Top 20 Greatest Wins in Boxing

Great post, thanks for enlightening me.

 

Some of the greatest wins were also huge upsets. I don't personally see that as a contradiction in terms.

Duran beating Leonard - hard to deny that it was one of the great wins in boxing history. It was also a big upset at the time.

 

More overrating of Duran. Ray was not an elite fighter yet. He fought Duran's fight. Yet no mention on your list of Leonard over Duran because Duran had an excuse. Unbelievable. This is why Duran is overrated. The proof is right here.

 

Thomas Hearns KO 2 Roberto Duran.

 

Wilfred Benitez UD Roberto Duran

 

I mention these fights because Hearns knocking out Duran was unexpected, and the Benitez fight is not mentioned. Benitez beat him easier than the scorecards said.

 

Pernell you are OCD obviously. Obsessed Concerning Duran.
Btw. Everyone knows Duran beat BENITEZ and it was yr usual bad Vegas decision like WardKovalev. PacBradley etc.

 

Leonard is just lucky Camacho didn't rise in weight class in 82 and kick that ass. Or Davis. It was soo obvious Ray couldn't handle speed. After the sept 16 fight Hearns was a full fighter and would never lose to a Leonard again. So Rays vic really is to be discounted like Robertos over Ray. Right Pernell? Dont pull goose and gander.

 

No question it can sometimes qualify on both counts, but great upsets are not necessarily great fights.
eg Baer v Braddock, Fury v Klitschko.

 

Ah, that's interesting - sounds like we're probably basing these things on a different set of expectations anyway because I saw great wins as being synonymous with great performances rather than great fights. Example - Foreman crushing Frazier was a great win because it was a great performance from Foreman against an unbeaten champion but it wasn't a great fight. Frazier beating Ali was a great win because it was a great performance by Frazier to beat an unbeaten "champion" and a historic win as well given the quality of matchup and stakes. It also happened to be a great fight, but that part of it didn't factor into my rating of it for this list.

 

The macho man finally caught up with Leonard in 97 to give him that asskicking. Neither had much speed left by then. Leonard was like Frank Bruno fighting underwater.