Best Performances vs All-Time Great?

Top 5?

Obviously Duran-Leonard is #1.

Jones-Toney has to be right up there.

 

Usyk-Joshua

 

Apparently Duran did nothing but hug Leonard all night.

 

Hearns blowing out Duran in two rounds was impressive considering a fight ago he was competitive with prime Hagler

 

If Duran-Leonard 1 is tops, then I probably put Sanchez-Gomez at a solid 2.

 

Speaking of which, Gomez-Zarate is up there.

 

Hearns vs Duran is the top.

Also, Leonard vs Duran II. Befuddling an ATG fresh off from his career-best achievement and beating the fight out of him at the halfway is impressive despite circumstances

 

Sanchez-Gomez was more impressive than Hearns-Duran.

Tommy was the betting favorite over Duran.

Sal was an underdog to Gomez, and Gomez was considered P4P #1.

 

I think Frazier in FOTC deserves a mention

 

Good one! That has a solid argument as #1.

 

Ultimately, I wouldn't put Duran-Leonard 1 as tops.

If we take into consideration the size of the upset, I'd have to say the winner is Ali-Foreman.

No on Earth gave Ali a prayer besides Ali himself. And he completely takes George apart.

 

I don't consider the surprise factor meaningful within this topic. A great performance is great

 

I think it means more when a fighter has an aura of invincibility going in.

Duran's aura of invincibility was gone after Leonard II.

Gomez was thought of as unbeatable.

 

Ross vs Armstrong is way more impressive than Gomez vs Sanchez IMO.

Armstrong moved up from FW to WW and beat a top fifteen all-time great.

 

who said that? that absurd.

 

All great shouts thus far barring Hearns-Duran imo. I'd add

Saldivar-Ramos
Harada-Jofre both times
Marcel-Arguello
Olivares-Rose
Greb-Tunney I, Walker and a few others
Robinson-Gavilan II and LaMotta V
Burley-Moore
Park-Canto I
Douglas-Tyson
Ortiz-Laguna trilogy both ways
Chocolate-Canzoneri both ways
Pep-Saddler I and II both ways
Foreman-Frazier
Spinks-Qawi
Kalambay-McCallum
Rose-Harada

 

Harada-Jofre 1 is certainly up there.

 

Thats not true. He was only a 3-1 underdog. Less of an underdog than against Liston the first time

 

Ali-Liston 1 has a good case as well.

Ali-Foreman I feel is more significant because Ali was past his prime.

 

Chavez-Rosario deserves mention IF Chapo is considered an ATG.

 

Hopkins-Trinidad

 

#05. Ezzard Charles vs Archie Moore III
#04. Henry Armstrong vs Barney Ross
#03. Willie Pep vs Sandy Saddler II
#02. Ray Robinson vs Jake LaMotta VI
#01. Roberto Duran vs Ray Leonard I

HM: Sanchez-Gomez; Laguna-Ortiz I; Harada-Jofre I & Olivares-Rose.

I thought fuck it, I'll be a hipster twat and not include heavyweights, but I will include fights which aren't on film. If I were to take out the ones which aren't filmed, and put in the ones at heavy, then it'd be a very different list which would likely coincide with most other people's.

 

Not quite imo.

 

Charles v Moore could conceivably be no. 1. Not often that the consensus top 2 in the history of one of the original 8 fought each other in their primes and it ended conclusively. Pep-Saddler is probably the only other example and Charles and Moore were more 'prime' than Pep was versus Saddler in their first and second fights (although Pep was prime enough to warrant it being hugely significant).

 

Great mentions, Tin.

 

SHIT!!! Forgot about the Valentines Day Massacre!!!

Yeah, of course that's top 5.

 

ones that come to mind:

hearns vs. duran
rjj vs. toney
pacquiao vs. barrera
jmm vs. pacquiao iv

 

Benitez-Cervantes has a legit argument at top 5 considering Will was 17.

 

Nobody mentioned hagler hearns yet. Marvin made hearns look like he didn't belong in there

 

Best performances vs an ATG by a guy who never had a hope, or was never given a hope?

Farr vs Louis
Douglas vs Tyson
Gary Jacobs vs Whittaker
Tiberi vs Toney
McKinney vs MAB