Single fights that can define a legacy or lessen it

Bowe to fight Lewis.
Calzaghe to have fought Ottke.
Duran v Pryor (both fighters have great legacies already of course)

 

If Pac had gotten JMM out of there in the first round in their first fight, JMM's ranking and subsequent career would be severely different because he wouldn't have gotten the rematches vs Pac and those are his defining fights (also he has never been KO'd so being stopped in the 1st round wouldn't have damaged his legacy too).

 

If tyson could of knocked out lewis both fighters legacies change dramatically

 

Liston / Clay.

 

Marciano-Charles II - Big change for both fighters if the doc stopped the fight.

Argüello-Pryor I - It wouldn't be enough to completely turn around both legacies but no bottle would mean a pretty good boost for either fighter depending on how the fight would turn round. Probably a bigger boost for Pryor if he could pull that one off.

SRR-Maxim - Pretty good boost. But then again he's already the suga on top. Another feather on that flawless cap I guess.

Lennox Lewis and McCall, Rahman and Bowe - The loss to McCall somewhat tied Lewis to Emanuel Steward which in resume made him a more complete fighter while the loss to Rahman it's the one I believe really separates him from proper recognition cause it's an absolutely inexcusable one. But of course Bowe would have been the real career defining fight for both Bowe and Lewis had it happened.

Louis-Schmeling I - Schmeling might have been condemned to a footnote in the division after losing to Hamas. And as for Louis, would he have been elevated to the mythical status outside the ring he reached after the rematch had he blowned away Schmeling the first time around?

 

Absolutely.

 

henry armstrong vs ceferino garcia.
he'd beaten garcia already and seemingly most of the crowd thought armstrong won and the referee had to leave the building sharpish on the night due to the ill feeling of how he scored it, a draw...reports saying for years after that the fix was in and the ref was paid

armstong would have held half of the old eight weight divisions in boxing.

 

If Jofre had beat Harada (first fight) and retired. He still comes back and has his featherweight career.

 

What if Page had beaten Berbick?

What if Foreman had beaten Young?

What if Saad Muhammad had beaten Braxton?

What if Young had beaten Kevin Howard?

What if Taylor had beaten Pedroza?

What if Davis Jr. had beaten Watt?

 

What if Tito Trinidad defeated BHOP (or stayed @47-54)..

At the time, after he obliterated Joppy to win his 20th Title fight. ..I was convinced he was my Generations Duran

 

looking at it from another angle (i was adding his name to another thread)..... yvon durelle's first fight with archie moore....that fight defined his whole boxing career and made him a superstar of sorts in his home country canada...and a fight that will always be spoken about in boxing history

i suppose billy fox's career was defined by one famous fight too that was spoken about as part of boxing folklore for decades.

 

The irony is that it could also be said to define Lamotta's in a way.

 

ah no

st valentines day massacre

 

What if DLH had not blown it against Trinidad considering the first 8 rounds is a straight up boxing lesson given by Oscar!! Just wish he wouldnt have taken those last few rounds and tried coasting the way he did.

 

Yeah, but what I meant was that it got him the title shot.