Tweet
10. Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko
The last great heavyweight fight, Lennox Lewis coming to the end of his now 13 year pro career was initially to face off against the Kirk Johnson and Vitali Klitschko was to face Cedric Boswell until Johnson pulled out of the fight with 2 weeks notice. Both Vitali and Lewis agreed to save the card whcih ended up being one of the most talked about fights in recent years. Vitali started the stronger managing to stun Lewis in the 2nd, Lewis was told to go out and attack Vitali and at the start of the 3rd opened up a horrendous cut above the left eye of Klitschko. Both fighters battled hard through the next 4 rounds with Lewis landing the heavier shots and Vitali with the better workrate. The fight was ultimatley stopped at the end of the 6th round giving Lewis the TKO victory.
9. Mickey Ward vs Arturo Gatti 3
The final brawl between these two warriors was to cap off an amazing trilogy which had seen both fighters coming out the victor. Like in their second meeting Gatti preceded to try and out-box Ward and in the early rounds it seemed like he was doing just that. In the 4th round Gatti would throw a right lead to the body of Ward which landed on the hip and fractured his hand, for the next 6 rounds though both men would fight with the same intensity as they did in their brutal first fight.
8. Felix Trinidad vs Fernando Vargas
Arguably Felix Trinidads finest hour moving up in weight to face off against the young unbeaten Fernando Vargas. Trinidad started fast and was able to get to Vargas early scoring 2 first round knockdowns he looked to be in control of the fight, the second round was another good round for Trinidad up until the final few seconds in which Vargas landed a right hand and was able to open up a cut above Trinidads left eye. Vargas showed a lot of Heart and managed to floor Trinidad at the start of the 4th Trinidad though would not be denied, as both fighters battled to the final round it was Vargas that seemed to be weary and Trinidad opened up to score an emphatic 12th TKO victory.
7. Manny Pacquiao vs Erik Morales 1
Erik Morales was looking to bounce back from his controversial loss to MAB and Manny Pacquiao was looking to secure his first belt in the 130 pound division. Pacquiao started fast landing combinations in the opening round looking to suprise Morales as he had done Marquez 1 year earlier. The fight continued to be fought at a great pace but it was Morales that was landing the more telling blows. During the 5th round a clash of heads opened up a cut over Pacquiaos right eye, Pacquiao sensing the fight could be stopped fought an aggressive 6th round landing some great shots in the process. In the 12th round and ahead on the cards Morales chose to switch to a southpaw stance and stand and brawl with Pacquiao leading to one of the most exciting rounds of the decade.
6. Acelino Freitas vs Jorge Barrios
Probablt the most underrated fight of the decade, WBO and WBA title holder Acelino Freitas defended his titles against Jorge Barrios. Both fighters threw tactics out of the window and preceded to brawl though 12 exciting rounds, in the 8th Barrios would score a knockdown catching Freitas off balance. The 11th round came which is probablt one of the most special rounds in boxing history, Barrios scored another knockdown in the first minute of the round and attempted to capitalize by beating Freitas thouroughly throughout the round, in the dying seconds Freitas would land a huge right that effectivley ended the fight. In the 12th round Freitas would score the stoppage victory over Barrios.
5. Marco Antonio Barrera vs Erik Morales 3
The 3rd meeting of the Mexican rivals proved to be a brutal one. Barrera badly needing a win came out strong through the first 4 rounds not giving Morales a ,oments rest, the rest of the fight saw Morales attempt to use his boxing but it was to no avail. Barrera would go on to win the rubber match in what was probably the best trilogy since Ali-Frazier.
4. Mickey Ward vs Arturo Gatti 1
Arturo Gatti and Mickey Wards finest hours, both fighters showing what true heart and grit is producing one of the greatest pure brawls of all time. In What was a 10 round non-title fight Ward and Gatti would ay everything on the line, in the 4th round Gatti would land a crunching lowblow which had Ward in agony on the canvas, Gatti was deducted 1 point and Ward battled on. At the end of the 8th round Ward landed a series of butal head shots that had Gatti in serious trouble, at the start of the 9th round Ward would capitilize on his success landing a perfect left hook to the body flooring Gatti, beating the count Gattis night looked to be all over but showing the kind of determination that got him to the fight he fought back and was looking to turn the tide. The end of the 9th round saw a Ward pounding Gatti with hard headshots and yet again it looked as if Gatti was done but he managed to stay on his feet until the final bell with Ward picking up the MD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM0bpk6pSBw
3. Jose luis Castillo vs Diego Corrales 1
One of the great phonebooth fights in boxing history saw Diego 'chico' Corrales face off against Jose Luis Castillo. A fight that was extremely pleasing to the eye for both casual fans and die hard boxing fans Corrales and Castillo would fight at a great pace through 9 1/2 rounds but what would really set this fight apart from the rest was amazing 10th round. Castillo landed a huge left hook in the 10th that floored Corrales, A Tony Weeks picked up the count Corrales would spit out his mouhtpeice getting a few extra seconds rest, Castillo layed on the pressure which saw Corrales hit the eck for the sesond time, yet again Corrales spat out his mouthpeice gaining extra seconds to recouporate, referree Tony weeks deducted a point for 'excessive spitting out of the mouthpeice'. It looked to be all over for Corrales until landing a series of shots that span the head of Castillo and forced Weeks to step in giving Chico the 10th round TKO victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUSubUAV9n4
2. Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera 1
In the eyes of many this bout would be at very top of the list the unbeaten Erik 'el terrible' Morales squared off against 'The baby faced assasin' Marco Antonio Barrera. This fight above so many incorparates what I love about boxing, instead of a brawl or a fight it was true show of skill and will, every round was a bout within itself. Barrera worked the body early and had Morales fighting off the ropes early in the fight. The 5th round began and Morales came out strong putting combinations together and using beautiful feints, Barrera however battled back and seemed to have Morales hurt at the end of the round. In the 12th round Barrera would come out swinging and had Morales badly hurt at the start of the round, in the final 30 seconds Barrera would throw a left hook whcih seemed to grave the top of Moarles head, Morales would lose his footing and it was ruled a knockdown. Morales would go on to win the decision though in what 'could' be called a minor robbery although the greatness of the fight eclipses any controversy in my eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sDjJMsalPM
1. Israel Vasquez vs Rafael Marquez 3
In their third encounter of an amazing and brutal 4 fights, Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez came into this fight with 1 win each in 2 great fights. The three rounds set the stage for would be an all out war with both fighters rocking each other in almost every round. In the 4th round Marquez landed a big left hook which stunned Vasquez, he then landed a right hand and Vasquez was down, managing to beat the count Vasquez came right back immediatly stunning Maruez eith both fighter fightingh until the bell. In the 10th round Marquez would land a lowblow and would lose a point. The 11th and 12th rounds were fought at an unbelievable pace, in the 12th Vasquez stunned Marquez and went for the kill, landing blows that would have fell a lesser opponent Marquez would do everything he could to stay on his feet, in the last 10 seconds Vasquez landed 2 huge right hands sending Marquez reeling into the ropes with the referee correctly scoring it as a knockdown. Vasquez picks up the UD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Di2j1z9xw
I made this list a few days ago and probably should have put Brewster-Liakhovic ahead of Lewis-Klitschko.
For those who havent seen these fights they are ALL essential veiwing. If you disagree with any feel free to post your own best fights of the 00s.
Enjoy
The last great heavyweight fight, Lennox Lewis coming to the end of his now 13 year pro career was initially to face off against the Kirk Johnson and Vitali Klitschko was to face Cedric Boswell until Johnson pulled out of the fight with 2 weeks notice. Both Vitali and Lewis agreed to save the card whcih ended up being one of the most talked about fights in recent years. Vitali started the stronger managing to stun Lewis in the 2nd, Lewis was told to go out and attack Vitali and at the start of the 3rd opened up a horrendous cut above the left eye of Klitschko. Both fighters battled hard through the next 4 rounds with Lewis landing the heavier shots and Vitali with the better workrate. The fight was ultimatley stopped at the end of the 6th round giving Lewis the TKO victory.
9. Mickey Ward vs Arturo Gatti 3
The final brawl between these two warriors was to cap off an amazing trilogy which had seen both fighters coming out the victor. Like in their second meeting Gatti preceded to try and out-box Ward and in the early rounds it seemed like he was doing just that. In the 4th round Gatti would throw a right lead to the body of Ward which landed on the hip and fractured his hand, for the next 6 rounds though both men would fight with the same intensity as they did in their brutal first fight.
8. Felix Trinidad vs Fernando Vargas
Arguably Felix Trinidads finest hour moving up in weight to face off against the young unbeaten Fernando Vargas. Trinidad started fast and was able to get to Vargas early scoring 2 first round knockdowns he looked to be in control of the fight, the second round was another good round for Trinidad up until the final few seconds in which Vargas landed a right hand and was able to open up a cut above Trinidads left eye. Vargas showed a lot of Heart and managed to floor Trinidad at the start of the 4th Trinidad though would not be denied, as both fighters battled to the final round it was Vargas that seemed to be weary and Trinidad opened up to score an emphatic 12th TKO victory.
7. Manny Pacquiao vs Erik Morales 1
Erik Morales was looking to bounce back from his controversial loss to MAB and Manny Pacquiao was looking to secure his first belt in the 130 pound division. Pacquiao started fast landing combinations in the opening round looking to suprise Morales as he had done Marquez 1 year earlier. The fight continued to be fought at a great pace but it was Morales that was landing the more telling blows. During the 5th round a clash of heads opened up a cut over Pacquiaos right eye, Pacquiao sensing the fight could be stopped fought an aggressive 6th round landing some great shots in the process. In the 12th round and ahead on the cards Morales chose to switch to a southpaw stance and stand and brawl with Pacquiao leading to one of the most exciting rounds of the decade.
6. Acelino Freitas vs Jorge Barrios
Probablt the most underrated fight of the decade, WBO and WBA title holder Acelino Freitas defended his titles against Jorge Barrios. Both fighters threw tactics out of the window and preceded to brawl though 12 exciting rounds, in the 8th Barrios would score a knockdown catching Freitas off balance. The 11th round came which is probablt one of the most special rounds in boxing history, Barrios scored another knockdown in the first minute of the round and attempted to capitalize by beating Freitas thouroughly throughout the round, in the dying seconds Freitas would land a huge right that effectivley ended the fight. In the 12th round Freitas would score the stoppage victory over Barrios.
5. Marco Antonio Barrera vs Erik Morales 3
The 3rd meeting of the Mexican rivals proved to be a brutal one. Barrera badly needing a win came out strong through the first 4 rounds not giving Morales a ,oments rest, the rest of the fight saw Morales attempt to use his boxing but it was to no avail. Barrera would go on to win the rubber match in what was probably the best trilogy since Ali-Frazier.
4. Mickey Ward vs Arturo Gatti 1
Arturo Gatti and Mickey Wards finest hours, both fighters showing what true heart and grit is producing one of the greatest pure brawls of all time. In What was a 10 round non-title fight Ward and Gatti would ay everything on the line, in the 4th round Gatti would land a crunching lowblow which had Ward in agony on the canvas, Gatti was deducted 1 point and Ward battled on. At the end of the 8th round Ward landed a series of butal head shots that had Gatti in serious trouble, at the start of the 9th round Ward would capitilize on his success landing a perfect left hook to the body flooring Gatti, beating the count Gattis night looked to be all over but showing the kind of determination that got him to the fight he fought back and was looking to turn the tide. The end of the 9th round saw a Ward pounding Gatti with hard headshots and yet again it looked as if Gatti was done but he managed to stay on his feet until the final bell with Ward picking up the MD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM0bpk6pSBw
3. Jose luis Castillo vs Diego Corrales 1
One of the great phonebooth fights in boxing history saw Diego 'chico' Corrales face off against Jose Luis Castillo. A fight that was extremely pleasing to the eye for both casual fans and die hard boxing fans Corrales and Castillo would fight at a great pace through 9 1/2 rounds but what would really set this fight apart from the rest was amazing 10th round. Castillo landed a huge left hook in the 10th that floored Corrales, A Tony Weeks picked up the count Corrales would spit out his mouhtpeice getting a few extra seconds rest, Castillo layed on the pressure which saw Corrales hit the eck for the sesond time, yet again Corrales spat out his mouthpeice gaining extra seconds to recouporate, referree Tony weeks deducted a point for 'excessive spitting out of the mouthpeice'. It looked to be all over for Corrales until landing a series of shots that span the head of Castillo and forced Weeks to step in giving Chico the 10th round TKO victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUSubUAV9n4
2. Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera 1
In the eyes of many this bout would be at very top of the list the unbeaten Erik 'el terrible' Morales squared off against 'The baby faced assasin' Marco Antonio Barrera. This fight above so many incorparates what I love about boxing, instead of a brawl or a fight it was true show of skill and will, every round was a bout within itself. Barrera worked the body early and had Morales fighting off the ropes early in the fight. The 5th round began and Morales came out strong putting combinations together and using beautiful feints, Barrera however battled back and seemed to have Morales hurt at the end of the round. In the 12th round Barrera would come out swinging and had Morales badly hurt at the start of the round, in the final 30 seconds Barrera would throw a left hook whcih seemed to grave the top of Moarles head, Morales would lose his footing and it was ruled a knockdown. Morales would go on to win the decision though in what 'could' be called a minor robbery although the greatness of the fight eclipses any controversy in my eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sDjJMsalPM
1. Israel Vasquez vs Rafael Marquez 3
In their third encounter of an amazing and brutal 4 fights, Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez came into this fight with 1 win each in 2 great fights. The three rounds set the stage for would be an all out war with both fighters rocking each other in almost every round. In the 4th round Marquez landed a big left hook which stunned Vasquez, he then landed a right hand and Vasquez was down, managing to beat the count Vasquez came right back immediatly stunning Maruez eith both fighter fightingh until the bell. In the 10th round Marquez would land a lowblow and would lose a point. The 11th and 12th rounds were fought at an unbelievable pace, in the 12th Vasquez stunned Marquez and went for the kill, landing blows that would have fell a lesser opponent Marquez would do everything he could to stay on his feet, in the last 10 seconds Vasquez landed 2 huge right hands sending Marquez reeling into the ropes with the referee correctly scoring it as a knockdown. Vasquez picks up the UD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Di2j1z9xw
I made this list a few days ago and probably should have put Brewster-Liakhovic ahead of Lewis-Klitschko.
For those who havent seen these fights they are ALL essential veiwing. If you disagree with any feel free to post your own best fights of the 00s.
Enjoy
Comment