What was the biggest fight in the history of boxing?

Louis vs Schmelling. No doubt at all. You literally need a WWIII to have another fight like this one.

 

Their was more action in Duran v Leonard in Montreal.

 

I preferred Montreal.

 

Lots of action is great but it's not the end all be all.

SRL/Hearns 1 was great because not only was it a classic boxer vs puncher matchup but both fighters traded places in that regard with one being the boxer and the other being the puncher until one gets hurt. Then they trade places with the other being the boxer and the boxer becoming the puncher. Then the other one gets hurt and they trade places yet again. There was a lot of versatility from both fighters where they both proved they were both elite doing what they both did best with both having success. It's not something that happens a lot. Usually it's one fighters style overcoming the others style. I can't think of a whole lot of fights where both fighters completely switch roles that many times at that level.

 

It's not greatest, but biggest fight ever.

And even if Robinson didn't make a list of 'greatest fights ever', it may well suggest opposite of what you're saying, in that Sugar Ray was so dominant that even the greats couldn't produce anything dramatic enough against him to stamp a fight as 'great'.

 

No I get it, but surely the greatest fighter ever would have been involved in at least one of the biggest fights ever, no?

Especially considering Robinson fought for nearly 3 decades, no?

So just to play along, what was Robinsons greatest fight ever?

La Motta on Valentine's?
Henry Armstrong?
Bobo Olson?

He was the greatest fighter ever, so surely he should have at least a handful of Greatest Fights ever, no?

 

I don't know which fights of Robinson's were the best, maybe the Valetine's day massacre? No idea.

 

FOTC. Even today the sport is still dealing with the whole ‘two undefeated champions fighting each other’ shtick. Big part of why fighters protect their records so much.

 

I just meant it more in terms of the legacy this fight has, even today. People who don’t even follow boxing know about this fight and who Buster Douglas was. But you make a very good point too and are probably right.

 

Probably Louis/Schmeling II

If not that Ali/Foreman: The Rumble

 

Rummy, can I ask you a random question since you seem to know a lot about the early days of gloved boxing? Do you know when fighters started wearing handwraps in fights? I had heard the 1920s but I have found references to guys like Jeffries, Corbett, and Fitzsimmons wearing them in the first decade of the 1900s (it appears they referred to them as “bandages” or “hand bandages” mostly during that early period). It sounds like Jeffries wasn’t a big fan but would occasionally wear them, perhaps more in training than actual fights. Interestingly, Lomachenko doesn’t like wearing handwraps either and usually only does it when he is forced to. He mentioned that most of the great fighters of the late 19th century and early 20th century did fine with hardly ever wearing them.