The 5 Greatest Wins in the History of Boxing?

Vasquez vs Marquez III - EPIC
Corrales vs Castillo I - EDGE OF THE SEAT STUFF
Ali vs Foreman - HUGE UNDERDOG
Hagler vs Hearns - EMPHATIC FINISH
Marciano vs Walcott - FLUSH KO

 

..............God, what a great thread idea. Kudos, McGrain. Just when you think everything has been covered here.........


1. Louis-Schmeling II - This meant more on so many levels. It transcended boxing. Had this fight taken place today, could you imagine the hype? Unimaginable. It ended in the most conclusive fashion a fight can end. It was a pit bull tearing into a rag doll, and gave hope to both a nation and a nation within a nation.

2. Frazier-Ali I - Some of the same socio-political stuff going on here, but on a national instead of international level. This was far, far more than just the heavyweight title at stake.

3. Johnson-Jeffries - This was the fight to decide if a black man really WAS the heavyweight champion. Until then, he was just a placeholder. Suddenly, he (and an entire race) had to be reckoned with. The ramifications were enormous.

4. Leonard-Hearns I - Leonard had already established himself as a top welter with his victory in a return match against Duran, but it took this fight to legitimize him as a true great, and the standard-bearer for his generation.

5. Armstrong-Ambers - With this victory, Armstrong put himself in uncharted territory forever, holding titles in three weight classes simultaneously. Never been done before, surely never to happen again. One-of-a-kind achievement.

 

#1 Ali beating Foreman.

 

Duran-Leonard I
Tunney-Dempsey II
Schmeling-Louis I
Frazier-Ali I
Ketchel-Papke III

 

My five wins in historical order--I am going on greatest athletic achievements not what has outside-the-ring socialogical importance, such as Johnson over Jeffries.

1. Tom Cribb stops Tom Molineaux in 11 (1811)--A great meeting of the two best of their time, well matched and in their primes. Cribb weighed about 187. Molineaux 182. They had fought a controversial fight less than a year earlier but in this one Cribb survived a brutal going over to come back and ko Molineaux, breaking his jaw. I think this fight makes Cribb the supreme bruiser of the bareknuckle era and is the first great international match.

2. Nat Langham stops Tom Sayers in 61 (1853)--What a match between perhaps the two best 150 pounders of the bareknuckle era. The 33 year old Langham had been the middleweight champion for 10 years. His younger rival was 27 and at his peak and would later reign as the HEAVYWEIGHT champion from 1857 to 1860, defeating William Perry and Tom Paddock and fighting the famous draw with the 195 lb John C Heenan. These men were considered the most skilled of their time and had unmatched records. The veteran Langham battered Sayers' eyes closed and dropped him for good in the 61st round, handing him the only loss of his illustrious career.

3. Bob Fitzsimmons ko's Jim Corbett in 14 (1897)--I think modern observers tend to gloss over what a feat this was. Corbett was the heavyweight champion, at 183 pounds, and was undefeated, with wins over John L Sullivan, Jake Kilrain, Joe Choynski, and Charley Mitchell, plus a draw with Peter Jackson. Fitz was the middleweight champion and at best would be a modern super-middleweight. He is listed at 167 for this fight. Fitz was also three years older. Corbett was not only bigger but a fast and skilled boxer for the era. Fitz took him out with a left to the stomach. I think this was a really historical achievement for Fitz.

4. Sam Langford ko's Harry Wills in 19 (1916)--Another great victory by a smaller and older fighter over an ATG. Someone else mentioned this one and it is a good one.

5. Max Schmeling ko's Joe Louis in 12 (1936)--Louis was the dominant champion of the 30's and 40's. Schmeling not only defeated him, but beat him badly, the only loss Louis suffered until his old age comeback.

Some others:
Frazier over Ali (1971)
Ali over Foreman (1973)
Harada over Jofre (1965 & 1966)

 

Should a great win be a great performance against a great fighter and a great upset?

1. Ali-Foreman
2. Ali-Frazier 1
3. Leonar-Hagler
4. Duran-Leonard
5. Greb-Tunney
6. Charles-Moore (last 1)

Honourable mentions

Barrera-Hamed
Barrera-Morales (all of them)
Pacquaio-Barrera
RJJ-Toney
Griffith-Parret
Hopkins-Trinidad
Burley-Moore
Tyson-Spinks
Liston-Patterson
Marciano-Walcot
Benn-McCellan
Pryor-Arguello
Sanchez-Gomez

 

Pep's victory over Saddler should probably be at the top of the list.

 

Yep the first, given what Tunney went on to do the win is escalated. Actually allot of the great wins are based on what they went on to do and not how great the fighter currently was. Maybe the loss to another great made them better. If Tunney/Leonard had retired after those losses they would cease to be great wins.

If were talking about knocking off someone who is currently see as the best most formidable in the sport then my list would be something like (I havent thought about this too much):

Ali-Foreman
Tyson-Douglas
Ali-Liston
Hagler-Leonard
Ali-Frazier

Honourable mention

Holyfield-Tyson
Honeyghan-Curry
Robinson-Turpin