Most historic fight from your country?

Sayers v Heenan

 

Probably the 2nd Bob Foster v Pierre Fourie fight, which took place at the Rand stadium before a packed audience in about 1976 or so. Sorry, my brain is a little foggy this morning so excuse me if some of the details aren't quite correct.

They had fought before in Foster's hometown with Foster winning comfortably on points, but Fourie put up a performance of sufficient merit that it made a rematch plausible.

The fight was historically significant because it was the first fight in which a black man and a white man would share the same ring in SA.
Prior, due to apartheid, blacks and whites were not allowed to fight each other.
So the fight of course was front page news not only because the legendary Foster was fighting in the country, he was fighting a very popular local guy who happened to be white.

The fight helped break down the racial divide in boxing (and later in sports in general here) and the next year saw blacks and whites competing against each other in boxing matches - making boxing the first sport in this country to allow blacks and whites to compete against each other in a sporting event.

While he was here, Foster was withdrawn and sullen, understandable because of the racial situation here at the time.
The fight itself was a good one, with Fourie once again making life difficult for Foster with his defence and reflexes.
It was certainly a much closer fight than the first one, and a few thought Fourie deserved the win.
When Foster was awaiting the decision, I'm sure the thought went through his head that he could be robbed, and he leapt high into the air with a huge grin when he was declared the winner on points.

 

Louis/Schmeling II...Yankee Stadium....June 1938...

 

Tough one. We had a couple of decent fighters in Poland, a couple more coming from Poland - but anyway their most important fights were usually held somewhere else (Germany for DM and US for Adamek and Golota).

Anyone has better idea than Adamek-Bell (or perhaps Golota-Witherspoon )?

 

Dec. 10, 1958: ARCHIE MOORE vs YVON DURELLE
for the light-heavyweight title.
Not only the greatest fight in Canada, but likely one of the all time fights
in the league of Zale - Graziano, Robinson - Fullmer, Robinson - Basilio.

 

What about the Gus Lesnevich - Freddy Mills fight

 

In my time probably Watson v Eubank 2 due to the tragic circumstances. It changed the way ringside doctors were used in Britain and could well have saved a few fighters from serious unjury since. They say Mclellan would certainly have died if not for the new procedures in place due to what happened to Michael Watson.

All time Cooper v Ali is still talked about in hushed tones as Henry came within a wisker of beating Ali ( Clay at the time of course )

 

Turpin-Robinson. Clay-Cooper is a good shout too.

 

I think the first Benn-Eubank fight was pretty significant at the time.

Recently, the whole country was behind Hatton for the Floyd fight. Everyone was talking about it and the Media convinced Joe Public that Hatton was the 2nd coming of Duran.

Still, it has got others into boxing who weren't nessecarily into it before so it can't be bad.

 

Golota-Spoon in Wrocław and Michalczewski-DeGrandis id Gdansk I think. That was something at that time because of the class f both fighters.
Wlodarczyk-Cunningham in Katowice and Warsaw need to be mentioned, but Wlodarczyk ain't such a idol in Poland as Gołota and DM or even Adamek.

 

Guys, being Australian... the single greatest fight of significance, on every platform, has to be Burns vs Johnson... boxing day 1908..

 

Cribb Molineux II

More coverage in the media than the battle of Trafalgar.

 

Tommy Mulligan vs Ted Kid Lewis

was a big event and caused fighting in the battle of Annandale between people who had bought tickets but were refused entry