Which destruction was the most awe-inspiring?

They were friends afterwords.

I'm next to positive that Carter psyched him out by calling him a "******" at the weigh in.

 

I think Louis was winning the fight up untill the 4th round. The referre threatened to stop the fight and TKO Schmeling if he did not fight back more. In fact I think Schmeling might have even foxed and sprung his trap in the fourth round.

Schmeling looked prety beaten up at the end of the fight. He knew he would have to be prepared to get his face busted up to take the fight.

 

An extract from page 80 of Hurricane; The Life of Rubin Carter, Fighter (James S Hirsch)

The two men (Carter and Griffith) were sparring partners and friends, but in the days leading up to the fight, Carter launched a clever campaign to strike at Griffiths pride.

Carter wanted Griffith to abandon his strongest assets- Speed and Stamina.

Carter began planting stories Griffith was going to run and hide in their fight.

In a pre fight interview with both fighters the day before the match; Griffith stated he was 147lbs World Champ and never ran from anyone and was not about to start with Carter.

Carter stated then Griffith would be Ko'd

Emile shot back, that he had not been Ko'd either, and was going to turn the Hurricane into a gentle breeze

Carter then said

"I oughta cloud up and rain all over you right here. You talk like a champ, but you fight like a woman, who deep down wants to be raped!"

 

Joe Calzaghe vs Jeff Lacy...

Joe was given next to no chance unless he played it safe and didnt take lacy on... not many gave him any chance at all.. near no one.. he was 33? 34? lacy was the star of the division, the next big thing..

we all know what happened next - for me i'd pick joe as at least 50-50 against anyone at smw with him that night...

 

Duran when he fought De Jesus for the third time. The most complete Duran performance as a lightweight IMO. Steady pressure, patience, ring generalship, superb slipping; waist and head movement. And when the knockout came, it was devastating. A brilliant showing over 12 rounds against his biggest enemy in the division. Everything fell into place throughout the fight for Duran. The moves, the punch picking, with the finish being icing on the cake.


This performance from Duran wasn't short and sweet like Louis v Schmeling II or Tyson v Spinks, but it every bit as convincing.

 

I like Tyson vs Berbick.
Like Merchant said, Mike fought exactly how a HW his style should've fought that night.

 

Tyson was indeed as good as he ever looked, before or since, against Berbick. A bit more to view regarding offense compared to the Spinks fight. The Spinks fight was more hyped and it was two undefeated fighters coming together. With Spinks percieved as the linear champion without holding a title, Tyson had so much to prove going into the fight.

Tyson's status was bigger going into the Spinks fight than it was for Berbick.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Duodenum
Tyson's demolition of Mike Spinks didn't shock anybody I knew at the time. As was the case with Liston/Patterson, it's striking how many people accurately predicted the nature of this outcome. Once Tyson dropped him with that right to the body, it became apparent Spinks wouldn't be able to last, granite chin or not.

Talk about revisionist history. Nobody knew that was going to happen. That was one of the most anticipated matches in boxing history and up to that time shattered all records for a promotion. It was being compared to Ali-Frazier 1 in which you had two undefeated heavyweights of contrasting styles facing one another for the sports greatest prize. The writers and pundits were split right down the middle as to who would win that fight. Anyone who says "they knew that would happen" is full of spit. Nothing in Spink's record ever suggested that he would go out like that and for people who say he looked scared in the ringwalk just look at all of his other ringwalks, he always had that weird nervous look and then came and knocked the **** out of the other guy. I understand its become vogue to bash Tyson's accomplishments but please. That fight was one of the few times that the top two undefeated pound for pound fighters faced each other for the heavyweight championship.

I agree with klompton....
I just watched the entire three hour broadcast of Tyson vs Spinks: HBO coverage, news coverage & pre/post fight coverage.... I have to say that most sports reporters were divided right down the middle between tyson and spinks. It should have been a good fight, but as it turns out it was a blowout. Kinda like the 1990 superbowl: Denver vs San Francisco (Elway vs Montana). But the Broncos got slaughtered 55-10!

 

Id go with Duran because heres a guy who about 90 percent of the boxing world consider a top 10 ATG fighter who went on to actually win the Middleweight Championship after fighting Hearns was outclassed and KOed flat on his face brutally in just 2 rounds with a single right hand.

 

I'd say either Louis-Schmeling 2, or Foreman-Frazier. I can't make up my mind between the two.

*Edit*

Actually, probably Tommy's destruction of Duran, come to think of it.

 

great pick.

 

Hearns destruction of Duran was awesome.