Top 10 Most ANTICIPATED fights of all time

[Boxing_1013]

They were both huge in the promotional aspect ( not saying either wasnt an big fight ), Super political with the US vs **** party angle . But the second fight was the year before the war popped off and Germany had just taken over Austria and was having alot of tension with the west , so the promotion was even more powerful ( albeit rediculous ) the second time . In fight 2 the world heavyweight championship was on the line aswell . Iam sure not many truly anticipated louis schmeling 1 except boxing fans . It was the promotion of that which kicked it all off and made such a big fight . In the rematch joe was the champ and seemed invincible but he wouldnt be perceived as just that until he beat schmeling . That's why the fight fans highly anticipated that one . Everyone wanted to see it before it was signed . And for the rematch the whole world wanted to see it .

Interesting thanks Norm

[Ber]

Ali Fraser
de la Hoya Trinidat

[Marchegiano]

Y'all always get the normals before I come into a thread and then someone's going to give me **** for bringing up old ****. The problem with ten is how to rank anticipation? Ali and Floyd are not the first to make the whole boxing world rumble for a fight.....that's Theaganese and Euthymos. So from then, 480s BC, to now you pretty much always had at least one "the fight"

That said, outside of what is already covered and sticking to MQB:

Patterson - Johansson 2 was massive.

Dempsey-Willard should have already been mentioned really.

Sullivan vs Ryan, Mitchell, McCaffrey, and Corbett were damn big. Sullivan-Godfrey was a massive one that never happened.

Corbett-Fitzsimmons was huge. People forget, or are never told in the first place, Corbett had left boxing to be a movie star, his name was never bigger. Fitzs had just lost his title to the Wyatt Earp scandal....also massive. These two coming together was meant to reset the title line, and, it did. No one recognizes Maher or Sharkey as champs anymore. It was big ass big deal.

Pretty much every Jeffries fight. JJ would be the big one obviously, but the guy went on a claimant tour. Just to cement the new line started by Fitzsimmons-Corbett, Jeffries whooped Sharkey, Fitzs, and Corbett, all big'ens. On top of that he rumbled with Peter Jackson, Choyinski, and Guhlin. Big ass names of the day, highly anticipated fights. There's a reason he's on every major historian's top ten atgs; dude was dominant and popular as ****.

Marvin Hart was not popular but Jack Root's ass was. The title fight was a big deal. Jack Root was Jeffries' guy. Kinda more Jim's fame carried over but still it made that fight highly anticipated.

Burns-Johnson

JJ's entire White Hop run.

Dempsey- Willard, Carpentier, Miske, Firpo, and Tunney

Schmeling-Louis

Okay, this is pointless now. From Jack Sharkey, Primo, Bear, and such on to now y'all done know. Basically every HW title fight against any decent competition was pretty damn big for a long time.


It's only when K2 take over the HW title fights between top ranked fighters become unanticipated.


For smaller guys, I mean, you're being nice if you claim Gans put asses in seats. Only boxing hardcore really care about the under HWs for most of the history. Anyone pre SRR is kinda unknown even to a lot of boxing fans let alone average joes.

I think is you're honest that starts with the 80s guys. SRL, Hearns, you know who I'm gonna name and you know their big fights too.

So really, while Tommy Ryan vs Kid McCoy may have been big ****s to boxing hardcores I don't think people cared outside of them....that's why those guys fought HWs. To get paid. Even Nonpariel vs Fitzs is kinda small compared to what Sully and Corbett are doing.

Most of them are named and if they're not, c'mon, someone gonna mention JCC soon enough.

[daggum]

floyd-baldomir

[SweetPbfAli]

Regardless of the outcome of the fight, this thread is about the most ANTICIPATED matches of all time.

Let’s see if any of you pretend boxing fans really know your stuff, you should be able to pull memories of the excitement prior to a fight and what the public behavior was like.

I’ll throw some names and let’s see if we can put together a list of the TOP 10.

De La Hoya-Mayweather

Pacquiao-Mayweather (obviously number one)

Pacquiao-Marquez 3

Mayweather-Canelo

Tyson-Holyfield II

De La Hoya-Trinidad

Ali-Frazier


Let’s keep it going. Drop some of the most anticipated matches!! I know Cotto got a couple in there.

Leonard - Hearns I would imagine.