazooka” Limon (fast forward to 51:20) This content is protected Betulio Gonzales-Guty Espadas (fast forward to 21:18) This content is protected Buster Drayton-Matthew Hilton (fast forward to 1:01:20) This content is protected
I love both Chacon fights vs Limon IV and Edwards II as a all they are better than the Holmes vs Norton fight but as what is the better 15th round It has to be Holmes vs Norton imo
I watched these with an open mind but knew Holmes-Norton would be hard to beat. Boza-Limon gave it a good run for its money - fantastic final round - but yep, Holmes-Norton takes it.
Chacón-Limón IV was a great finish for a fight, but pretty mediocre as an isolated round IMO. Same story with Gonzalez-Espadas, although I definitely preferred the latter. Hilton-Drayton definitely had its moments, when both guys wailed away at eachother but there was quite a bit of clinching and lulls. For some reason, I've no recollection of the 15th round of Holmes-Norton. I've obviously heard how it's a great round (and it is), and I know for a fact I've scored the fight twice, but I just had zero memory of that round. I don't know why, though; it's hardly something you forget! Boza-Edwards vs Limon was nuts too. Actually, I think I preferred it over Holmes-Norton. It had as much action, as many clean blows but it was at a higher rate with a bit more zing on their shots. It's really close though, I loved both rounds. I think we really dropped ball here, there has to be more than five rounds worthy of consideration, surely? I can say it now but it's too late. I think Frazier-Ali I should be here.
Holmes-Norton is everything I remembered it to be and more. What willpower those two displayed ... a 3-minute illustration of exactly how much that title meant to both. Larry won but nobody lost. I loved the Boza-Limon round too (but went with the big guys) — what a clear, digital-like quality to that copy of the fight, too. I could watch Bobby Chacon fight all day. I could watch Boza fight all day. I could watch Bazooka fight all day and all night. This has been quite an undertaking but it has been rewarding.
I have seen Norton-Holmes round 15 probably 15 dozen times, and it is amazing. But even though that is one of the greatest rounds of all time, it is even greater when you've sat and watched the whole fight up to that point. For both fighters to fight so hard for 14 rounds, and make the final round the best of the fight, that takes a lot of will.
I just watched the final 5 and I voted with the consensus. Holmes v Norton as the winner seconded by Boza-Limon. I had nominated Hilton-Drayton and actually thought before watching them that I was not going to let the stars (Holmes and Norton) overshadow a possible sleeper of a round. But watching Hilton-Drayton again, it consists of fantastic exchanges but quite a few clinches that take the edge off. A solid vote for Holmes and Norton. On a sidenote; Pat, I had a blast! Thank you.
Completely agree. Ken came on so strong at the beginning of the 15th...in fact, it could be argued that he won more than half of that round. But Holmes really dug deep and came up with some shattering shots. RIP Kenny, but I still find it bizarre you stated you lost your will for fighting after Ali III. You sure didn't look like that in this fight, especially in that 15th. You looked like the best fighter in the world who wasn't Larry Holmes.
I did actually consider Ali-Frazier 1 and maybe we should have included it but I don't think it's better than the top 2 rounds here.
