Top 10 Most Important fights in Boxing History! You decide.

[KittenFlaps]

I'm surprised Ring doesn't have a top 10 most important fights.

Absolutely. I actually tried googling it to see if there was one, and your post is like the top google result. Better make it a good list.

[dans]

Absolutely. I actually tried googling it to see if there was one, and your post is like the top google result. Better make it a good list.

ESPN has a list of 10 Historical fights. It's not that great though. Although they have Holmes-Cooney and some of the others on our list, it includes Chavez-Whitaker, which is confusing to me. Although a great matchup, I don't know about it being historically significant.

[RRICAN]

Wilfred Benitez vs Antonio Cervantes aka Kid Pambele ;Result Benitez became youngest world champ ever at the age of 17

[goblin]

I was thinking Rumble in the Jungle, except a lot of the underlying and important themes of Rumble in the Jungle are exactly the same as Ali-Frazier..

then why dont u have the rumble at #2 then?

i dunno much about the Legendary Rumble In the Jungle...

But i know enough that a top ten important boxing fights in history aint a legitmate top ten with out The Rumble..

[dans]

What's #10?

[DrewWoodside]

ESPN has a list of 10 Historical fights. It's not that great though. Although they have Holmes-Cooney and some of the others on our list, it includes Chavez-Whitaker, which is confusing to me. Although a great matchup, I don't know about it being historically significant.

So Holmes-Cooney should be in the top 10? I actually watched the legendary nights for it and found it very entertaining.. What would be the exact blurb to go with it in the list? Maybe Gatti-Ward in place of Gatti-Gemache? The significance being Gatti-Ward set the standard for Trilogies.. Perhaps a PR/Mexico fight, or a Jack Johnson fight? The list looks good but needs a touch of tweaking.

[hozer915]

how bout luis resto vs billy collins jr where resto pretty much ruined collins career and made him kill himself, or even liston cassius clay it was the start of ali era and huge upset...tyson holyfield 2 also

[dans]

So Holmes-Cooney should be in the top 10? I actually watched the legendary nights for it and found it very entertaining.. What would be the exact blurb to go with it in the list? Maybe Gatti-Ward in place of Gatti-Gemache? The significance being Gatti-Ward set the standard for Trilogies.. Perhaps a PR/Mexico fight, or a Jack Johnson fight? The list looks good but needs a touch of tweaking.

I think Holmes-Cooney is definitely top ten. I would bump Gatti-Gamache personally and replace with Gatti-Ward or DLH/Trinidad.

Here's your blurb for Holmes-Cooney, I got it from Wiki:
By 1982, promoter Don King began one of the most massive and racially toned campaigns in boxing history to raise public interest for a fight between Holmes and Cooney. Holmes and Cooney attended press conferences at several United States cities, and Cooney was cast as "The Great White Hope". There had not been a White world Heavyweight champion in 22 years, and Cooney would try to change that. White supremacist groups had announced they would have "agents" ready to shoot at Holmes the moment he entered the ring, and Black groups retaliated by answering that they would also have armed people on hand in case Holmes was attacked. Because of this, there were police snipers on the roofs of every major hotel surrounding the fight's venue, once again, the Caesars Palace hotel and casino. Snipers were used because the fight was held at the hotel's parking lot; any attacker could have been easily shot by police snipers.

Take what you'd like out of that.

[DrewWoodside]

I think Holmes-Cooney is definitely top ten. I would bump Gatti-Gamache personally and replace with Gatti-Ward or DLH/Trinidad.

Here's your blurb for Holmes-Cooney, I got it from Wiki:
By 1982, promoter Don King began one of the most massive and racially toned campaigns in boxing history to raise public interest for a fight between Holmes and Cooney. Holmes and Cooney attended press conferences at several United States cities, and Cooney was cast as "The Great White Hope". There had not been a White world Heavyweight champion in 22 years, and Cooney would try to change that. White supremacist groups had announced they would have "agents" ready to shoot at Holmes the moment he entered the ring, and Black groups retaliated by answering that they would also have armed people on hand in case Holmes was attacked. Because of this, there were police snipers on the roofs of every major hotel surrounding the fight's venue, once again, the Caesars Palace hotel and casino. Snipers were used because the fight was held at the hotel's parking lot; any attacker could have been easily shot by police snipers.

Take what you'd like out of that.

Yeah I suppose that needs to go in. Gatti-Gemache will be bumped to an honorable mention. I also through in Johnson/Jeffries. What one fight best sums up the rivalry of Mexico/Puerto Rico? Perhaps DLH/Trinidad since Golden Boy should be recognized..

[dans]

This would be my list.

1. Muhammad Ali -vs-Joe Frazier
2. Joe Louis -vs- Max Schmeling
3. Tom Molineaux -vs Tom Cribb
4. Jim Corbett -vs- John Sullivan
5. Holmes -vs- Cooney
6. Ray Mancini -vs- Du Ku Kim
7. George Foreman -vs- Michael Moorer
8. Marvin Hagler -vs- Tommy Hearns
9. Mike Tyson -vs- Buster Douglas
10. De La Hoya -vs- Trinidad