Best Trilogy of all time

Only counting trilogies...if they fought more than three times (eg. Robinson Lamotta or Walcott Charles) they are not to be included.

Ali Frazier
Zale Graziano
Patterson Johansson
Bowe Holyfield
Pacquiao Morales
Morales Barrera
Gatti Ward
Harding Andries
Duran De Jesus

 

To me it is Bowe-Holyfield because I lived through it and because back then, as a teenager, boxing gave me much bigger emotions than it does now

 

Barrera-Morales produced three really, really enthralling contests. Ali-Frazier might be the most famed, but there's a reason virtually no one talks about, "Super-Fight II." Barrera & Morales produced the more consistently-even fights.

Some of these trilogies had bouts which were just much less even than any of the Barrera-Morales clashes. Zale-Graziano III, for instance, was all Zale. Patterson-Johansson, only their third fight was truly competitive. They dominated one another in the previous two meets. Then, too, Pacquiao steamrolled Morales in their last skirmish, & Gatti was comfortably on top of Ward by the time they finished their series.

I'm glad he evened the score, but for the purposes of this discussion, it's a shame Marquez-Vazquez is ineligible --- those first three fights, taken together, could have been a contender for the top mantle here.

I'd go with Barrera-Morales here.

 

:notallthere:

 

I haven't voted yet..

I'm torn between Ali-Frazier, Pacquiao Morales, Barrera Morales and Patterson Johansson.

Ramonza your points are excellent as usual and worthy of deep consideration.

Ali Frazier 2 was a mediocre fight, no doubt. However the "greatness" of the 1st and 3rd fights is so strong that they compensate for the weak middle.

I agree that the first 2 Patterson Johansson fights were one-sided affairs with only the 3rd being competitive, BUT..when you look at the trilogy overall it produced THIRTEEN knockdowns, including SEVEN in just one round for Ingo in the first fight...then Ingo is ICED in the 2nd fight: out cold...and then both men getting dropped in the 1st round of the 3rd fight.
For share brutality and "knockdown mania" it must have consideration.

The 3rd Morales-Pacquiao fight was somewhat one-sided...but it was one sided with two way action...Morales gave it everything before conceding in the 3rd. The first 2 fights were classics.

Morales Barrera were 2 ALL TIME GREAT fights and a very good fight in the middle.

Very tough for me.

Hmmm......

I may have to go with Ingo-Patterson for reasons mentioned (tough one though). The first two fights weren't competitive..but the TRILOGY itself was as competitive and brutal as it gets.

 

::

 

vasquez vs marquez as clearly the best. the farce of a fourth fight shouldnt disqualify it

 

Come on. In terms of national attention, historic significance and just balls-to-the-walls action, there is Ali-Frazier and then the rest. Not even close.

 

Fame is the final word on somethings worth now?:dunno:

 

Fame? They were 3 amazing fights as well as being historically significant and garnering world wide attention.

And yes, for me the notoriety or "fame" associated with these fights did make a difference.

 

For me it was Bowe vs. Holyfield...first 2 fights were very competitive..even in the 3 Holyfield show some signs...

ALI vs. Frazier...first fight okay...2nd was blah...3rd was epic...


Pacquiao vs. Morales...first fight was very good...so was the 2nd..but the 3rd was a destruction...


Gatti vs Ward all the fight were GREAT....but the talent level was blahhhh...

 

For my lifetime? Barrera-Morales

 

What? I must be the only one on here that is old to enough to have watched the fight in 1971. That fight was far from just OK.

For me, with all things considered, Ali-Frazier I will always be the best of the trilogy.

 

Where the fuck is Roid / Tarver @ ?

Fight #1 Roid's invincibility exposed
Fight #2 Roid's chin exposed
Fight #3 Roid's heart exposed

 

nice!

 

Just ok?

You obviously haven't watched the fight...

 

:: I knew you'd like that one. Cupey will like it too.

Roy was weakened by a combination of age and moving down 20 pounds from heavyweight. Therefore I don't agree with the first two points. However, the 3rd point is correct.

 

though Roy was exposed by Montell Griffen way before the Tarver fight

 

from what i recall although i was young, the harding-andries fights were all close and reasonably exciting

 

Two amazing fights. :nono:

 

I have and IMO it was just OKAY...Maybe If i had been alive at that time I might feel differently....

 

eh, 2 amazing fights, one solid fight

 

come on, thats a great fight

 

I'm sorry but this is untrue and just goes to show how far a storyline can stretch over time.

There was nothing amazing at all about the second fight other than the two people participating in it. That Ali avenged his only career loss to that point added to the significance, but the fight itself was barely worth a watch.

It's for that very reason that I hesitated before picking against Barrera-Morales trilogy. Like Ali-Frazier, the first and third fights were worth the price of admission and beyond, but the second fight in each was disinteresting enough to detract overall from the series.

Of this list, I picked Bowe-Holyfield. All three fights were FOTY contenders containing plenty of drama and sheer brutality, with the first two boasting major significance (though admittedly nowhere near on the level of Ali-Frazier in terms of worldwide interest). There honestly wasn't a dull moment at any point of any of the fights.

I'm with Neil in that we should just disregard Marquez-Vazquez IV and put that series on the list. Had they stopped at three, that would've been my choice with nothing else on the list even ranking a close second.

 

I don;t know, I kind of agree with Illuminati. I mean, I thought the fight was better than he gives credit, but he is on to something.

Without being able to appreciate the significance of the event, the fight isn't quite as great for those who didn't live through it (meaning, just watching a fight on TV and taking it at face value).

It's hard to argue that point with those who experienced it in real time, or even historians who understand the significance of any given fight. But in a vacuum, I thought Ali-Frazier III was far superior to Frazier-Ali I.

 

I have to admit, Sly, I hadn't quite seen it in those terms. Well-put for your vote.

I guess, from a ringside perspective, you'd never be too disappointed watching on of those three. The third fight is a little (not a lot) over-rated, since both men seemed to tire badly before the end, but it was still a great, close clash, & definitely the most competitive of the three. Triple knockdown, with both men hitting the deck, in round one alone has to be a good thing!

 

For what it's worth, I felt Frazier-Ali I was the best spectacle of the three fights. Both men were plainly sharper to my eyes than they would be in the third fight, where each man's decline was evident. The pace, energy levels & closeness of the bout on points were all superior in that first fight. It had the only knockdown & the most dramatic singular moment (round 11, Ali badly wobbled) of all three bouts. Frazier had to reel in a big lead on the cards, too, & though he did that with the performance of a lifetime (he was faced with the same challenge in fights II & III, but couldn't rise to the challenge), Ali fought tooth-&-nail & used every trick in his considerable book to keep him from doing so (& on my card, he almost succeeds, only losing out to Frazier by two points at the finish, meaning I had it dead-even going into the final round).

For excitement & watchability, IMO...

1. Fight Of The Century
2. Thrilla In Manila
3. Super-Fight II

 

I'll concede that. But anyone who think Ali-Frazier 1 was just "OK" can't fully appreciate the anticipation of the event and the battle that ensued once the bell rung.

 

I agree that the third fight is simply one of the rarest of boxing events, it is an automatic selection in the pantheon of the most epic fights... it is better than the first

but the first fight is, to my eyes, a scintillating display of two great heavyweights each attempting to impose their styles and will on the other... I think it is a tremendous contest

 

agree