Fights to announce a Fighter on the ''World Stage''

Erik Morales Vs Daniel Zaragoza

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2leKMRYILw[/ame]

Thought i'd start a thread about which fighters when stepping up to world class for the first time makes a big statement..............

Eric Morales, in his first World Title fight at the age of 21 stepped up against Romanza trained Hall of Famer Daniel Zaragoza, who was 55-7-3 and making the 5th defense of his 4th reign as WBC 122lb king. (13 successful defenses, i think).

Morales started off cautious looking to get a feel for Zaragoza's awkward southpaw style but started to get into motion before being caught by by an overhand right, unlike Morales he holds on before deciding to fight fire with fire. The 39 year old Zaragoza still showing he can be dangerous. I had the fight even after the 8th, when Morales looked to have Zaragoza out on his feet, he took some big shots from Morales. The fight was Eric's from here on, forcing Zaragoza to take a knee in the 10th from a right to the body, and done so again in the 11th to take the title from Zaragoza.

I think this is a pretty under-rated win for Erik Morales, as in it doesn't get talked about to much when his name comes up and a great performance to get his name out their.

At the end of the fight HBO said Morales father, who trains him didn't want him to become a fighter. He was very clever at school and was a decent footballer. He was very small as a kid so his dad taught him to box to help defend himself and when 13/14 was used as a sparring partner for pro Flyweights. It was his mother who persuaded her husband to allow their child to give up his studies to box. When he turned pro his Dad decided to match him tough to discourage him from the sport but won his first 3 fights by 2nd round Kayo.

So anyway, what other fights/fighters had big wins when announcing themselves on the big time

 

A good few peoplle knew Pacquaio but his win over ODLH sent him into the stratosphere. Same with Mayweather.

 

But it was his win over MAB that really put him on the map. The DLH fight opened us up to the possibility he could tear through the weight classes.

 

Good thread, LP.

Yes, Achilles. The MAB fight was indeed Pacquiao's coming out party.

James Toney vs. Mike Nunn. People weren't sure of Toney before this, he'd struggled with journeymen like Sanderline Williams. It was actually a bit of a 'homecoming' fight for Nunn, that's what Toney was thought of as.

Mike McCallum truly announced himself after destroying Julian Jackson in their short fire fight.

 

Pac had been on the world stage years before ODLH, This fight just launched him into a superstar.

Hatton V Tzsyu

Taylor V Hopkins......?

 

Haye - Valuev(sad really but its the fight that made him a mainstream star in the UK, and known over in the US)
Lewis - Ruddock?

 

Ward V Kessler

 

Ward's coming out party was Miranda, for those paying attention...yep

 

Ward v Kessler really alerted the boxing world to him though, much like Froch v Taylor...

 

Cotto vs Kelson Pinto, as it turns out Cotto had actually beaten better fighters before that but going in Pinto was regarded as a dangerous banger who could box a bit as well and would act as a litmus test for whether Cotto was the real deal or not.

Cotto of course made easy work of the overmatched Pinto and on his biggest showcase to date, 23 year old Cotto had proved to the World he was going to be a force in the upper echelons of boxing for some time to come.

 

Joe calzaghe against lacey, I know he was already world champ but lacey had been built up so much and calzaghe just ruined him!

 

Pirog vs Jacobs.

Was meant to be the other way round though.

 

Froch v Pascal?

 

Not for me it wasn't, bar power Miranda is shite and was already bestowed with gatekeeper status then.

First Elite level opponent, first 'title' fight, first fight in the Super Six, an absolute schooling against a well-regarded Super Middleweight, that was the first fight when I was convinced on Ward.

 

Good idea this.

I'll go along with Pac - Marco. That was completely dominant, but it shouldn't have been.

While Calazghe was already a world champ, his performance against Lacy brought him on the world stage