I did a couple topics in the current forum about the 90's and 00's, but since we're in the 80's now I thought to move this over to here and see how my list stacks against some others. Anyway, here goes. . . Heavyweights: Evander Holyfield TKO10 Michael Dokes. These guys fought at a pace built for lightweights, yet the action never let up. Cruiserweights: Evander Holyfield W15 Dwight Muhammad Qawi. The Real Deal is in another FOTD, this time against Qawi. 15 rounds of toe to toe slugging action, and truly the last great 15 rounder, the best cruiserweight fight of all time without a doubt. Light Heavyweights: Matthew Saad Muhammad TKO14 Yaqui Lopez. The punishment these fighters took was unreal, and a great comeback from Saad Muhammad. Super Middleweights: Sugar Ray Leonard D12 Thomas Hearns. This should be no contest, it's probably the only good fight the super middles had with it only two years old. Middleweights: Roberto Duran W12 Iran Barkley. I know I'll get a lot of flak for this pick, but I'll take 12 rounds of this fight than 3 for Hagler/Hearns. A 37 year old lightweight taking on a prime middle and beating him at his own game is something rarely seen. Light Middleweights: Thomas Hearns W15 Wilfred Benitez. This division may have had star fighters, but it had almost no great memorable fights. I picked this one cause it was a superb boxing match, but by no means an instant classic. Welterweights: Roberto Duran W15 Sugar Ray Leonard. Duran does it again, this time being the only man to defeat prime Ray Leonard, forcing Leonard into getting into a classic brawl. Light Welterweights: Aaron Pryor TKO14 Alexis Arguello. A fight for the ages if their ever was one, one fight that definately lived up to the hype. Lightweights: Ray Mancini TKO14 Duk Koo Kim. Despite the tragedy of Kim's death, one shouldn't ignore how brutal and exciting this fight was. Super Featherweights: Bobby Chacon W15 Rafael Limon. This fight came out of a movie, a real life Rocky moment for sure, with an unreal ending with Chacon pulling it out in the final 15 seconds. By the way, did anyone notice the number of fights from 1982 that are on here? What's up with 82, it had to be one of the best years of boxing period. Featherweights: Salvador Sanchez TKO15 Azumah Nelson. In yet another 1982 fight, a green Nelson gives Sanchez the fight of his life, before being broken down for a late round stoppage. Super Bantamweights: Wilfredo Gomez TKO14 Lupe Pintor. Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry in full swing here, as they just pound away at each other till Pintor drops for good in the 14th.
Heavy: Holy/Dokes Cruiser: Holy/QawiI Light Heavy: Czyz/WilliamsI Super Middle: Hearns/Kinchen Middle: Hagler/Hearns Junior Middle: McCallum/Jackson Welter: Leonard/HearnsI Junior Welter: Pryor/ArguelloI Light: Chavez/Rosario Junior Light: Nelson/McDonnell Feather: McGuigan/Pedroza Junior Feather: Meza/Garza Bantam: Canizales/SeabrooksI Junior Bantam: Galaxy/Blanca Fly: Bassa/McAuleyI
You must mean Rosario - Ramirez II, nobody would pick a beatdown as Lightweight fight of the decade. :smoke
To be honest i am most satisfied with your picks. I'd exchange Hagler - Hearns due to the combined greatness and magnitude and i think with plenty of looking i would find a better brawl at 135 but yours is certainly a fine pick. Rosario - Ramirez II was compelling, Rockin' Robin Blake was in some stunning brawls on a lower class level. I'd actually take Arguello - Mancini above Kim, tho Mancini was outclassed it was a great effort against a fantastic fighter in Arguello and had a bit of fairytale behind it too. But yes, you've picked brilliantly and i'd only change two, and they are certainly good picks.
Thanks, I thought about Rosario/Ramirez but decided to go with 14 rounds of action rather than 4. I knew someone would comment on my not picking Hagler/Hearns, but it's all good. :smoke 1982 sure had a lot of great fights though didn't it?
1982 did indeed, and i think Boza Edwards gets forgotten by many for his part two. He all but rivals Chacon. What an action packed mob, Chacon, Edwards, Limon and co. Duran - Barkley is fine, just saying i prefer the other. Your ;icks are excellent.
Heavy: Holy/Dokes: 80s Heavyweight match-ups pale in comparison to the 70s and 90s, this and Holy/Stewart being the exceptions to prove the rule. Cruiser: Holy/QawiI: The first time the new Cruisers were worth watching was when Holyfield hit the scene. Qawi has one last hurrah to teach Evander more in that bout than he had learnt in his previous 11 fights. Light Heavy: Czyz/WilliamsI: Brilliant fun as The Prince exposes Czyz who was on the verge of becoming a star. Super Middle: Hearns/Kinchen: Hearns did his best Crazy Legs Crane impression as Kinchen was trying to redeem himself, in a crazy fight. Middle: Hagler/Hearns: Round one was the best in boxing history IMO, the other one and bit were not too bad either. Junior Middle: McCallum/Jackson: A good boxer always beats a good puncher, McCallum showed the same goes when a briilliant boxer fights a brilliant puncher, although McCallum was shaken up a bit at first. Welter: Leonard/HearnsI: A proper super fight, a fight that some how exceeded the hype that was thrown at it. Junior Welter: Pryor/ArguelloI: In virtually any other decade this could of walked away with fight of the decade, it was just this was the 80s and Hagler and Hearns were creating War. Light: Chavez/Rosario: The finest one sided fight I ever saw. The fight that turned Chavez into a Boxing superstar and the fight that started the mainstream Latino boxing buzz, that is still going strong today. Junior Light: Nelson/McDonnell: I was there on bonfire night to watch the brilliant Nelson destroy McDonnell. What I got was a brave talented McDonnell give Nelson hell for eight or so rounds and a fighter with an amazing heart to keep going and nearly make it to the final bell, despite in the end being badly outgunned. Sadly it was a fight Jim never recovered from. Feather: McGuigan/Pedroza: Again I was there to watch the Coronation of boxing next mainstream star, sadly it was as good as it got foir McGuigan. Pedroza was past his best, but went out showing a champions heart. Junior Feather: Meza/Garza: Amazing one round shoot out as Meza ruined the streaking Garza. Bantam: Canizales/SeabrooksI: Seabrooks showed he had come a long way from his 18-13 journeyman start to survive a near disaster in the first and bravely give the excellent Canizales a fight to remember. Junior Bantam: Galaxy/Blanca: Fun fight at a fun time in boxing history. Reminds of the good old days of Sports World Extra. Fly: Bassa/McAuleyI: McAuley survives a near disaster in the first to deck Bassa in the third, nearly have Fidel out in the ninth, only to fall in the 13th. If the fight had happened a few months later over 12, Dave(y) Boy would of been crowned Champ.
Really old thread but was looking for something along those lines so thought I'd resurrect it. Here are my picks (one winner and a runner up as a worthy mention in some cases) Heavyweight: Winner: Holmes-Cooney Runner up: Holyfield-Dokes Cruiserweight: Winner: Murphy-Mutti Runner up: Holyfield-Qawi 1 Light-heavyweight: Winner: Saad-Lopez 2 Runner up: Harding-Andries 1 Super middleweight: Hearns-Leonard 2 Middleweight: Winner: Duran-Barkley Runner up: Hagler-Hearns Junior middleweight: Santos-Medal Welterweight: Winner: Duran-Leonard 1 Runner up: Leonard-Hearns 1 Junior welterweight: Pryor-Arguello 1 Lightweight: Winner: Arguello-Mancini Runner up: Ramirez-Rosario 2 Junior lightweight: Winner: Chacon-Limon 4 Runner up: Chacon-Boza 2 Featherweight: Sanchez-Nelson Junior featherweight: Gomez-Pintor Bantamweight: Winner: Seabrooks-Jacob Runner up: Avelar-Vasquez Junior bantamweight: ?? Flyweight: Bassa-McCauley 1 Junior flyweight: Chang-Tokashiki
Great list Jel. Imagine trying to pick of the whole shitload in the 80s, and narrowing it down to like twenty fights!
I recently rewatched the Mancini-Kim fight. I was shocked at how brutal it was. Both guys just savaging each other. Few fights have that level of intensity. The first 6-8 rounds were a war of the highest level.
It was and if it hadn't ended the way it did then I would have considered it the lightweight bout of the decade. In terms of significance and impact it probably ended up being that, anyway.
HW: Holy-Dokes CW: Holy-Qawi I LHW: Saad-Lopez II SMW: Park-Sutherland MW: Duran-Barkley/Fletcher-Singletary JMW: Santos-Medel WW: Duran-Leonard I JWW: Pryor-Arguello I LW: Mancini-Kim SFW: Chacon-Limon IV FW: Fenech-Villasana SBW: Gomez-Pintor BW: Avelar-Vasquez SFly: Pedroza-Ballas Fly: Shik Kim-Mathebula LFly: Yuh-DeMarco I