Superfights that actually live up to the hype

I actually find that many superfights never actually live up to the hype, like DLH-Tito, DLH-Floyd, Tyson-Spinks, Leonard-Duran II, etc. Let's list some superfights that were actually very good fights:

Fight of the Century
Thrilla in Manila
Hagler-Hearns
The Brawl in Montreal
The Leonard-Hearns fights
The infamous Lose Ropes fight
The entire Holyfield-Bowe trilogy
DLH-Nando Vargas

 

yep. they almost never do. which is why boxing sucks. because it consistently over-promises and under-delivers.

other examples of anomalies in boxing:

Trinidad/Vargas
Pryor/Arguello
SRL/Hagler

 

DLH-Vargas and Holyfield Bowe trilogy were not "Superfights"..so please don't include them...you;ll start a slippery slope of nonsense.

 

The best fights are often those we don't expect to be any good. It's a natural human response, the sheer glee of an unexpected gem unfolding before your eyes.

 

Good examples

 

Pacquiao-Morales

 

To be classed as a superfight it has to have

A) Huge public appeal AND SIGNIFICANCE

 

In the last 10 yrs.... Trinidad-Vargas & Mosley-DLH 1 are the best two examples.

Pavlik-Taylor did as well, though you cant really call that a "superfight". But it was a BIG fight for us hardcore fans.

Then you have Corrales-Castillo, a big fight for hardcore fans which exceeded expectations. Everybody was expecting a war, but we didnt know it would be one of the best fights of all time.

 

That wasn't a superfight.

 

Marquez/Vazquez fights are another example of big fights for hard-core fans that exceeded expectations - except for the fourth and hopefully last one.

Other hard-core only:

Chavez/Taylor (was on the cusp of being legitimate super-fight)
Arguello/Mancini
Morales/Barrera

 

Leonard Hearns 1
Leonard Duran 1
Leonard Hagler
Hearns Hagler

these are GREAT examples....as all 4 fights had major hype and huge significance going in...and then lived up to the hype.

These fights are why the Fab Four are so revered to this day (and with good reason)

Ali-Frazier 1 is....however....the single best example of this in the history of boxing..

 

Forget "hard core only" shit.

Let's talk GENUINE superfights..with crossover appeal.

 

You guys sure like to list things.

 

Huge public appeal and significance to who/where/when?

Examples: Clay vs Liston. Moderate public appeal at the time to the American public, and to different sectors of the public. For Instance:

1. Black Muslims
2. Scared White Folk
3. The Mob
4. Counter Culture

When? Fight became much more significant many years later....for the Black Muslims it became less important as they faded, for a recovering America it became a source of pride, a stark contrast from what it had been at the beginning.

Another example.....Wlad vs Peter I. Seemed insignificant that the dead man walking won the fight....but if he had lost then it is likely that 2005 to the present would feature no Klitschkos.

Ward vs Gatti.......had limited appeal and limited significance but if you know your boxing it was a massive massive deal, the trilogy is now part of the fabric of boxing folklore- the boost to the sport itself, just in terms of raw pugilistic drama was vital. Yet to John Q Public.....not so important.

 

what why not?

Huge public appeal AND SIGNIFICANCE......

 

Golota vs Bowe was a superfight. It exposed black racism and ushered in the Euro heavyweights....:crafty:

 

::::

man, it sure did, didn't it (expose black racism)?

one of two things or both fired up a significant portion of the black crowd:

1. the idea that Golota was hitting Bowe low because he was black (and not because he was an opponent in a boxing match - this is less likely than the next)

2. a white fighter beat the living shit out of a black fighter

you could argue that 2 is due to pride and not racism, but given the response it's a pretty hard case to make.

 

Some of the omore obvious ones have already been mentioned but here's a few more I consider to be super fighters whether the fighters were house hold names at the time or not.

Benn-Eubank
Chacon-Limon 4
Mab-Morales 1
Clay-Liston 1
Honeyghan/Curry
Robinson-Turpin 2
Tunney-Dempsey 1 and 2.
Durelle-Moore 1

 

Louis - Schmeling II was bigger historically than Ali-Frazier...wouldn't you say?

 

Completely the opposite take, imo. If you knew your boxing, you were watching the more meaningful fight that night--Tszyu vs Tackie.

The reason it was such a boost to the sport is because everyone who was even remotely a fan watched the Ward Gatti fight instead of the Tszyu Tackie fight and they loved what they saw. To say John Q Public didn't care is just wrong, ime. I was getting calls from people who had never talked boxing with me before or since because they knew I liked boxing so much and wanted to talk about the fight.

 

Truthfully, black folk, or certain sectors of black folk, much like certain white folk before them, had gotten into a groove of thinking that they were just not for being challenged.

Not only did Golota outskill {though he did not outfight Bowe} he also abused him by punching him in the sack. The thuggish black part of Bowes retinue {hanger ons mostly, Bowe was a decent sort}, already incensed at the legal beating Bowe was receiving, and incensed by all the cheering Polacks, became even more irate when it turned out that Golota was also intent on de-balling Riddick.

 

I half agree with this...

That's an HBO vs Showtime thing. Kinda like Corrales vs Castillo I....more people saw the fight after the fact after hearing about it than watched it live. I'd say the same about Gatti-Ward.

Plus...I consider that trilogy the most overrated trilogy folks have discussed. You've got a B - level fighter (Gatti) against a C+ level fighter (Ward)

Morales-Barrera fought a better trilogy and each of the three fights were contested on a much higher level than any of the Gatti-Ward fights.

I'd say those fights were bigger in Mexico than Gatti-Ward was here...unless we're only looking at it from a standpoint of the U.S.

 

Bigger guys get more respect than the smaller dudes. Always have done, always will do.

Gatti vs Ward I was one of the greatest 10 round non-title fights of all time.

Gatti was FUCKING FINISHED after 20 seconds of the 9th. FINISHED. No way he was coming back.

And then back he came.


:hammert:

 

nah...

I see what you mean though..that was a huge fight in terms of political significance on the brink of war..and the talk of master race etc..in conjunction with the fact that Schmeling was the only man to have defeated Louis at that point..and it was a revenge fight.

But in terms of boxing significance..Ali and Frazier were the meeting of two undefeated fighters..each well known...each with legitimate claim as the heavyweight champion. Bigger and more significant fight IMO.

I admit though...that they are equivalent in terms of significance and I can accept teh argument either way.

However

the point is...Ali-Frazier was a GREAT FIGHT. Louis-Schmeling was a blowout.

therefore in terms of what this thread is all about...my position on Ali-Frazier stands...and Louis schmeling isn't even worth mentioning.

 

like many purists, I detest the amount of attention given to Gatti/Ward and their trilogy, but the fact remains that the 9th round of their first fight was truly one of the most savage and riveting in ring history and it likely would have been stopped if Gatti wasn't involved... that he survived and came back was remarkable

 

Did you prefer the "Corrales vs Castillo" trilogy?

Gumshield spitting, weight advantages and canceled fights?

You don't often hear Manny Steward going batshit when he is on commentary duty.

He did that night. Screaming at Ward to go back to the body in the 9th as if he was in Wards corner and was wired for sound.

Ward Needs To Go To The Body......

 

Castillo vs Corrales was on Showtime. if he liked that gatti bullshit, he would have came on Merchant and Lampley.

 

Corrales Spat his Gumshield. I didn't like that.....he got that breather and who knows after that. Great fight, don't get me wrong, but then there was the question of whether Castillo wouldn't have finished him but for the gumshield.

The rematch was a farce. Floyd Mayweather would be proud of that shit.

 

You have to realize, Sly's up to his old tricks. he's got a singular, monosyllabic approach. He's not interested in discussing it's more he's got designs on saying he's "right." Even if you use the criteria he lays out.

 

Pacquiao-Morales?

How so?

Morales had lost to Barrera b4 pacquiao and Pac was a heavy favourite as a result. In the 2nd fight..Morales had lost to raheem in between.