Top 10 fights of the 50s

I'm a bit puzzled by some of those picks, ie: Liston-Whitehurst.

Besides, no list of '50s fights is complete without Bratton-Fusari or Norkus-Nardico.

 

Hey guys, I know this is an old thread im bumping, but I never seen it and I was hoping I could defend my picks.

Needless to say, my boxing knowledge grows by the day, and so does my opinion on many things pertaining to the sport. But I will at least attempt to try to explain why I chose these:

10. Liston vs. Whitehurst II -
In my eyes, this was the fight that really made people pay attention to Sonny, more so than ever. His ability to go the distance, and totally dismantle his opponent in the final round was beautiful. Whitehurst was saved by the final bell. As you can see he survives the fight, but cannot stand up on his own. The was he employed his jab that night was excellent. It looked like he was reaching half way across the ring with that jab, and his quick lunges. He kept his technique, athleticism, punching power all until the final bell of the fight. If they didnt know or fear Liston before this fight, they damn sure did after it.


9. Joe Louis vs. Ezzard Charles
This was easy. This fight made it official that the man who had been world heavyweight champion for 11 years and 10 months had finally met his decline. It was also the same night the great Ezzard Charles became Heavyweight champion of the world. He would go on to be a great heavyweight contender and champion after this match. The fight itself is not as poetic or glorious as the circumstances, however it was very entertaining. Joe Louis at some points in the fight showed glimpses of his old self, landing huge punches. Something to note, is that Joe Louis was a very game fight. Im not sure if there were many heavyweights at the time who could have defeated that old Joe Louis. However the great Ezzard Charles was landing much more often, and being a lot quicker. The technique he displayed made him look unbeatable at the time.


8. Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Carmen Basilio II
I'm almost positive that this one is not one of the fights you guys would object to seeing on this list, so I won't even explain why this incredible fight is on the list. If you do think this fight didn't deserve to be on the list, let me know, im curious as to why not.


7. Jake Lamotta vs. Laurant Dauthiulle
This title fight is what sealed the fact that Lamotta was cut from that legendary cloth. He wasn't just an all time great after this, he was a legend. The way he came back from being down on all the judges score cards, and then landing punches everywhere in the 15th round like a raging bull until he finally knocked Laurant out was an incredible sight


6. Jersey Joe Walcott vs. Ezzard Charles III
Well.....this is one of the greatest knockouts in the history of boxing ever caught on film. Walcott, having lost twice to Charles already, and losing the the third fight, had no choice. Only a knockout, against a person people rarely saw on the floor, separated him from the championship he had worked all his life for. And he finally got it, and in beautiful fashion. Honestly, the knockout punch itself it good enough to be the reason why this fight is ranked the way it is. Walcott became the oldest champion at the time after the fight, at the age of 37.


5. Floyd Patterson vs. Archie Moore
This fight displayed Pattersons incredible fighting abilities. But different from all his other previous fights, this was against an already established legend, Archie Moore. When people watch the fight, they see a helpless Moore getting beat all over the place. He was not doing very bad at that point of his career, and still had a lot of fight in him, which was a wonder in itself. Patterson, one of the all time great heavyweights, had become the youngest champion at the time on that night. His use of his trademark head movement and incredible hand speed were evident in this fight as much as its ever been.


4. Rocky Marciano vs. Ezzard Charles II
Their first fight ended with Rocky winning on points. It was the first time anyone had lasted 15 rounds with Rocky. The second fight, things would prove to be much more eventful. Rocky had a split nose in them iddle of the fight. It was noted to be a very disgusting a bloody injury. The fight was about to be stopped but Rocky pleaded (I forget if it was to his 2nds or the ref) to give him one more round. He was granted one more round, and in that round he knocked out Ezzard Charles. It was just beautiful. Rockys legendary status could not be questioned after this bout.


3. Saint Valentines Day Massacre
Says enough, no?


2. Archie Moore vs. Yvon Durelle
This is one of my favorite fights ever. Anybody watching Moore getting knocked down early in the fight multiple times would never guess that he would come back and win by knockout. This is one of the greatest comeback fights in the history of the division in my opinion. Not to mention Moore's growing age, it was baffling to see him win this fight.


1. Rocky Marciano vs. Jersey Joe Walcott
Forget the fact that Walcott was dominating this fight, and Rocky was going to lose his chance to win the belt. It was the greatest knockout in history of boxing caught on film. (my opinion of course) And thats all that needs to be said about that.

I hope this clarifies my picks a little bit more. You can now see where im basing my choices off of. I knows its not a perfectly consistent mentality throughout the list, but if someone were to ask me about the 10 best fights of the 50's I would show them these fights. There were a lot of people and great fights I couldn't include. I didn't even include Pep. It was tough.

Oh and thank you to Rooster for posting this