The 100 greatest title fights of all time (The Ring, 1996)

The list is below. I think it’s a pretty fine list, but… Which of these fights would you swap out for more recent ones (1997 onwards)? Which shouldn’t be listed at all and which are unjustifiably high or low on the list?


The 100 Greatest Title Fights of All-Time


As selected by The Ring magazine in the Holiday 1996 Issue.

1. Muhammad Ali KO15 Joe Frazier, September 30, 1975
2. Rocky Graziano KO6 Tony Zale, July 16, 1947
3. Jack Dempsey KO2 Luis Firpo, September 14, 1923
4. Joe Frazier W15 Muhammad Ali, March 8, 1971
5. Tony Zale KO6 Rocky Graziano, September 27, 1946
6. Joe Louis KO13 Billy Conn, June 18, 1941
7. Marvin Hagler KO3 Thomas Hearns, April 15, 1985
8. Aaron Pryor KO14 Alexis Arguello, November 12, 1982
9. Sugar Ray Leonard KO14 Thomas Hearns, September 16, 1981
10. Joe Gans DQ42 Battling Nelson , September 3, 1906
11. Ad Wolgast KO13 Joe Rivers, July 4, 1912
12. Henry Armstrong W15 Lou Ambers, August 17, 1938
13. Julio Cesar Chavez KO12 Meldrick Taylor, March 17, 1990
14. Terry McGovern KO8 George Dixon, January 9, 1900
15. Arnold Taylor KO14 Romeo Anaya, November 3, 1973
16. Rocky Marciano KO13 Jersey Joe Walcott, September 23, 1952
17. Michael Carbajal KO7 Humberto Gonzalez, March 13, 1993
18. Tommy Ryan KO17 Tommy West, March 4, 1901
19. Ad Wolgast KO40 Battling Nelson, February 22, 1910
20. Chartchai Chionoi KO13 Efren Torres, January 28, 1968
21. Roberto Duran W15 Sugar Ray Leonard, June 20, 1980
22. Bobby Chacon W12 Cornelius Boza-Edwards, May 15, 1983
23. Larry Holmes W15 Ken Norton, June 9, 1978
24. Carmen Basilio W15 Sugar Ray Robinson, September 23, 1957
25. Jack Johnson KO12 Stanley Ketchel, October 16, 1909
26. Archie Moore KO11 Yvon Durelle, December 10, 1958
27. Carmen Basilio KO 12 Tony DeMarco, November 30, 1955
28. Willie Pep W15 Sandy Saddler, February 11, 1949
29. Gene Fullmer KO 14 Carmen Basilio, August 28, 1959
30. Harry Greb W 15 Mickey Walker, July 2, 1925
31. Floyd Patterson KO6 Ingemar Johansson, March 13, 1961
32. Sugar Ray Robinson KO3 Rocky Graziano, March 13, 1952
33. Muhammad Ali KO8 George Foreman, October 30, 1974
34. Rafael Herrera W15 Venice Borkorsor, October 13, 1973
35. Matthew Franklin KO8 Marvin Johnson, April 22, 1979
36. Rocky Marciano W15 Ezzard Charles, June 17, 1954
37. Oscar Albarado KO15 Koichi Wajima, June 3, 1974
38. Saman Sorgaturong KO7 Humberto Gonzalez, July 15, 1995
39. Alexis Arguello KO13 Ruben Olivares, November 23, 1974
40. Alexis Arguello KO13 Alfredo Escalera, February 4, 1979
41. Wilfredo Gomez KO14 Lupe Pintor, December 3, 1982
42. Nigel Benn KO10 Gerald McClellan, February 25, 1995
43. Jake LaMotta KO15 Laurent Dauthuille, September 13, 1950
44. Buster Douglas KO10 Mike Tyson, February 11, 1990
45. Kid Gavilan W15 Carmen Basilio, September 18, 1953
46. Evander Holyfield W15 Dwight Muhammad Qawi, July 12, 1986
47. Dick Tiger W15 Gene Fullmer, October 23, 1962
48. Ted Lewis W12 Jack Britton, August 31, 1915
49. Roberto Duran W12 Iran Barkley, February 24, 1989
50. Benny Leonard KO6 Richie Mitchell, January 14, 1921
51. Bobby Chacon W15 Bazooka Limon, December 11, 1982
52. Stanley Ketchel W20 Billy Papke, July 4, 1909
53. Iran Barkley KO3 Thomas Hearns, June 6, 1988
54. Riddick Bowe W12 Evander Holyfield, November 13, 1992
55. Rafael Herrera KO12 Rodolfo Martinez, April 15, 1973
56. Ruben Olivares W15 Chucho Castillo, April 18, 1970
57. Bobo Olson W15 Kid Gavilan, April 2, 1954
58. Jeff Harding KO12 Dennis Andries, June 24, 1989
59. Paul Banke KO9 Daniel Zaragoza, April 23, 1990
60. Muhammad Ali W15 Ken Norton, September 28, 1976
61. Beau Jack W15 Bob Montgomery, November 19, 1943
62. Jim Jeffries KO8 Bob Fitzsimmons, July 25, 1902
63. Carlos Monzon W15 Rodrigo Valdes, July 30, 1977
64. Vincent Pettway KO6 Simon Brown, April 29, 1995
65. Vicente Saldivar W15 Howard Winstone, June 15, 1967
66. Danny Lopez KO15 Mike Ayala, June 17, 1979
67. Alexis Arguello KO13 Alfredo Escalera, January 28, 1978
68. Carmen Basilio KO12 Tony DeMarco, june 10, 1955
69. George Foreman KO10 Michael Moorer, November 5, 1994
70. Kennedy McKinney KO11 Welcome Ncita, December 2, 1992
71. Simon Brown KO10 Maurice Blocker, March 18, 1991
72. Sugar Ray Robinson KO5 Gene Fullmer, May 1, 1957
73. Rocky Marciano KO8 Ezzard Charles, September 17, 1954
74. Arturo Gatti KO6 Wilson Rodriguez, March 23, 1996
75. Barney Ross W15 Jimmy McLarnin, May 28, 1934
76. Rocky Marciano KO9 Archie Moore, September 21, 1955
77. Fidel Bassa KO13 Dave McAuley, April 25, 1987
78. Tony Canzoneri W15 Kid Chocolate, November 20, 1931
79. Robert Quiroga W12 Kid Akeem, June 15, 1991
80. Jack Dempsey KO4 Georges Carpentier, July 2, 1921
81. Carlos Santos W15 Mark Medal, November 2, 1984
82. Steve Cruz W12 Barry McGuigan, June 23, 1986
83. Salvador Sanchez KO15 Azumah Nelson, July 21, 1983
84. Matthew Saad Muhammad KO14 Yaqui Lopez, July 13, 1980
85. Frankie Randall W12 Julio Cesar Chavez, January 29, 1994
86. Roberto Duran KO11 Esteban DeJesus, March 16, 1974
87. Jose Becerra KO9 Alphonse Halimi, February 4, 1960
88. Sugar Ray Leonard W12 Marvin Hagler, April 6, 1987
89. Marcel Cerdan KO12 Tony Zale, September 21, 1948
90. Rodrigo Valdes KO7 Bennie Briscoe, May 25, 1974
91. Carmen Basilio KO9 Johnny Saxton, September 12, 1956
92. Lee Roy Murphy KO12 Chisanda Mutti, October 19, 1985
93. Joe Frazier KO7 Jerry Quarry, June 23, 1969
94. Jorge Castro KO9 John David Jackson, December 10, 1994
95. Gerald McClellan KO5 Julian Jackson, May 8, 1993
96. Evander Holyfield W12 George Foreman, April 19, 1991
97. Mike Weaver KO15 John Tate, March 31, 1980
98. Aaron Davis KO9 Mark Breland, July 8, 1990
99. Larry Holmes KO12 Mike Weaver, June 22, 1979
100. Carlos Palomino KO15 Mando Muniz, January 22, 1977

 

Lol

 

Dempsey-Carpenter was probably listed due to the historic nature of the event with the huge attendance and record gate.

As a fight, it was a bit of a non event. If the event and not the fight are why it’s listed then in theory, Chavez-Haugen should be on the list too.

So I’d remove it from a fight perspective.

 

It’s deservedly placed high in my opinion.

Whether the controversy was a factor in the outcome is a bit of a moot point, I think.

It was an incredible fight. Of all the fights in the list, that’s not one I would be picking out myself. But, hey, it’s subjective!

 

That’s fair, I think.

 

The placement of Matthew Saad Muhammad v Yaqui Lopez 2 at number 84 is inexplicably low.