In terms of what they caused to the fighters involved, mentally and physically A few for me goes Ali vs Shavers (this probably took away a decade from Ali) Benn vs McClellan (no explanation needed, although if it happened 10 years later Benn would've lost in the 1st round) Grithith vs Paret (the worst refereeing I've actually ever seen and cost Paret everything)
This content is protected Joichiro Tatsuyoshi vs Singwacha. Ridiculously Brutal bout, especially after the 3rd. Go Joe! This content is protected Chang vs Tokashiki. One of my faves. Chang one of the greatest small men ever. This content is protected Hatakeyama vs Sakamoto. Brutal lightweight title bout. Another of my favourites ever.
Battling Nelson vs Christy Williams: "Williams was knocked down an amazing 42 times and Nelson 9 times, setting an all-time record for number of knockdowns." ^This record is still unbroken Of course, fights like Dempsey vs Firpo, Marciano vs Moore, Patterson vs Ingo 3 and Foreman vs Lyle deserve a mention. Another good one would be Sullivan vs Kilrain. 76 rounds in 100F+ degree heat and Sullivan was literally vomiting in between rounds Vesti's call of Wolgast vs Nelson 2 was a good one. Wolgast was knocked down in the 22nd round but by the end of it Nelson couldnt see
Joe Jeanette KO 50 Sam Mcvey "McVey had Jeanette down 27 times during the course of the FIFTY ROUND fight! Joe’s most memorable fight occurred on April 17, 1909 in a return bout with Sam McVey in Paris, France that lasted three-and-a-half-hours, and 49 rounds, the longest boxing match of the 20th century, and one of the greatest marathons in boxing history. Although McVey began the fight strong and looked like a sure winner, knocking down the usually sturdy Jeannette 27 times, and almost knocking him out in the 16th round with a right uppercut to Jeanette’s jaw, he weakened greatly by the 19th round. Jeanette took control, knocking down McVey, a boxer (who had only been stopped once in his career, by Johnson), 19 times. After the 49th round, McVey could not rise from his stool at the call of time and Jeannette was declared winner on a technical knockout. This won him the “World Colored Heavyweight Championship,” as Jack Johnson had defeated Tommy Burns for his heavyweight title the previous December. Jeanette retired in 1919 at the age of 40. Of his 166 documented pro fights (he believed it was closer to 400), in a career spanning 1904-1922, Jeanette had 106 wins, 68 of which were by knockout, with 20 losses. Only two of his losses were by knockout, once early in his career and once late in his career. He is rated alongside the very best boxers of his era, including Johnson, Langford, and McVey. Jeremiah “Joe” Jeannette was born on August 26, 1879 in West Hoboken, New Jersey. Jeanette died in 1958. He is buried in Fairview, New Jersey. is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of the early 20th century. Because he was African-American, he was not given a shot at the world heavyweight title, though he did win the World Colored Heavyweight Championship."
I'd be interested to any contemporary reports, I've looked before but not found any yet. A lot of untrue claims get made later, and some end up widely believed. There's quite often claims made about crazy stuff happening in fights years ago that the reports at the time don't make.
Bowe vs Golata 2 Marquez vs Pacquiao 4 Corrales vs Castillo 1 and 2 Margarito vs Cotto Foreman vs Lyle Cribb vs Molineux
Robert Quiroga vs Akeem Anifowoshi. Both guys were never the same after this fight and Akeem suffered brain damage later on. This content is protected
Holyfield vs Dokes (1989) This was the fight that really introduced Holyfield to the Heavyweight division. Dokes on the comeback trail from years of drug addiction and inactivity, was past his best but this was like his last hurrah and arguably his best performance since his championship days. The younger fresher Holyfield was always in charge but it was a gruelling drawn out fight with Dokes proving surprisingly determined and durable. Evander finally wore the tiring Dokes down by the 10th round and stopped him on his feet with a couple of brutal flush shots. The aftermath was that while Holyfield pasted his first heavyweight test, most observers thought that if the past prime Dokes could give him such a gruelling fight and hit hiim as often and as hard as he did then it didn’t bode well at all in a future matchup against the then seemingly unbeatable champion, Mike Tyson. P:S. Holyfield in retirement and looking back on his career would describe Dokes as being the fighter with the fastest hand speed that he ever fought whether at cruiserweight or heavyweight and how he couldn’t believe how fast Dokes hands were. Remember this was a past prime and overweight Dokes.
Prince Charles Williams vs. Merqui Sosa - the ringside physician stopped the fight and ruled that BOTH fighters had taken too much punishment. From BoxRec: Chief ringside physician Frank Doggett stopped the fight on an unprecedented ruling that both fighters were unfit to continue due to the tremendous amount of punishment both men had taken. Sosa's right eye was closed and he may have suffered a fractured cheekbone. Williams had sustained lacerations on his left eyelid. (Sources:Boxing Illustrated March,1995 p.39; ProBoxing Update's Flash No.155 10/20/95 p.4; ESPN Boxing 01/13/95).
