What's Your List of the Greatest Heavyweight Fights of the Past 25 Years?

[CubanGuyNYC]

I'm starting this thread in response to another thread on this forum. There's no doubt in my mind that the heavyweight division is relatively poor in great fights. I was originally going to ask for fights from the last forty years, but I decided that was reaching too far back. List your selections for the most exciting heavyweight fights of the past twenty-five years (back to 1986) in no particular order or number. Fire away!

To get things started:

Tyson-Douglas
Tyson-Holyfield I&II
Holyfield-Dokes (classic!)
Lewis-Klitschko (still reverberates)

[Dubblechin]

I'm starting this thread in response to another thread on this forum. There's no doubt in my mind that the heavyweight division is relatively poor in great fights. I was originally going to ask for fights from the last forty years, but I decided that was reaching too far back. List your selections for the most exciting heavyweight fights of the past twenty-five years (back to 1986) in no particular order or number. Fire away!

To get things started:

Tyson-Douglas
Tyson-Holyfield I&II
Holyfield-Dokes (classic!)
Lewis-Klitschko (still reverberates)

Too many to mention ... but these spring to mind:

Evander Holyfield-Rid**** Bowe 1, 2 & 3
Rid**** Bowe-Andrew Golota 1 & 2
Lennox Lewis –Vitali Klitschko
Lennox Lewis-Razor Ruddock
Mike Tyson-Razor Ruddock 1 & 2
Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson 1 & 2
Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson
Hasim Rahman-Oleg Maskaev 1 & 2
Hasim Rahman-Corrie Sanders
Corrie Sanders-both Klitschkos
Sergei Liakhovich-Lamon Brewster
Wlad Klitschko-Lamon Brewster 1
Lamon Brewster-Luan Krasniqi
Lennox Lewis-Ray Mercer
Ray Mercer-Tommy Morrison
Evander Holyfield-Ray Mercer
Tommy Morrison-Razor Ruddock
Tommy Morrison-Carl Williams
Derrick Jefferson-Maurice Harris
Derrick Jefferson-David Izon
David Izon-Darroll Wilson
George Foreman-Axel Shulz
Evander Holyfield Michael Moorer 2
Michael Moorer-Bert Cooper
Evander Holyfield-Bert Cooper
Cliff Etienne-Lawrence Clay-Bey
Tommy Morrison-Joe Hipp
Michael Grant-Andrew Golota
Ike Ibeabuchi-Chris Byrd
Evander Holyfield- Michael Dokes
George Foreman-Alex Stewart
Evander Holyfield-Alex Stewart 1
David Tua-Hasim Rahman 1
Lennox Lewis -Hasim Rahman 1
Mike Tyson –Danny Williams
Danny Williams-Mark Potter
Sultan Ibragimov-Ray Austin
Joe Mesi-Vasili Jirov
Larry Holmes-Ray Mercer
Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas
Evander Holyfield-George Foreman
Darroll Wilson-Courage Tschabalala
Michael Spinks-Gerry Cooney
Michael Spinks-Larry Holmes 2
Lennox Lewis-Frank Bruno



Not to mention the shockingly quick knockouts:
Tyson-Spinks
Tua-Moorer
Tua-Ruiz
Thunder-Grimsley
Morrison-Bentt
Lewis-McCall 1
Witherspoon-Ecklund
Lewis-Golota
Lewis-Grant

[CubanGuyNYC]

Too many to mention ... but these spring to mind:

Evander Holyfield-Rid**** Bowe 1, 2 & 3
Rid**** Bowe-Andrew Golota 1 & 2
Lennox Lewis –Vitali Klitschko
Lennox Lewis-Razor Ruddock
Mike Tyson-Razor Ruddock 1 & 2
Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson 1 & 2
Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson
Hasim Rahman-Oleg Maskaev 1 & 2
Hasim Rahman-Corrie Sanders
Corrie Sanders-both Klitschkos
Sergei Liakhovich-Lamon Brewster
Wlad Klitschko-Lamon Brewster 1
Lamon Brewster-Luan Krasniqi
Lennox Lewis-Ray Mercer
Ray Mercer-Tommy Morrison
Evander Holyfield-Ray Mercer
Tommy Morrison-Razor Ruddock
Tommy Morrison-Carl Williams
Derrick Jefferson-Maurice Harris
Derrick Jefferson-David Izon
David Izon-Darroll Wilson
George Foreman-Axel Shulz
Evander Holyfield Michael Moorer 2
Michael Moorer-Bert Cooper
Evander Holyfield-Bert Cooper
Cliff Etienne-Lawrence Clay-Bey
Tommy Morrison-Joe Hipp
Michael Grant-Andrew Golota
Ike Ibeabuchi-Chris Byrd
Evander Holyfield- Michael Dokes
George Foreman-Alex Stewart
Evander Holyfield-Alex Stewart 1
David Tua-Hasim Rahman 1
Lennox Lewis -Hasim Rahman 1
Mike Tyson –Danny Williams
Danny Williams-Mark Potter
Sultan Ibragimov-Ray Austin
Joe Mesi-Vasili Jirov
Larry Holmes-Ray Mercer
Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas
Evander Holyfield-George Foreman
Darroll Wilson-Courage Tschabalala
Michael Spinks-Gerry Cooney
Michael Spinks-Larry Holmes 2
Lennox Lewis-Frank Bruno



Not to mention the shockingly quick knockouts:
Tyson-Spinks
Tua-Moorer
Tua-Ruiz
Thunder-Grimsley
Morrison-Bentt
Lewis-McCall 1
Witherspoon-Ecklund
Lewis-Golota
Lewis-Grant

I see you seconded some of my few choices. I haven't seen all these bouts. Some I saw when they happened and never watched them again. I'm going on memory here, so I might be off base, but a few of the fights you list didn't seem all that great to me: the Tyson-Ruddock fights and Lewis-Tyson. Also, I feel that the "quick knockouts," while memorable, don't qualify as great fights. Very nice list, though.

Green K.

[CaRnAgEViOLaToR]

Tyson vs Douglas
Holyfield vs Bowe I, II, III
Lewis vs Klitschko
Tyson vs Ruddock I and II
Tyson vs Bruno I
Moorer vs Cooper
Holyfield vs Cooper
Tyson vs Tucker

[CubanGuyNYC]

Tyson vs Douglas
Holyfield vs Bowe I, II, III
Lewis vs Klitschko
Tyson vs Ruddock I and II
Tyson vs Bruno I
Moorer vs Cooper
Holyfield vs Cooper
Tyson vs Tucker

You're the second guy to mention both Tyson-Ruddock fights. Maybe I'm wrong about those. Gonna have to re-watch 'em....

[Larry the boss]

Foreman-Moore

Holyfield-Tyson

Bowe-Holyfield trilogy

Lewis-Vitali

Tyson-Douglas

Tyson-Spinks

Lewis-Holyfield

Lewis-Rahman

[LeG00N]

Klitschko-Haye
Holyfield-Valuev
Toney-Ruiz



none match these masterpieces

[CubanGuyNYC]

Foreman-Moore

Holyfield-Tyson

Bowe-Holyfield trilogy

Lewis-Vitali

Tyson-Douglas

Tyson-Spinks

Lewis-Holyfield

Lewis-Rahman

Tyson-Spinks? That fight lasted 91 seconds.

Spinks, like a lot of Tyson's opponents in those days, was defeated before the opening bell sounded.

[CubanGuyNYC]

Klitschko-Haye
Holyfield-Valuev
Toney-Ruiz



none match these masterpieces

When talking about the heavyweight division, the above fights are far more common than those of the "great" variety.

A great heavyweight fight tends to be more exciting, P4P, if you will...but there are far fewer of those than in the other divisions.

[The Hammer]

I wasn't watching boxing in the 90s, but since I started in 2000 we've had some good ones:

Sanders-Vitali
Lewis-Vitali
Wlad-Peter I
Helenius-Peter
Brewster-Lyakhovich
Brewster-Krasniqi
Quinn-Lyakhovich (great fight, look for it)
Chisora-Fury


some nice quick KOs:

Wlad-Bostice
Wlad-Jefferson
Wlad-Austin
Brewster-Golota
Helenius-Levin
Vitali-Johnson
Vitali-Hide
Price-Butler