The best performances

Canzoneri/McLarnin I

Benitez/Duran

Duran/Palomino

(****)Tiger/Carter

Sanchez/Gomez

Chavez/Rosario

(Harold)Johnson/(Ezzard)Charles

Hopkins/Pavlik

 

Holmes-Cobb. Tex had pushed Dokes to an MD, Norton to an SD, and Michael Dokes was widely considered to be the world's second best HW. Later, Cobb would dominate Dokes over four rounds despite some extremely crooked Don King cooked scoring, and push a young Buster Douglas to an MD.

This was the only decisive loss of Tex Cobb's boxing career which was definitely on the level, and he beat two of the deadliest HW punchers of the early 1980's in Shavers and Mercado to get there. Cosell did not protest Cobb's qualifications as an appropriate challenger for Larry beforehand, as he would Caveman Lee immediately before Hagler blew him out. Watch Dokes-Cobb I & II, and Norton-Cobb, then look at what Holmes does to him in the Astrodome to shut him out over 15.

 

On footage, the Mongoose looks very, very sharp in Moore-Durelle II. Archie may have been past his peak potential, but I'm not sure when he looked better on footage.

Dempsey-Willard was for all the marbles, and Jack would be mothballed for most of his reign.

Gene Tunney said he was actually at his best for his career finale defense over Tom Heeney.

 

Ricardo Lopez vs. Alex Sanchez
Yuri Arbachakov vs. Muangchai Kittikasem I
Donald Curry vs. Colin Jones

 

Pacquaio was incredible vs Barrera and Cotto. Cant choose between those.

 

Jones's best performance was Thomas Tate, and Tyson's Pinklon Thomas.

Spinks and Toney were handicapped in those fights (Spinks petrified, Toney almost dead).

 

I wouldn't say Douglas or Tarver were 'all-time greats', if the term means the very best deeply packed resumes ever. In fact, in that definition, were Tyson and Jones really 'all-time greats'...(two of the very best ever physically in their peaks, sure.)

 

The OP is best performances, not atg's


Tyson was in his peaki and douglas beat him as a 42-1 underdog so thats impressive to me.

Nobody every blasted Roy out like that and this was before what we see today.

 

(Everyone has blasted Roy out like that... Tyson was nowhere near peak shape and hadn't been at his best since '87).

 

Great way of looking at it.

Chris Eubank against Nigel Benn in 1990 is another. Benn didn't become an 'ATG' but then again hardly anybody did in that era (barring Whitaker, Toney and Holyfield), though he was a truly great fighter.

 

Terry Norris vs Meldrick Taylor

 

Rid**** Bowe vs Billy Zumbrun

 

James Toney vs Iran Barkley is tops for me. Masterful performance

 

I'm struggling to top it. Just unreal, everything, beauty, timing frequently perfect, all the moves, all the combinations... seamless. Wow.

 

It was a great performance, but I think you're gushing over Cobb a little too much.

Cobb had an awesome chin no doubt.

Cobb barely beat a way over the hill Ken Norton. Norton couldn't last a round with ****ey months later.

Cobb beat Mercado right after Leon Spinks had kod Mercado

Cobb beat Shavers right after Mercado had kod Shavers
Also, Shavers was beating him up early, but Cobb's iron chin and Shaver's exhaustion, turned the tables in Cobb's favor

1985 Dokes was a coke head

1981 Dokes was good, but still 1.5 yrs away from beating Weaver.