Following Anthony Joshua and Wladimir
Klitschko's thrilling title bout in front of 90,000 enchanted fans at
Wembley Stadium, the heavyweight division has seemingly regained its
place as boxing's premier division. Following over a decade of
stagnation in a once-proud division, fight fans now have an exciting
champion to propel the sport to newfound heights.
While
Joshua-Klitschko was certainly the best heavyweight battle in a long,
long time, it was not necessarily one of the greatest fights of all
time. Sports on Earth looks back at over a century of heavyweight glory
to determine which ones would be in the top 10.
1. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier No. 3 (1975)
Much has been made of the "Thrilla in
Manila." For some, it is the culmination of the greatest trilogy in
boxing history. Others praised it as an insurmountable achievement
heavyweight history. While the details will be critiqued for years to
come, it is hard to deny the trilogy fight's place among the
exceptional.
The fight was a savage display of courage
and stubborn intent. Both fighters did irreparable damage to the
other's career and likely contributed to their eventual decline. Though
Ali eventually had his hand raised following a TKO, he was never quite
the same after that night in Manila. The fow24news.com
went so far as to refer to it as the "closest to sanctioned
manslaughter boxing had allowed since 187lb Jack Dempsey demolished the
6ft 6in champion Jess Willard in three rounds on 4 July, 1919."
We will likely never witness anything quite like it again.
2. Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Firpo (1923)
Easily the shortest heavyweight bout on
this list, the Dempsey vs. Firpo fight lasted exactly 237 seconds. The
first round was particularly incredible, as Firpo was knocked down seven
times before landing a right on Dempsey that sent him through the ropes
and out of the ring. Surrounded by 80,000 fans, the champion regained
his wits by the count of nine and survived the round. Despite the
advantage, Firpo was unable to subdue Dempsey in the second round and
lost by knockout after being dropped two more times.
After the fight, Dempsey claimed he saw
"eight million stars" when he was knocked out of the ring and didn't
realize where he was until he "came to on my stool in between rounds."
Few fight have ever rivaled this Dempsey-Firpo bout in drama.
3. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier No. 1 (1971)
While their third fight stands out as the
greatest heavyweight boxing fight of all time, the first meeting
between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was the most significant. It was
the first time that two undefeated world champions stood across from
each other in a boxing ring.
Back in 1970, Ali returned to his
professional career after a three-year suspension for refusing to enlist
in the Vietnam War. While hailed as a hero for his stance, Ali was no
longer as agile as he had once been. He defeated Jerry Quarry and Oscar
Bonavena that same year, which set up the much anticipated clash against
Frazier.
Somehow, the fight surpassed all
expectations -- an instant classic that will be remembered as the time
when "The Greatest" was handed his first professional loss.
4. Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Walcott (1952)
Remembered for the "Famous Knockout" when
Marciano dropped Walcott in Round 13 to win the heavyweight
championship, this was the fight that sparked the legendary title reign
of the great Rocky Marciano. Awarded "Fight of the Year" in 1952, the
Marciano-Walcott bout was arguably the most difficult of Marciano's
career. His 13th round finish is the latest of
his 43 knockout wins and came after a grueling affair that saw the
legend floored in the opening round. He eventually rallied back to
extend his unbeaten streak to 43-0.
5. Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton (1978)
Larry Holmes' split decision win over Ken
Norton in 1978 featured arguably the tightest scorecards of all the
great heavyweight battles featured in our list. The two contested for
the vacant heavyweight title following Muhammad Ali's retirement earlier
that year, and many believed that the victor would serve as the
rightful heir to Ali.
Thus, the scene was set for a legendary bout.
Following an exceptionally close fight
that culminated with a memorable final round slugfest, the scorecards
turned up 143-142, 143-142, and 142-143 in favor of Holmes. Only a
single point separated the two greats.
6. Jack Johnson vs. James Jeffries (1910)
Before Muhammad Ali's name became
synonymous with the greatest heavyweight fights of all time, there was
Jack Johnson and the original "Fight of the Century." Back in 1910,
Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion, faced former
titleholder James Jeffries in a dramatic contest that emphasized the
racial tension within American culture at the time. Well before the era
of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were considered
second-class citizens and Johnson was a champion vilified for his skin
color and his association with fair skinned women. After five successful
title defences against Caucasian opposition, Americans looked to
Jeffries as the "White Hope" to defeat Johnson once and for all. The result was one of the greatest heavyweight clashes of all time.
7. Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn (1941)
Joe Louis' 18th title
defense was arguably his most memorable. During the height of World War
II, the legendary champion stepped in against Billy Conn, one of the
most underrated boxers of his era. The contest proved to be as close as
expected, with Conn ahead on the majority of the scorecards after twelve
rounds. Having wobbled the champ in Round 13, Conn was convinced he
could finish the job and went in for the kill. Yet with seconds to go in
the round, Louis unleashed a flurry of punches that sent Conn tumbling
to the canvas. It was a comeback for the ages.
8. George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle (1976)
When a legendary former heavyweight
champion met the No. 5 contender on January 24, 1976, it resulted in an
all-out brawl remembered as the greatest slugfest of all time. The two
swung wildly for five rounds until Foreman finally landed the shot that
sent Lyle down for the count. While Ron Lyle never went on to win the
heavyweight title, his claim to fame will always be having George
Foreman label him the greatest fighter he had ever faced.
9. Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield 1 (1992)
While Round 5 in Joshua vs. Klitschko was
magnificent to behold, Round 10 of Holyfield vs. Bowe still stands as
arguably the greatest round in heavyweight boxing history. Though
Holyfield lost a unanimous decision that night in Las Vegas, the former
champion went toe-to-toe with a significantly larger opponent and
matched his power for 12 rounds, thus cementing himself as one of the
toughest boxers the sport had ever seen.
10. Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko (2017)
For over two decades following Bowe vs.
Holyfield, boxing's once-proud division went through one of its weakest
periods in history. All but a handful of heavyweight fights and
champions will be remembered during an era that was dominated by
smaller, more exciting fighters. Yet in April 2017, Anthony Joshua and
Wladimir Klitschko produced an instant classic that served as the exact
moment that boxing's premier weight class regained its long-lost glory.
While the addition of Joshua-Klitschko to
the Top 10 all-time great heavyweight fights is certainly a
controversial one, it significance gives it precedence over many of the
ones listed in our notable mentions. Not only did the fight represent
the passing of the guard, but the rise of boxing's next heavyweight
superstar.
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