Best non winning

Ray Leonard v Roberto Duran 1 1980
Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier 1971
Joe Frazier v Muhammad Ali 1975

 

Perfect sum up. Totally agree. Ironically, we have to be thankful that Ray did fall into Duran’s fight plan - otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten one of the ATG fights.

EDIT: Just read @scartissue ’s comment. No, you are not nit picking at all brother, you are very correct - my bad - poor excuse but I only read the Thread Title, but I will say that Duran did have that confidence and aura as if he was the Champ, with Ray playing second fiddle. Lol.

 

The version of Ray Mercer we all use in fantasy fights is the version who lost to Lennox Lewis, if that says something about his performance there.

 

That’s an excellent way to determine potential nominees.

 

Lots of fights some people would consider robberies would most likely be the best choices such as Ruben Castillo vs Salvador Sanchez.

 

Emanuel Augustus vs Emanuel Burton 1
Erislandy Lara vs Paul Williams
Gabriel Campillo vs Tavoris Cloud
Bernard Hopkins vs Jean Pascal 1

 

Exactly!! Duran had that swagger and aura as you stated--which made him SEEM like the champion going into that epic fight!!

 

I have to use 3:
Mccallum or Toney (Mccallum/Toney I)
Winky vs. Vargas
Tarver vs Jones I

 

What was Mercer "challenging" for tho?

How's this one!!!!!! -

Thomas Hearns vs SRL

And one that always gets forgotten for some reason - Lupe Pintor vs Wilfredo Gomez, a mighty effort.

Arguello vs Pryor despite being favorite.
Wlad vs Joshua

 

sanderline williams's career

 

Gatti vs Ward 1 and vs Robinson I and II
Gomez vs. Sanchez
Like John says, Pintor vs. Gomez
Walcott vs. Marciano I
Barkley vs Duran and Benn even if the latter one was a first-round ko loss
McGuigan vs Cruz
Mugabi vs. Hagler
Moore vs. Marciano
Firpo vs. Dempsey
Nelson vs. Sanchez
Augustus vs, Mayweather jr.
Vazquez vs, Larios II
Kim vs. Mancini

All qualify, IMO

 

P4P and relative to the era, its Conn's performance in the first Louis fight for me, followed closely by SRR vs Maxim.

 

Great thread. Kudos to the OP. But can I suggest a tweak?

I think this thread is even better if the challengers never became champs. So their great, but ultimately fruitless, showing was their only real brush with greatness and they fell just short when the moment came. A lot of the guys making unsuccessful challenges are ATGs and champions in their own right.

In terms of oh so nearly bridging the class gap between challenger and champ, two of our smaller boys did us proud - and both against great champs.

Pat Cowdell v Salvador Sanchez. Pat had no business running him that close. And Billy Hardy gave prime Orlando Canizales as close a fight as anyone, first time around. Neither ever quite made the leap but, on the nights they came second, they may well have beaten any other fighter at their weights.