The Ten Most Anticipated Fights in Boxing History

Published

8 years ago

May 11, 2015

The May 2 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will go down as one of the most anticipated bouts of all time. If we were just going on money, this fight that is expected to generate $1 billion dollars over that weekend would top the list. However, not every fight had the benefit of television, the internet and inflation so there are a few more factors to weigh.

The biggest bouts always have three key components. The first is that each fighter represents opposing ideals. Sometimes they are political and sometimes they are personal. If they cover both, then you have a magnificent combination. The second is that the fighters are near the top of their game or perceived to be. The final and most important component is that the fight transcends boxing fans with people willing to pay money – lots of it – to see it.

There are dozens of fights that fit this mold over the years. In whittling the list down to the top ten, I had to pass over many of them, including the Thrilla in Manila, Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis, Gerry Cooney vs. Larry Holmes, Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad and both of Gene Tunney’s and Jack Dempsey’s bouts. Nevertheless, these ten top the list.

10. Jack Dempsey vs. Georges Carpentier – Jersey City, N.J., July 2, 1921

This list is not complete without the first “Million Dollar Gate.” After signing Dempsey and the French light heavyweight champion Carpentier, promoter Tex Rickard erected a 91,000-seat stadium to accommodate fans. The largest gate prior had been less $500,000 so a million dollar gate seemed unfathomable. Dempsey knocked Carpentier out in the fourth round and the final gate was a little less than $1.8 million. Although the Dempsey/Tunney bouts would break that record, this fight launched a new era in boxing.

9. Michael Spinks vs. Mike Tyson – Atlantic City, N.J., June 27, 1988

Mike Tyson was 34-0 and on the cusp of obliterating the heavyweight division. The only person standing in his way was Michael Spinks, who was 31-0 and had taken Larry Holmes’ IBF Heavyweight title three years earlier. Spinks had his belt stripped when he chose to defend it against Gerry Cooney instead of Tony Tucker and fans were clamoring for showdown with Tyson. What they got was a 91 second knockout and the question of whether a pay-per-view was worth the cost.

8. Manny Pacquaio vs. Floyd Mayweather – Las Vegas, Nev., May 2, 2015

This fight will always be remembered for its unprecedented grandiosity in promotion and cost. That being said, the seven fights above it would have surpassed it with today’s mediums and inflation.

7. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler – Las Vegas, Nev., April 6, 1987

Despite having been out of the ring for nearly three years, Leonard came back to face the seemingly unstoppable Hagler, who had been pursuing a fight with him for years. The two were perfect foils: Leonard was the slick baby-faced Olympic Gold Medalist who had been a star since his first fight; Hagler was the hard-nosed puncher who earned $50 for his first bout and had to fight for seven years before winning the middleweight title. The controversial split decision in favor of Leonard has kept this match on the forefront of boxing fans’ memories for nearly 30 years.

6. Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman – Kinshasha, Zaire (Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), October 30, 1974

A dictator agrees to the largest payout ever (at the time) to host the fight in his country in the era of closed-circuit fights. The two opponents are a seemingly unstoppable heavyweight champion with devastating power and the most charismatic athlete of the 20^th Century. It is given the nickname the “Rumble in the Jungle” and is the talk of boxing for the six months leading up to the fight. In the end, Ali defeats Foreman by using the champion’s greatest asset – his strength – against him.

5. Thomas Hearns vs. Sugar Ray Leonard I – Las Vegas, Nev., September 16, 1981

At the time, this was the largest payout for a non-heavyweight fight. Hearns was unbeaten and held the WBA Welterweight title. Leonard held the WBC Welterweight title and had avenged his only loss to Roberto Duran the year before. An outdoor arena was built at Caesar’s Palace and held 25,000 spectators on fight night. Those in attendance and the millions who ordered the pay-per-view witnessed one of the greatest fights in history, as Leonard stopped Hearns in the 14^th round.

4. Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield II – Las Vegas, Nev., June 28, 1997

Holyfield had shocked the world when he knocked out Tyson in November of 1996. Their rematch, billed as “The Sound and the Fury” set a record at the time for pay-per-view buys. Fans tuned in expecting a war. Instead, two million Americans turned to their houseguests in the third round and asked, “Did he just bite his ear?”

3. James J. Jeffries vs. Jack Johnson – Reno, Nev., July 4, 1910

The anticipation of this fight represents America at its worst. Johnson was the first African-American heavyweight champion and vilified throughout most of the United States. Jeffries was the retired and undefeated former heavyweight champion who answered the call of white supremacists to return to the ring after being dormant for more the five years to face Johnson. The two met in a constructed outdoor venue and Johnson had his way with Jeffries before knocking him out in the 15^th round. News of the fight’s outcome ignited race riots across the country.

2. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I – New York, N.Y., March 8, 1971

This is the one true “Fight of the Century.” Ali’s heavyweight title had been stripped in 1967 for his refusal to be drafted in the military during the Vietnam War and Frazier had beaten all challengers to claim it. With a Supreme Court decision looming on whether he would have to go to jail too, Ali was granted a boxing license in Atlanta, then New York. After beating Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena, Ali signed to face Frazier in Madison Square Garden. It was the first time two undefeated heavyweight champions met in the ring and thanks to Ali and the media, both fighters were also painted to represent the opposing ideals of black America. The fight lived up to its hype and Frazier won a decision. No fight since then has been bigger.

1. Max Schmeling vs. Joe Louis II – New York, N.Y., June 22, 1938

Louis was the first universally accepted African-American heavyweight champion. The German Schmeling was the former heavyweight champion who had beaten Louis two years earlier. The two met in front of a sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium to determine if the heavyweight title would remain in the United States or go to Nazi Germany. Americans across the country breathed a sigh of relief when Louis knocked out Schmeling in the first round. Let’s hope no other fight ever matches the anticipation of this one.

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Aaron Tallent

Canelo-Charlo Gets All the Ink, but Don’t Overlook the Compelling Match-up of Gassiev-Wallin in Turkey

Published

6 hours ago

September 26, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Canelo-Charlo-Gets-All-the-Ink-but-Don't-Overlook-This-Compelling-Match-in-Turkey

Canelo-Charlo Gets All the Ink, but Don’t Overlook the Compelling Match-up of Gassiev-Wallin in Turkey

The eyes of the boxing world will be on Las Vegas this Saturday where Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez risks his four super middleweight title belts against unified 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo. Earlier that day at a luxury resort hotel in the city of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, there’s a heavyweight match sitting under the radar that may prove to be the better fight. It’s an intriguing match-up between former world cruiserweight title-holder Murat Gassiev and Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin, a bout with significant ramifications for boxing’s glamour division.

Gassiev (30-1, 23 KOs) and Wallin (25-1, 14 KOs) have only one loss, but those setbacks came against the top dogs in the division. Gassiev was out-boxed by Oleksandr Usyk back in the days when both were cruiserweights. Wallin gave Tyson Fury a world of trouble before losing a unanimous decision.

Since those fights, both have been treading water.

Gassiev

Gassiev was inactive for 27 months after his match with Usyk while dealing with legal issues and an injury to his left shoulder. He is 4-0 (4 KOs) since returning to the ring while answering the bell for only eight rounds. The only recognizable name among those four victims is German gatekeeper Michael Wallisch. After stopping Wallisch, Gassiev was out of action for another 13 months while reportedly dealing with an arm injury.

A first-round knockout of Carlouse Welch, an obscure 40-something boxer from the U.S. state of Georgia on Aug. 26, 2022, in Belgrade, Serbia, was promoted as a title fight. The sanctioning body was the Eurasian Boxing Parliament (insert your own punchline here). Gassiev followed that up with a second-round knockout of former NFL linebacker Mike Balogun who came in undefeated and was seemingly a legitimate threat to him.

Although he has yet to fight a ranked opponent since leaving the cruiserweight division, Gassiev — a former stablemate of Gennady Golovkin who has been living in Big Bear, California, training under Abel Sanchez – is one of the most respected fighters in the division because he has one-punch knockout power as Balogun and others can well attest. The rub against the Russian-Armenian bruiser is that he is somewhat robotic.

Wallin

Otto Wallin, a 32-year-old southpaw from Sweden who trains in New York under former world lightweight champion Joey Gamache, fought Tyson Fury on Sept. 14, 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There was a general feeling that the Swede would be a stroll in the park for Fury, but to the contrary, he gave the Gypsy King a hard tussle while losing a unanimous decision.

Wallin is 5-0 since that night beginning with victories over Travis Kauffman (KO 5) and Dominic Breazeale (UD 12), but his last three opponents were softer than soft and all three lasted the distance. In order, Wallin won an 8-round decision over Kamil Sokolowski, who was 11-24-2 heading in, won a 10-round decision over ancient Rydell Booker, and won an 8-round decision over Helaman Olguin. His bout with Utah trial horse Olguin was at a banquet hall in Windham, New Hampshire.

It isn’t that Wallin has been avoiding the top names in the division; it’s the other way around. His promoter Dmitriy Salita reportedly came close to getting Wallin a match with Anthony Joshua whose team had second thoughts about sending Joshua in against another southpaw after back-to-back setbacks to Oleksandr Usyk.

Gassiev vs Wallin is a true crossroads fight. Both are in dire need of a win over a credible opponent. At last look, Gassiev, who figures to have the crowd in his corner, was a 3/1 favorite.

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Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

Published

2 days ago

September 24, 2023

David A. Avila

Skavynskyi and Bustillos Win on a MarvNation Card in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Ca.-A cool autumn night saw welterweights and minimumweights share main events for a MarvNation fight card on Saturday.

Ukraine’s Eduard Skavynskyi (15-0, 7 KOs) experienced a tangled mess against the awkward Alejandro Frias (14-10-2) but won by decision after eight rounds in a welterweight contest at the indoor furnace called the Thunder Studios.

It was hot in there for the more than 600 people inside.

Skavynskyi probably never fought someone like Mexico’s Frias whose style was the opposite of the Ukrainian’s fundamentally sound one-two style. But round after round the rough edges became more familiar.

Neither fighter was ever damaged but all three judges saw Skavynskyi the winner by unanimous decision 79-73 on all three cards. The Ukrainian fighter trains in Ventura.

Bustillo Wins Rematch

Applerose2

In the female main event Las Vegas’ Yadira Bustillos (8-1) stepped into a rematch with Karen Lindenmuth (5-2) and immediately proved the lessons learned from their first encounter.

Bustillos connected solidly with an overhand right and staggered Lindenmuth but never came close to putting the pressure fighter down. Still, Bustillos kept turning the hard rushing Lindenmuth and snapping her head with overhand rights and check left hooks.

Lindenmuth usually overwhelms most opponents with a smothering attack that causes panic. But not against Bustillos who seemed quite comfortable all eight rounds in slipping blows and countering back.

After eight rounds all three judges scored the contest for Bustillos 78-74 and 80-72 twice. Body shots were especially effective for the Las Vegas fighter in the fifth round. Bustillos competes in the same division as IBF/WBO title-holder Yokasta Valle.

Other Bouts

In a middleweight clash, undefeated Victorville’s Andrew Buchanan (3-0-1) used effective combination punching to defeat Mexico’s Fredy Vargas (2-1-1) after six rounds. Two judges scored it 59-55 and a third 60-54 for Buchanan. No knockdowns were scored.

A super lightweight match saw Sergio Aldana win his pro debut by decision after four rounds versus Gerardo Fuentes (2-9-1).

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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Tedious Fights and a Controversial Draw Smudge the Matchroom Boxing Card in Orlando

Published

3 days ago

September 23, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Tedious-Fights-and-a-Controversial-Draw-Smudge-the-Matchroom-Boxing-Card-in-Orlando

Matchroom Boxing was at the sprawling Royale Caribe Resort Hotel in Orlando, Florida tonight with a card that aired on DAZN. The main event was a ho-hum affair between super lightweights Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepeda.

SoCal’s Zepeda has been in some wars in the past, notably his savage tussle with Ivan Baranchyk, but tonight he brought little to the table and was outclassed by the lanky Hitchins who won all 12 rounds on two of the cards and 11 rounds on the other. There were no knockdowns, but Zepeda suffered a cut on his forehead in round seven that was deemed to be the product of an accidental head butt and another clash in round ten forced a respite in the action although Hitchins suffered no apparent damage.

It was the sort of fight where each round was pretty much a carbon of the round preceding it. Brooklyn’s Hitchins, who improved to 17-0 (7), was content to pepper Zepeda with his jab, and the 34-year-old SoCal southpaw, who brought a 37-3 record, was never able to penetrate his defense and land anything meaningful.

Hitchins signed with Floyd Mayweather Jr’s promotional outfit coming out of the amateur ranks and his style is reminiscent in ways of his former mentor. Like Mayweather, he loses very few rounds. In his precious engagement, he pitched a shutout over previously undefeated John Bauza.

Co-Feature

In the co-feature, Conor Benn returned to the ring after an absence of 17 months and won a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Rodolfo Orozco. It wasn’t a bad showing by Benn who showed decent boxing skills, but more was expected of him after his name had been bandied about so often in the media. Two of the judges had it 99-91 and the other 96-94.

Benn (22-0, 14 KOs) was a late addition to the card although one suspects that promoter Eddie Hearn purposely kept him under wraps until the week of the fight so as not to deflect the spotlight from the other matches on his show. Benn lost a lucrative date with Chris Eubank Jr when he was suspended by the BBBofC when evidence of a banned substance was found in his system and it’s understood that Hearn has designs on re-igniting the match-up with an eye on a date in December. For tonight’s fight, Benn carried a career-high 153 ½ pounds. Mexico’s Orozco, who was making his first appearance in a U.S. ring, declined to 32-4-3.

Other Bouts of Note

The welterweight title fight between WBA/WBC title-holder Jessica McCaskill (15-3-1) and WBO title-holder Sandy Ryan (6-1-1) ended in a draw and the ladies’ retain their respective titles. Ryan worked the body effectively and the general feeling was that she got a raw deal, a sentiment shared by the crowd which booed the decision. There was a switch of favorites in the betting with the late money seemingly all on the Englishwoman who at age 30 was the younger boxer by nine years.

The judges had it 96-94 Ryan, 96-95, and a vilified 97-93 for Chicago’s McCaskill.

In the opener of the main DAZN stream, Houston middleweight Austin “Ammo” Williams, 27, improved to 15-0 (10) with a 10-round unanimous decision over 39-year-old Toronto veteran Steve Rolls (22-3). All three judges had it 97-93. Rolls has been stopped only once, that by Gennady Golovkin.

Photo credit: Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing

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