Most significant fight of the decade?

Floyd-Manny ain't happening 'tll the 10's. So what in retrospect was the most important fight of the decade?

I don't mean biggest in terms of public attention, btw, but in terms of legacies being built or significantly tarnished.

 

Jones vs Ruiz

 

Or Jones-Tarver II:stir:

 

Hopkins-Trinidad
Vargas - Trinidad
Calzaghe - Kessler
Lewis - Rahman 2

 

Good question.

Without doubt it was Ottke's KO of Mundine, for everything it meant outside the ring.

Taking place only months after 9/11, Mundine was a loud-mouth radical muslim who's comments need not be repeated. He still maintains links with fundamentalists throughout the Middle East and continues to talk complete bullshit everytime he opens his mouth.

Confidence was low that Ottke could defeat him (and that the mighty USA could defeat terrorism), but the big softy went and startched him with one punch!

This proved that terrorism could be defeated, and from then on, no-one was surprised when Osama and Saddam got shat on.

 

Corrales/Castillo 1

 

::

 

1 & 4 excellent picks, dont really agree with the middle two!

 

Cotto-Pacquiao

Sure it's recent, but it arguably THE defining fight for THE defining fighter of the decade IMHO.

MTF

 

Lewis - Tyson

 

I almost said the same thing, but the respective ages and career points of both at the time just put me off...

MTF

 

The DLH pasting was more significant IMO.

 

I only agree with the first one. Were the others jokes?

Corrales - Castillo is very significant, for the simple fact that it's one of the best fights of all time.

Same with Morales - Barrera.

And another very significant fight that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned is Pacquiao - Barrera.

It was essentially the birth of the best fighter of the decade, it was when he really become noticed, and when people realised what a monster he is.

 

It was a bigger shock and arguably a higher profile, but it wasn't more 'significant' IMHO.

Oscar was seriously declined BEFORE that fight and came in weight drained. Both factors played a big part in Pac's win. Cotto, on the other hand, arguably was at his peak (or perhaps a little declined after Plasterino) and was at worst one of the best three 147lb-ers at the time Manny obliterated him. It was this fight which removed any doubt as to Manny's prowess at the higher weights.

MTF

 

You could pick any one of Manny's biggest fights and not be too far off the mark. History will judge Manny extremely favourably. He is THE definitive fighter of this decade. Any of his big fights would fit nicely here...

MTF

 

If you had told me right after the Ledwaba fight that this little thin moustache sporting pinoy would become the fighter of the decade I would have laughed at you hysterically. I still have a hard time believing what Manny accomplished since then. What a fighter!

 

Klitschko-Lewis?

Tarver-Jones 2

 

Id vote for the fights where a guy died

 

I doubt either Corrales or Castillo are top 200 p4p all time, I can't see how their fight will go down as historically significant beyond being a great all action match to rewatch.

Tyson was so shot that Lewis-Tyson has to rank well, well down the list. It mainly ranks for the unanswered questions it avoided continuing into perpetuity rather than really effected either mans legacy.

Pac-Barrera & Pac-Cotto are great shouts.

Mayweather-Oscar, & Mosley-Oscar 1 were pretty significant too.

 

Sure, but I think the Barrera fight was the most significant, because that's what REALLY put Manny on the map.

If there were any doubts after he destroyed Ledwaba (afterall, Ledwaba is no Morales/Barrera, and I still thought Erik or Marco would bash Manny) he pretty much eliminated those after the 1 sided bludgeoning he dished out to Barrera.

After the Barrera fight, you would have to be an utter moron or a hater to not see what a force Pacquaio is.

From there on he's surpassed all expectations, but I feel it was that fight that really showed the world who Manny Pacquiao is.

 

It's incredible to think that a past Prime Morales is the only guy that has a clear cut victory over Pac (well I think Marquez has one too but it's more debatable). I loved Morales. :bears:

 

Pacquiao-Barrera (agree 100%)

Lewis-Tyson (might have been past it but it NEEDED to happen)

Jones-Ruiz

Khan-Kotelnik :kidcool:

 

to me, it was hopkins vs. tito.

 

Yea forgot this one

 

I suppose the most significant fights of the next decade will be the final of the Super Six and Mayweather-Pacquiao

 

Most significant? If you go back thru history every decade's most significant fight has been a heavyweight match except for the 1940's. Regardless if one of the combatants was past his best. So at first thought it would have to be Lewis-Tyson.

but on second thought I think the most significant has to be Mayweather-DLH... the match revolutionized the way big fights are hyped and promoted from that point on... it is also the catalyst for why Mayweather-Pacquiao going to be the biggest fight ever, and why people are considering it to already be the most significant fight of the following decade

 

Hopkins v Trinidad and daylight second.

 

It's a tough pick

But I think that it's tough not to include

Hopkins - Tito
Roy - Ruiz
Pacqiauo - Barrera


I wouldn't go so far as to include Mayweather - DLH like some have suggested, or even Mosely - DLH, because despite the slight underdog in Mosely, and the slight favorite in Mayweather winning the fights, they were both quite close fights, both lacking in drama past the actual magnitude of the event, and both failed to cause major change in the career paths or standing of any of the fighters.

 

I definitely disagree on the last part of the paragraph. Both fights propelled the winner to new heights - Mosley to the perceived #1 P4P fighter in the world, and Mayweather to one of the biggest stars in all of boxing.

however you are right - not enough drama certainly with Mayweather-DLH. Mosley-DLH had enough drama but not the significance. I'll have to rescind my vote for Mayweather-DLH being the most significant in my earlier post