What Are The Biggest "What Ifs '', In Boxing History?

What if Alexis Arguello had beaten Vilomar Fernandez at MSG in 1978?

What if Sugar Ray Leonard hadn’t suffered the detached retina and retired in 1982?

What if Duk Koo Kim hadn’t died?

 

Mine are basic ...

what if Ike kept going

what if Dempsey stayed active and fought Wills in 1921

what if Jeffries fought Johnson in 1906

 

Both had early title defenses scheduled against black opponents, where the black opponent had to be replaced at the last moment.

The issue is not so much that these challengers had a realistic chance, as that it would have created a precedent that would have been impossible to overlook.

 

The English bareknuckle scene was always far more friendly to black fighters, than the American scene from the 1880s onwards.

Now let's say that Sullivan takes this fight against this nobody?

He can't exactly argue that he always drew the color bar.

When the Jackson challenge comes up, many years later, there is an undeniable precedent, that he defended his title against a black fighter.

In hindsight, that man should have turned up and taken his beating.

 

what if boxing had been regulated starting sometime in the 20th century?

 

What if, the little scamp loitering outside the Columbia Auditorium in October of 1954 had stolen the bike, next to the bike owned by the young Cassius Clay .........

 

Could still see him end up in the nation of Islam And being like one of their fruit of Islam muscle.

 

what if day of the fight weigh ins were the norm but with sensible measures for safety? (weight passports)

what if there were never 4 champions in every division?

what if the jr divisions were properly recognised earlier?

 

So you would have liked to have seen a fight between a prime Tyson and the novice Lennox with only a handful of fights?

 

it definitely would have proven Lewis more than his win over a washed up Tyson and been an even bigger upset, they had sparred when they were younger and apparently Lewis "got him" on the second day, it would have been a true test for him and a lot of Lewis diehards think he could have beat Tyson at any stage

 

1. What if Mike Tyson had not run into Robyn Givens and her kooky mother, Tyson would have kept Kevin Rooney 2. Would if undefeated Rocky Marciano, 49-0, 43 KO's had decided to fight into 1960, he retired officially in April 1956 as champion. 3. Would if champion Sonny Liston had defeated a young Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) on Feb 25 1964, what's next for Liston?

 

Liston vs Bonavena, Liston Folley rematch, Liston Ali trilogy assuming Ali still wins the second fight

 

Definitely food for thought,Mike. I still see the young Cassius Clay getting into boxing though maybe a year or so later.

 

It would have definitely been a test for him! Just can't see the attraction of this scenario. Each to their own though.

 

What if Ali Bicycle wasn't stolen
What if Ali wasn't stripped and was continue to fight
What if Mike Tyson was always dedicated