I was thinking about this while reading the other post about 05’. 1982 was a strong year for good fights, especially the way it closed. Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello 1 on November 12. Wilfredo Gomez-Lupe Pintor three weeks later on the Hearns-Benitez undercard. This remains on the list of best Mexico/Puerto Rico matchups. Then, Bobby Chacon-Bazooka Limon 4 was not long after that. 3 classic fights inside a 30 day period. The Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim tragedy was also during this period, it was only a day after Pryor-Arguello 1. There were some other good ones throughout the year, including Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney, the richest prize fight ever at the time. I thought that was a good fight, and Cooney did better than I expected considering the opponent and the way people talk about it. Dwight Muhammad-Eddie Davis and Salvador Sanchez-Azumah Nelson were very good fights. Mancini-Frias was a fun 1 round bout. There’s also Frank Fletcher-Clint Jackson
3 way tie between Arguello vs Pryor 1, Chacon vs Limon 4 and Gomez vs Pintor. If I had to choose one probably Chacon vs Limon 4.
Top 10 Boxing Matches of 1982 1. Aaron Pryor vs. Alexis Argüello I Fight of the Year — elite vs elite, all-time classic war. 2. Ray Mancini vs. Duk Koo Kim Relentless, unforgettable battle; huge impact on boxing rules. 3. Bobby Chacon vs. Rafael Limón IV One of the greatest rivalries ever; savage back-and-forth action. 4. Wilfredo Gómez vs. Salvador Sánchez High-level skill + drama; Sánchez’s brilliance against a feared puncher. 5. Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney Massive event, racial tension, heavyweight drama; Holmes proves greatness. 6. Azumah Nelson vs. Salvador Sánchez Beautiful, technical fight with emotional weight (Sánchez’s last fight). 7. Bobby Chacon vs. Cornelius Boza-Edwards II Fast-paced, violent rematch between two action machines. 8. Dwight Muhammad Qawi vs. Matthew Saad Muhammad II Brutal light heavyweight war; pure toughness on display. 9. Wilfredo Gómez vs. Lupe Pintor Elite champion vs elite champion; skillful, tense, high stakes. 10. Hector Camacho vs. Edwin Rosario I Speed vs power, young stars colliding in an exciting style clash.
