The 5 Greatest Wins in the History of Boxing?

1. Randolph Turpin beating Sugar Ray Robinson

2. Max Schmeling beating Joe Louis

3. Joe Frazier beating Muhammad Ali

4. Muhammad Ali beating George Foreman

5. Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson

6. Ray Leonard beating Marvin Hagler

 

One from left field not a legacy fight but one that reflects credit on the winner imo. Moore V Durelle 1,to come off the floor at that advanced age ,boxing through a fog and ultimately prevail is a bit special imo.

 

I wouldn't say clearly, there are other contenders, but I'd be tempted to put it at # 1.

It depends how we define 'greatest' win really.

Does greatest mean most improbable or odds-defying?

Does greatest mean beating the best fighter as close to their peak as possible?

Does greatest mean the most impressive display ever?

Does greatest mean something else altogether?

Well, combining those definitions, I'd probably say Pep's win over Saddler should be no. 1.

 

Well, leave it to me to bring this one up but Patterson's
KO in the 2nd Ingo bout was certainly historic and "odds-defying"...

 

LaMotta was 16 pounds heavier than Robinson in that fight.

Turpin was only 3 or 4 pounds bigger than Robinson. Robinson was unanimously considered the best man in the middleweight class by this time.

Turpin's win was over 15 rounds for the world's championship.

Robinson was on a 91-fight winning streak and solidly established as an all-time legend.

 

Foreman-Moorer was a good win, but I guess thats more of a greatest upset kind of win.

 

Frazier-Ali I

Schmelling-Louis I

Ali-Liston I

Chavez-Taylor I

Holyfield-Tyson I

Honerable mention: Duran vs leonard I...leonard vs hearns I....Hagler vs hearns...Foreman vs Frazier I...Ali vs Foreman...Dempsey vs Willard...Tunney vs Dempsey I....pryor vs Arguello I...Eubank vs Benn I

 

Well, the "under-prepared" excuses always fly around AFTER the event.
Joe Louis didn't take Schmeling seriously and spent too much time playing golf.
Mike Tyson was partying before the Douglas loss.
Sonny Liston was partying before the Clay fight.
Ali didn't train for Ken Norton.
All of which may be true but not really the full stories.

I know that Robinson was extremely active leading up to the Turpin fight, which wasn't long after he'd ripped LaMotta up to win the championship.
I daresay Robinson's flamboyant lifestyle, penchant for nice cars and going out dancing hadn't just started when he got to Europe.

LaMotta may have beaten an "absolute peak" Robinson, but it could be argued that Robinson was approaching his peak. Truth is, Robinson was nowhere near as proven against full-blown middles at that time, and although he'd beaten LaMotta already he was still a 144 pound fighter who'd been looking sensational against mostly 135-150 pound fighters.

I definitely think 15 rounds and the middleweight championship adds significance.

But I guess it depends on how far you think Robinson was past his peak when he lost to Turpin.

 

I was gunna give him some **** (which he deserves), ut i'll show your thread more respect!

I really dont know what mine would be though, here's some faves though-

Duran-Leonard 1(you guessed it!)
Dougas-Tyson (upset-wise)
Zarate-Zamora (in terms of 2 top of the division guys, this is one of the best)
Ali-Liston 1 (this one is more of an 'at the time' pick)
Greb-Tunney 1 (in hindsight a great win)

There's so many to pick from!

Good thread McGrain.

 

1. Was Langham's victory over Sayers superior to Cribb's over Molineaux?

I would say so. Sayers never lost another fight in his life, even when fighting men much biggerr.

2. There are sources which claim Fitz was considerably lighter than 167 when he fought Corbett. Who knows, but Fitz certainly gave away considerable weight to a man with such a sterling record. Corbett still had it in him 3 years later to give Jeffries a tough fight. It is speculation how far gone he was in 1897. I give Fitz full credit.

 

Not at that point of his career, no. Actually, Grebs win over Tunney was the fight I wanted to put on the list. I don't know why I put Tunney-Dempsey on there instead.