What are some fights where the winner didn't really matter. It was just two fighters giving it their all. And gave the fans a great performance. Gatti Ward Trilogy Morales Barrera Trilogy Hagler Hearns Pacquiao Morales I That's my list so far.
Believe it or not there is a section of people (the fans) who are interested in a great fight more so than the outcome of the decision.
Dirrell-Stevens. Nobody cared, and they definitely gave it their all. The only criterion not satisfied here is "great performance", but who cares... this is about not caring, so there.
This is a concept that the vast majority of flo-mos have trouble grasping. It always seems to turn into an us-vs-you argument when I just want to see a good fight. Big Boxing Events need to have organic drama or fans will not hold it in high regard. Each match can be seen on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Many factors can determine that rating, from venue, crowd reaction, to the promotion, to the fighters themselves. Many Floyd fans get very defensive when we criticize Floyd's fights. In fairness, Manny being injured put a damper on the fight, so that's not Floyd's fault, but a boxing event either leaves the fans with a good taste in their mouth or a bad taste in their mouth. Floyd and Manny are (rightly or wrongly) two of the most iconic stars in the sport and when they fight, it should be one event that knocks it out of the park. It may nog be Floyd's fault or Manny's fault (it's not as if he wanted to be injured, and despite all the hoopla he himself never really used it as an excuse) At the end of the day, Many of Floyd's fights were good fights, I'm not sure how many are 4 or 5 stars, but like Floyd vs Hatton definetly delivered as an event. Floyd vs DLH delivered to an extent. Even Floyd vs Ortiz even delivered to an extent despite the crazy ending because it was actually exciting and it got people talking. For the most part, Floyd vs Manny bored most people, for whatever reason, it couldn't live up to its own hype but it's not really any one person's fault. On that night, the styles just didn't mesh well, not that it can't maybe just that something intangible was off on the night. Boxing fans needs as many 4 and 5 star matches as it can get. When an event doesn't deliver, it hurts everyone involved. That's why there's so much nostalgia, fights from the old days were so classic and satisfying from a fan's perspective, that many current events just can't compare.