What is the most highly skilled boxing match you've ever seen?

A good friend of mine (a semi-pro football/'soccer' player) has always been under the impression that boxing is a contest of who is the more aggressive and powerful on the night. He basically (and he admits this) knows absolutely **** all about the sport. He saw Mike Tyson smashing Frank Bruno to bits when he was a youngster, and never got the image of good old Frank being brutalized by what he viewed as a furious ex-con ****** out of his mind.

He's never been interested in boxing since, hasn't even watched another fight.

It's education time I think.

My good lady is away next weekend and him and another few mates are coming to mine, so I want to watch at least one boxing match in its entirety, and I need to pick the perfect one that basically shows boxing at its most skilled.

What would your suggestion be for a fight that shows a high, high level of skills and technique? It doesn't have to be a thriller, it doesn't have to be a close fight, just suggest the fight that for you contains some seriously skilled action.

The one I'm thinking of just now is Pernell Whitaker vs Buddy McGirt 1. As Larry Merchant says in the commentary, it's "violent chess"! Both guys have their moments in the first half of the fight, McGirt shows some very accurate punching, then Whitaker takes over in the 2nd half with some great combinations to edge home. It's technical, it's competitive, it's exciting, and it's two great fighters.

Good choice? Or can you think of a better one for this purpose? All/any suggestions welcome (except **** ones) :good

 

Great choices :good

Toney-McCallum 1 is one of my all-time faves

 

Would Curry-McCallum be your choice as well then Pea?

 

:good

I actually really like Mayweather-N'Dou. I wouldn't put it forward on this thread because N'Dou is a complete incompetent from a technical perspective, but I really like the way Floyd deals with him.

 

Cheers for the tip McGrain, and I know where you're coming from, but I'm really looking for peoples' personal choices for most skilled match ever, rather than tailoring your selection for my predicament. Thanks for your suggestion anyway, I own that fight and think it is brilliant. I love pretty much anything that features the Bodysnatcher. He was involved in some of the most high-skill fights I have ever seen - Toney 1, Kalambay 1, Curry, Michael Watson. A stud if ever there was one.