Virtuoso performances in battles between unbeaten champions/titlists.

Very few fighters in history have managed to dominate in a fight between unbeaten champions/titlists, simply because for a fighter to be BOTH a champion/titlist and undefeated....they have to be a proven talent at the time of the fight.

Most times this type of clash happens, it's a competitive fight:

Ali - Frazier
Chavez - Taylor
De La Hoya - Quartey
De La Hoya - Trinidad
Trinidad - Vargas

Fighters that manage to dominate previously undefeated champions/titlist are "special" talents.

Examples:

Tyson - Spinks
Jones - Toney
Mayweather - Corrales (no agenda, )
Calzaghe - Lacy

Can you think of other examples? Why are they not always given their dues? Do you think such fighters still have to prove themselves?

 

Nunn-Tate is the very first that came to mind.

 

was mccory a title holder when he fought curry? if so, then curry vs mccory

 

:laugh11:

 

Stop drinking that Trinidad Haterade, it'll give you a stomach ulcer.

 

Calzaghe/Lacy in the same category as ODH/Trinidad and Ali/Frazier?

And the explanation as to why Calzaghe/Lacy wasn't the competitive fight that Ali/Frazier was is that Calzaghe is special? Please.

 

No it won't, and I honestly don't even hate him. He's just so fucking overrated it's obscene.

 

When you put it like that, it sounds absurd. But you are just been clever in an unfair way.

I'm not saying that Calzaghe is superior to Ali because he dominated Lacy and Ali was competitive with Frazier (lost even). OBVIOUSLY Frazier was a superior fighter to Lacy and obviously Ali was greater than Calzaghe. Secondly Ali also had at least one virtuoso performance over a guy superior to Lacy, which was Sonny Liston.

Naturally, virtuoso performances over undefeated champions isn't the only criteria for quality, but it is a good indicator, which is what I'm saying.

 

He's not overrated, YOU and many others like you are evidence of this. He's rated accurately. Mosley is the one who tends to be overrated.

 

Yes, Curry-McCrory was a Unification Bout...




REED:hammert:

 

Calzaghe - Lacy was a very good performance, but in hindsight it shouldn't really count as Lacy proved to be an utter scrub.

 

Curry v McCrory is as good an example as any

 

It can be argued that the beating he took from Calzaghe made him a scrub. People certainly weren't calling him a scrub before that fight.

 

I would put Leonard-Benitez on this list. I know Leonard wasn't a titlist coming in, but it was case of two unbeaten, all time greats fighting in their primes, and it was a one sided fight in Leonard's favor.

 

Nah...has to be two titlists/champions.

I didn't include Foreman-Frazier for example. An undefeated challenger has nothing to lose and is often times underestimated by the defending champion....making that type of situation more likely.

 

calzaghe beating Kessler was impressive although not completely one sided.

 

Zarate vs zamora

 

Good one

 

Agreed. It was a pretty good fight but what I think detracts from it is once Calzaghe got into a groove it appeared fairly easy after that for him and Kessler didn't/couldn't make adjustments. The early rounds were competitive and had nice back and forth moments though.

 

Yeah Kessler gave it a good go but Calzaghe was like a can of Coke which had been vigorously shaken beforehand that night

 

I didn't know it came in that form of container.

 

Drug addict!

 

The only thing I'm addicted to is Jesus.

 

Jesus Chavez, perhaps.

 

:giggle:

Do you have moment to speak Jesus? Jesus ... Chavez.

 

My bad for listing Nunn-Tate. I forgot that Nunn came into that fight as the challenger for Tate's title. Still a virtuoso performance.

 

The fight that comes closest to satisfying this criteria without satisfying it is Watson vs Benn.

 

Was a big domestic fight, but obviously doesn't come anywhere close to satisfying the criteria.

 

Yeah it does. Watson turned in a Virtuoso performance. BOOM!