Your 10 Favorite Heavyweight Fights?

Some fine choices there. I don't normally do lists but this would be a good one to think about. I reckon three of your choices might make mine too...

 

In no particular order :
Ali vs Frazier 1
Ali vs Frazier 3
Holmes vs Norton
Bowe vs Holyfield 1
Patterson vs Quarry 1
Louis vs Conn 1
Tyson vs Douglas
Marciano vs Walcott 1
Louis vs Baer 2
Frazier vs Quarry 1

I'm a sucker for back and forth contests, hence many of them being here. But I also really like masterclass performances just as much, watching Conn against Louis is great to watch, despite him losing, so is Louis masterfully tearing Baer apart etc. Not even sure they are my top favorites, but just the first ones that come to mind.

 

I started a top 10 best Heavyweight fights in each era but stopped at 1950s but i'll give you my lists.


2010s

Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko
Artur Szpilka vs Mike Mollo 1
Andy Ruiz vs Anthony Joshua 1
Dereck Chisora vs Dillian Whyte 1
Dereck Chisora vs Carlos Takam
Steve Cunningham vs Amir Mansour
Wladimir Klitschko vs Samuel Peter 1
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 1
Alexander Povetkin vs Carlos Takam
Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz 1

2000s

Clifford Eitenne vs Lawrence Clay-Bey
Lamon Brewster vs Sergei Liakhovich
Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko
Hasim Rahman vs Corrie Sanders
David Izon vs Derrick Jefferson
Corrie Sanders vs Vitali Klitschko
Lamon Brewster vs Wladimir Klitschko 1
Chris Byrd vs Andrew Golota
Hasim Rahman vs Oleg Maskaev 2
Joe Mesi vs Vassiliy Jirov

1990s

Evander Holyfield vs Riddick 1 2 3 = I'm gonna cheat and count them as one
Andrew Golota vs Riddick Bowe 2
Michael Moorer vs Bert Cooper
Mike Tyson vs Razor Ruddock 2
Maurice Harris vs Derrick Jefferson
Bert Cooper vs Ray Mercer
Evander Holyfield vs Bert Cooper
David Tua vs Ike Ibeabuchi
Lennox Lewis vs Ray Mercer
George Foreman vs Alex Stewart

1980s

Tim Witherspoon vs Larry Holmes
Evander Holyfield vs Michael Dokes
Jesse Ferguson vs Carl Williams
Larry Holmes vs Gerry Cooney
Ike Padilla vs Leland Hardy
Earnie Shavers vs Jeff Sims
Tyrell Biggs vs David Bey
Renaldo Snipes vs Trevor Berbick
Ken Norton vs Tex Cobb
Greg Page vs James Tillis

1970s

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier 1 3 = I'm going to cheat again and count them as 1
Larry Holmes vs Ken Norton
Larry Holmes vs Mike Weaver
George Foreman vs Ron Lyle
Ken Norton vs Muhammad Ali 2
Earnie Shavers vs Roy Tiger Williams
Earnie Shavers vs Ron Lyle
Larry Holmes vs Earnie Shavers 2
Joe Frazier vs Joe Bugner
George Foreman vs Jimmy Young

1960s

Floyd Patterson vs Jerry Quarry 1 2 = You know the deal
Joe Frazier vs Jerry Quarry 1
Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson 3
Joe Frazier vs Oscar Bonavena 1
Doug Jones vs Zora Folley 2
Henry Cooper vs Muhammad Ali 1
Sonny Liston vs Cleveland Williams 2
Muhammad Ali vs Doug Jones

1950s

Bob Satterfield vs Rex Layne
Rocky Marciano vs Ezzard Charles 1 2
Rocky Marciano vs Jersey Joe Walcott 1
Sonny Liston vs Cleveland Williams 1
Jersey Joe Walcott vs Ezzard Charles 3


My stand out ones overall would probably be.....

Louis/Conn 1
Bowe/Holyfield 1
Norton/Holmes
Holmes/Witherspoon
Cooper/Moorer
Foreman/Lyle
Ali/Frazier 1

 

In chronological order -

Muhammad Ali/Sonny Liston I 1964
Joe Frazier/Jerry Quarry I 1969
Joe Frazier/Muhammad Ali I 1971
Muhammad Ali/Ken Norton II 1973
Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazier III 1975
George Foreman/Ron Lyle 1976
Larry Holmes/Ken Norton 1978
Larry Holmes/Tim Witherspoon 1983
Evander Holyfield/Mike Dokes 1989
Riddick Bowe/Evander Holyfield I 1992

 

Holyfield vs Cooper
Holyfield vs Bowe 3
Ruddock vs Dokes
Cooney vs Lyle
Foreman vs Norton
Tyson vs Berbick
Tyson vs Holmes
Moorer vs Cooper
Ibeabuchi vs Byrd
Morrison vs Mercer

 

For fun, competitive fights -
Ali - Frazier 3
Moorer - Cooper
Holyfield - Bowe 1
Tyson - Holyfield 1
Marciano - Charles 1
Foreman - Lyle

As for the rest, I like the quick demolitions…
Most of the Tysons career pre Douglas, Lennox crushing Grant,Golota and Botha, Foreman blasting Frazier, Ruddock v Dokes.

 

No ranking, just the top 10

FOTC
Rumble in the Jungle
Riddick Bowe vs Evander Holyfield trilogy
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder trilogy
George Foreman vs Ron Lyle
Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko
Andrew Golota vs Riddick Bowe
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko
Rocky Marciano vs JJ Walcott
Joe Louis vs Billy Conn

I'm not really sure this is "my top 10", but I'm too lazy to think further..

 

1.Ali vs Frazier # 1
2.Ali vs Foreman
3.Holmes vs Norton
4.Bowe vs Holyfield#1
5.Holyfield vs Cooper
6.Ali vs Frazier #3 Manila
7.Holmes vs Cooney
8. Ali vs Liston#1
9.Holyfield vs Bowe#2
10. Ibeabuchi vs Tua

 

Ali vs Spinks 1 a real Rocky Balboa moment, when Leon lifted in the air at hearing the result, becoming undisputed champion in his 8th pro bout.
Have to say it brings back good memories and emotions, a wet behind the ears teenage Kernow still in recruit training, watching the bout with rest of recruits.

Holmes vs Cooney again i remember where i was listening to the bout, and again with colleagues, the build up to the bout had a great white hope feel to it, which was a good if not pc marketing plan. but whatever it sure amassed a lot of attention.

Corbett vs Fitzsimmons, hey a Cornishman by birth winning the heavyweight title, oh yes it joins Kernows list.

Foreman vs Ali, brains and guile beat the brute strength.

Tyson vs Douglas, a for one night only fighter who was fit, focused and with a emotional fire in his belly beating a ill train poorly focused and with a useless team.
Like Leon one night only but both their names are indelibly printed in heavyweight title history as the champ.

Any of the Ali vs Norton fights, as these only bouts that i had watched wanting Alis opponent to win.

Walcott vs Marciano that iconic image of Marcianos Suzy Q hitting Walcotts mandible.

Willard vs Dempsey as that was the first fight that i read about regarding boxing history, in a book called Superfists, that book gripped my interest in history of our sport coming on for 50 yrs ago.

McCall vs Bruno, the atmosphere when Bruno hung on to win the title was incredible, ticker tape, fireworks "Land of hope and glory" blasting out with the crowd in full voice, Bruno Bruno Bruno.

Patterson vs Liston merely for the fact Liston had wrongly been denied his title shot for way too long.

Most of the above would not even be considered in greatest bout list, but each enjoyed by old Kernow for various reasons