By  Kevin Kincade

Boxing fans are a unique bunch in some ways; but not that different from fans of other sports in others.  We, for the most part, seek drama; the best that two men can produce in the ring.  Just as every football fan enjoys a good “slobber-knocker” of a ball game, a nip and tuck, down to the last second match-up, so do we.  We just prefer seeing competition in its barest form; not one team and one coach against each other; but more naked:  one man against one man.  At its worst, a boxing match can bore you to tears or make you wish you hadn’t shelled out that fifty clams; but at its best, it can leave you as breathless as the combatants themselves.

When comprising any list, regardless of context, one must pay attention to the most minute details in order to assure the highest degree of accuracy possible.  This is both an exhilarating and torturing task for those of us who enjoy such endeavors.  I know, because of the headaches this particular compilation has caused me as I used and abused every thread of logic that I possess in search for the perfect order of these monumental clashes.  In the end, I came to the sad realization that no matter what order in which they fell, there is no way in hell everyone who reads it is going to say, “Yeah, that’s pretty much the way they line up.”

Such is the nature of boxing and what we fans look for to define the perfect fight.  Some look for unrepentant brutality on both sides, some look for a virtual canvas on which the best elements of the sweet science are painted by two of the sports most esteemed and talented artists.  There is no right answer; you know a great fight when you see one, and that’s just the way it is.

So, all of that being said, allow me to outline the criteria for this particular list.  These fights are ranked in accordance with Historical and Social Impact at the Time of the Fight, Perceived Stakes, How Evenly Matched Both Fighters Were, Competitiveness of Actual Contest, and Historical Echoes of the Fight.  The first criteria speaks of how important the fight was at the time, the second is self explanatory as it deals, more or less with supreme recognition of whatever era in which the contest took place.  The third and fourth have to do with how good both men were in reality and how evenly matched the fight itself was, and the final criteria has to do with if the fight is still talked about today. 

Which criteria is more important than another in any particular bout is purely subjective.  To me, the stakes generally get the nod, though historical repercussions are often outweighed by the action of the contest.   For example, you will not find Johnson vs. Jeffries on this list because it was a one-sided thrashing of an old man who had been out of the ring for five years, despite it deciding, once and for all, that Jack Johnson was indeed the first Black Man to hold the World Heavyweight Championship.  Conversely, you will not find either Dempsey-Tunney bout because the one-sidedness of both contests outweigh the historical significance of those two bouts being two of the first few million-dollar gates.

Ready?  Here we go!

Number 10:  July 4th, 1919…Jack Dempsey vs. Jess Willard

On the surface, this appears only to be the mauling of a World Champion who is regarded poorly among most boxing circles; but to fully comprehend the significance of this bout, you have to think about what it represented.  Dempsey-Willard was more than the passing of the heavyweight torch, it was the passing of one era and the beginning of another.  Jack Dempsey is regarded by many as the first fist truly modern heavyweight.  He only weighed around 189 Lbs, which is a Cruiserweight by today’s standards; but it was his style of attack that changed the face of the sport.  Until Dempsey burst onto the scene,  most boxers more or less stood erect with their guard low, and rarely threw punches in combination, at least not to the extent that Dempsey did.  If you look at footage of Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries, and even Johnson, and compare them to footage of Dempsey in action, there is a noticeable difference in the approach to task by the different men.  While it is true that the four former champions did vary from each other in style, they were far more similar to each other than they were to the crouching, explosive Dempsey. 

Likewise, if you compare “The Manassa Mauler” to a fighter from the current era, such as “Iron” Mike Tyson, the difference isn’t so great.  Dempsey’s ferocious three round destruction of the lumbering Willard forever changed the face of the sport and gave birth to the modern heavyweight era; and that, alone, gets this match on this list.

Number 9:  November 5th, 1994…George Foreman vs Michael Moorer

Competitively, there were better fights than when “Big George” and “Double M” met in 1994; but when you think about the fact that a 45 year old Man came from behind to beat a 26 year old, prime of his life World Champion nearly 20 years after he’d lost the title, I think it’s safe to say this fight belongs on the list on the sheer weight of history and improbability.  Granted, Michael Moorer, was little more than an average heavyweight champion in the great scheme of things. 

However, he was a good puncher, a fair boxer, and the first Southpaw to ever own the heavyweight championship.  George, on the other hand, was quite possibly the hardest punching man to ever hold the championship; but that was in 1974, two whole decades before this fight.  After Foreman lost his title in Zaire, he went into a deep depression and eventually retired, only to launch his now-fabled comeback ten years later.  By the time he jogged to the ring to meet Michael Moorer, he was ten years past the point when most fighters call it a career, had lost his two most significant comeback fights to Holyfield and Morrison, and hadn’t fought in fifteen months.  Big George was just supposed to be a Big Payday for Michael; and that’s exactly the way it was going, until the clubbing Foreman threw a perfect little straight right hand in the 10th round that separated Moorer from his senses…..and his World Heavyweight Championship.

Number 8:  February 11th, 1990…Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson

In the case of the previous two bouts, the crowds were in an uproar about the action taking place before their very eyes; but in this one, a fight which was almost as one-sided as any fight on this list, a fight that was, arguably, the biggest upset in boxing history, the in-ring dramatics were met with stony silence by those in attendance.  Not only could you hear the impact of every single punch that landed, you would have felt compelled to say “Bless you” if someone in the front row sneezed; such was the demeanor of the Japanese crowd.  No one expected Douglas to last into the middle rounds, much less win the fight.  At the time, Tyson was considered unbeatable; he hadn’t lost in 37 bouts, had knocked out all but four opponents, and was making the 10th consecutive defense of his title against Douglas, who was considered little more than a speed bump on the way to Tyson’s showdown with Evander Holyfield that summer. 

Whether or not Tyson trained seriously enough for Douglas is irrelevant.  Max Baer not taking James J. Braddock seriously did nothing to take away from the drama of “The Cinderella Man” pulling off one of, if not the greatest upset in boxing up until that time, so Tyson’s lack of dedication to his craft in early 1990 is irrelevant when one looks at the actual accomplishment pulled off by the plucky 42-1 underdog.  Two-weeks after the death of his mother, days after learning the mother of his son was admitted to the hospital and after dealing with flu-like symptoms days before the fight, Buster Douglas climbed into the ring to face the most feared fighter since Sonny Liston; and he completely dominated him.  Douglas never looked that good before the Tyson fight, and never looked that good again; but when opportunity knocked, he knocked him out.

Number 7:  November 13th, 1992…Riddick Bowe vs Evander Holyfield I

While #’s 8, 9, and 10 were upsets, the challenger was expected to win this match-up.  What was not expected was the kind of challenge put up by the outgoing champion.  Everyone who had ever followed Evander Holyfield’s career knew what kind of warrior he was; but very few who saw the first clash between these two titans of the ‘90’s expected the all-out war that took place.  Action-wise, this has to be one of the Top 4 Heavyweight contests of all time; and if that’s the only criteria I was basing this list on, # 4 is exactly where Bowe-Holyfield I would place.  At the time of the first meeting between these two, Riddick Bowe was being hailed as the future of the division and Holyfield was being disrespected across the board as a mediocre champ.  Since he’d knocked out an out of shape, overweight Buster Douglas to claim supremacy over the division, Evander had defended against George Foreman, Bert Cooper, and Larry Holmes; that’s two forty-something fighters and one journeyman who took the fight on a week’s notice. 

It was generally accepted at the time, that Evander was just a blown-up Cruiserweight and Riddick was expected to win and win with relative ease; but one cannot underestimate the pride of a champion, something Evander had in spades.  Weighing in at 205 Lbs, Evander ignored the advice of his corner, discarded all strategy, and went right at Riddick, determined to get a knock-out by forcing the bigger man to fight at a frantic pace.  Surprisingly, “Big Daddy” was able to keep up with Evander and score some stout stuff along the way.  If anyone doubted the heart of Evander Holyfield, the Epic Tenth Round of this contest told the tale. 

Badly hurt by a Bowe uppercut, Holyfield stumbled backwards into a corner as Bowe beat him around the ring from pillar to post; and then, when Riddick ran out of gas, the formerly barely conscious champion rallied back and had Riddick holding on.  Only on very few occasions have boxing fans witnessed a heavyweight contest fought at the pace these two men set.  Though Holyfield lost his title in the end, this fight, and the 10th Round, in particular, will forever be discussed in boxing lore.

Number 6:  June 18th, 1941…Joe Louis vs Billy Conn I

At the time this bout came off in 1941, Joe Louis was already regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever.  He had lost just once in 53 professional fights and was destroying the bulk of the competition without much trouble.  Conn, on the other hand, was a cocky, crafty former light-heavyweight champ, who was actually more of a big middleweight, and possessed very little punching power.  However, despite the odds and the public perception before the fight of both the champion and challenger, Billy Conn had come to the Polo Grounds to win the Heavyweight Championship of the World that night, and for nearly 13 rounds, it was his to lose.  Using his superior speed and mobility, the slick “Pittsburgh Kid” easily outmaneuvered the legendary champion, getting his punches off first, and getting out of the way before Louis could counter.  He was controlling the pace of the fight; and what was more, he was controlling Joe Louis.  To put this in perspective, it would have been akin to Roy Jones Jr. outslicking Lennox Lewis back in both of their heydays. 

However, a funny thing happened on the way to the championship.  Billy unleashed a combination in the 12th round that visibly rocked Joe Louis.  The normally light-hitting Conn had actually hurt the Brown Bomber.  Whether it was his Irish blood, his championship heart, or merely an adrenaline rush, Billy wanted and went for it all; he was going to knock out the great Joe Louis, or so he thought.  Joe’s trainer, the great Jack Blackburn knew the situation and told Louis before sending him out for the 13th, “You better go get him, Chappy; we’re going to lose the title.”  When the bell sounded for Round 13 both men had one thought on their minds, “knock-out”; Conn wanted one, and Louis needed one.  Supposedly, Conn’s weight that night was closer to 168 Lbs than the official tally of 174 the scales tipped; but one thing for certain was that 160 of those pounds had to have been his heart.  The normal technician turned assassin as he went right at the champion, who was thirty pounds bigger, nailing him with every punch in the book; but leaving himself open for Louis’s deadly counters. 

As the round approached the bell toll, Louis place six precisely deadly punches to Conn’s body and head, causing the game young challenger to slowly cascade to the canvas where he would stay for two seconds too long.  For Billy Conn it was a case of close but no cigar.  For Joe Louis, it was one of the most dramatic come from behind knock-outs in the sport.  For boxing fans, it’s a story that will never get old. 

Number 5:  October 30th, 1974…Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman

The “Rumble in the Jungle” is probably the least aesthetically pleasing, least artistic, and to some extent, the least competitive fight on the list.  In fact, it lives up to its name quite accurately.  Once again, you have to think of the fight in the context of the time.  George Foreman had destroyed Ali’s two conquerors in two rounds each.  He was considered the most destructive force the division had ever seen since Sonny Liston; and the hardest punching heavyweight since Max Baer.  To quote a line from Rocky IV…..never in my life thought I would do this……”Whatever he hits, he destroys;”  that was George Foreman, a brooding, angry, powerful, undefeated, huge, young heavyweight. 

Ali was 32 and no longer the flashy kid with the gift of gab.  He still talked a good game in 1974; but the dancing feet were no longer as swift and most were worried, literally, for his health, some for his life, going into this bout.  His longtime supporter, Howard Cosell was picking him to lose and then retire.  Very rarely has a scene been set as dramatically as was the circle square in Zaire on that October night.  Thousands chanting, “Ali, Bum-Aye!!!” as the opening bell sounded.  The first round saw Ali on his toes, shooting the straight right hand lead down the pipe with incredible accuracy, and Foreman going into a rage at the insolence of being hit with it.  After the first round, Ali knew he couldn’t dance away from George for 15 rounds because of how effectively Foreman as cutting off the ring.  So, in Round 2, the Rope-a-Dope was born out of necessity; and to the chagrin of Ali’s corner, who seemed to have no idea what he was doing.  Round after round passed with Ali laying on the ropes and Foreman wailing away with all his might, while Dundee, Brown, and Pachecho screamed at Muhammad to “Get Off the Ropes!!”  Round after round went by with Ali holding Foreman’s head down, quietly whispering damnations into his ear with nary a reply from George except for the primal ferociousness of his punches whenever Ali went into the peek-a-boo against the strands. 

One man, who was at the fight as a youngster compared Ali to a sleeping elephant years later, “…as long as the elephant sleeps, you can do whatever you want to him; but when he awakens, he tramples everything in sight;”  that’s exactly what Ali did in Round 8.  By that point, Foreman was all but out of gas; and Ali opened up with a couple of harmless looking right hands over George’s shoulder while he was on the ropes, and then quickly moved off to ring center with George in pursuit.  For his trouble, Foreman ate a fast and deadly accurate left hook, right hand combo, and down he went.  It took him nearly 13 years to get up. 

Number 4:  June 9th, 1978…Larry Holmes vs Ken Norton

On sheer action, this fight would easily rank in at # 2, possibly # 1 on most lists.  The reason it ranks this low is because of historical significance, or insignificance, as the case may be.  Kenny Norton was the first “World Champion” to be awarded the title by committee.  Leon Spinks had just upset Muhammad Ali and the WBC mandated that Spinks was required to defend against Norton, who was the #1 contender at the time.  Spinks opted to give Ali a rematch, and the WBC stripped him of recognition, awarding the title to Norton based on the strength of his win earlier that year over Jimmy Young.  To this day, Norton is the only man to hold a version of the World Title without ever having won a title fight; but the defense he gave against Holmes when he lost his strap was, quite possibly, the greatest Heavyweight action fight ever seen.   Holmes, who was best known as Ali’s former sparring partner, had failed to really show any potential with the exception of his recent points win over monster-punching Earnie Shavers; and went into the Norton fight with an injured left arm, which all but nullified his jab, which was his best weapon. 

After about six round, Norton’s overhand right was finding a home over Larry’s low left; and a war broke out.  Back and forth went the ebb and flow of the match until the 15th and final round, when both men were seriously hurt; and Larry Holmes showed his tremendous heart by standing in and refusing to give in to Norton.  By far, one of the most brutal boxing matches in the history of the sport, regardless of weight division; both men proved their worth that day.

Number 3:  September 23rd, 1952…Rocky Marciano vs Joe Walcott I

When Marciano entered the ring against Walcott in 1952, it was pretty much a given than the younger, squat powerhouse was about the bowl over the 38 year old champion; known to everybody but Walcott.  “Jersey” Joe’s style was that of a classic cutie; a tricky, slick as goose-grease, defensive technician, who could hurt you with just about any punch he threw, especially his lethal left hook which won him the title against Ezzard Charles.  Marciano had no style, well, he had a style; but it didn’t really resemble anything anyone had ever really seen before.

Marciano wasn’t a boxer, he was a fighter.  He’d work his way inside and hit any target you gave him, and hit it hard and often.  His job was to take you out or make you quit.  Come fight night, no one was in better fighting shape than Marciano; he was prepared to go all night long and then some.  Surely, this ultra-conditioned wrecking-ball would have no problem with the aging champion.  The pundits couldn’t have been more wrong.  At that time, Walcott was the oldest man to ever win the World Heavyweight Championship, and it took him five tries to win it; and he wasn’t about to give up his hard earned gold so easily.  Imagine the shock of the crowd as Walcott charged out to meet Rocky and not the other way around, coupled by Walcott dropping Marciano for the first time in his pro career in the opening minute.  The old man had come to fight.  Back and forth the action went, with both men trying to take the other out and the crowd rarely getting a chance to catch their collective breaths. 

For twelve rounds, Walcott, casting aside his normally safety-first style, put it to Rocky like nobody’s business and was ahead on the cards at the beginning of the fateful 13th.   Certain moments are burned into the memories of all who witness them; Ray Robinson’s fifth-round left hook on Gene Fulmer in their second encounter, Roy Jones explosive right to the body of Virgil Hill, Mike McCallum’s one punch knock-out of Donald Curry, which sent the Cobra spread eagle on the canvas, and many, many more.  Rocky’s thirteenth round straight right to the jaw of “Jersey” Joe Walcott is one of those moments. 

As Walcott had backed to the ropes in the early seconds of the round, presumably looking for countering opportunities, both men unleashed right hands; Rock landed first, and Joe slid down the strands “like flour coming out of a shoot”.  It was devastating; and the end combined with the preceding twelve rounds is why this fight is on the list.

Number 2:  March 8th, 1971…Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali I

Billed simply as “The Fight”, this is one of the few clashes in history that not only lived up to expectations; but surpassed them.  Ali, who was undefeated at 31-0 and never lost his title in the ring, was 29 years old and three fights into a comeback after a forced exile of three years.  Frazier, 26, was undefeated and had unified the broken title that had been stripped from Ali’s waist.  Both men were as much a contrast in personalities as they were a contrast of styles.  In addition to the sheer physical and personal competitiveness of this bout, was the electrically charged political climate of the time.  The support for the War in Vietnam had taken a drastic turn in popularity and the youth of America were choosing sides.  The United States was a tinderbox waiting to explode; and at the center of it all were Ali and Frazier:  two fighters representing, willingly or not, two clashing ideologies across a divided nation.   Muhammad started off fast tattooing Joe’s face with jabs and straight rights; but Frazier began catching up by the fourth round after some fatigue set in with Ali.  Also, Frazier’s bob and weave style lured Ali into throwing uppercuts, which left him open for Frazier’s vaunted left hook. Back and forth the action went; now it was Ali, now it was Frazier, now Ali, now Frazier. The tiring Ali began spending more time on the ropes than in ring center as Frazier’s lead kept building. Finally in the 11th, thunder landed. Ali motioned Joe into a corner and after slipping a couple of punches, Joe’s left got through, putting Muhammad dead center in the middle of Queer Street.

For the remainder of the round the crowd was on there feet as the red-clad former champ stumbled around the ring in an attempt to stay erect and convince Joe he was faking it.  Joe had an insurmountable lead on the score cards entering the 15th; but the general feeling in the crowd was that it was anyone’s fight. According to Frazier, Ali popped off and some point in the fight, “Fall, Fool, Fall!!  Don’t you know I’m God?” to which Joe replied, “Well God, you’re gonna get knocked on your ass tonight,” followed by the most famous punch in Frazier’s career:  a picture perfect left hook which sat Ali on the seat of his pants for a count of 2, or as Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee put it, "Ali was out when he got hit; but he was up when his ass hit the floor." This dramatic battle of polar opposites was Frazier’s high water mark. Frazier-Ali I truly was “The Fight of the Century,” and ranks solidly at #2 on this list.

Number 1:  June 22nd, 1938…Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling II

Two minutes and four seconds; that’s how long this bout lasted.  So, how can such a one-sided demolition rank above every other heavyweight championship ever fought?  To answer that question, you have to place yourself in the time of the fight and look at what was at stake, even if it was merely symbolic stakes.  The world was inching closer and closer to war.  Hitler had begun persecution of Jews three years before, had just annexed Austria, and was threatening every surrounding country for the greater glory of Germany, Schmeling’s fatherland. 

Also, at the time of the fight, Louis had a record of 38-1 with that lone loss being a 12th round knock out to Schmeling two years before.  Max didn’t just stop the “Brown Bomber”, he had dominated him throughout the bout, dissecting Joe a piece at a time before finally putting him away.  Max was touted as a hero in Germany; and while he was not a Nazi, he was in the awkward position of being Hitler’s poster boy for Aryan Supremacy. Picketers were outside the hotel where Max stayed in New York before the fight, the U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Joe Louis to the White House where he felt his arms and said, “These are the kind of muscles we’re going to need to beat Germany,” the whole world was watching or listening to this fight as if the fate of the Free World depended upon it’s outcome.  Never has so much pressure been put on a boxer before a prize fight as was put on Louis and Schmeling.  When the bell rang, you could have cut the tension with a knife. 

If you want to see what a fighter looks like when he’s completely focused on a mission, all you have to do is watch the footage of this fight, for Louis was concentration personified.  Later, he revealed that he was afraid that he was literally going to kill Schmeling.  Once Louis hurt Schmeling, it was all over.  Joe went to work with a surgeon’s precision; every punch landing exactly where he wanted and designed to finish his opponent.  Some have said, and I agree that no fighter in history could have beaten Joe Louis on that night.  When you take away the hoopla, it’s just one man against one man; but on this evening, for two minutes and four seconds, the world stopped, and held it’s breath.  The stakes in this contest were so high, than anyone who didn’t live at the time can only guess as to how it felt and what it was like; but Louis-Schmeling II will be talked about as long as boxing is a sport and men have heights to reach. 

However, no matter what kind of main events are staged in the future, I can scarcely imagine a build up to a fight equaling this one, for everything was riding on this fight, or so it felt.  That’s why this is the greatest heavyweight championship bout ever fought, even if it was just for two minutes and four seconds.

Honorable Mentions:

Jeffries vs Sharkey II

Jeffries vs Corbett I

Willard vs Johnson

Dempsey vs Carpantier

Dempsey vs Firpo

Braddock vs Baer

Louis vs Walcott II

Marciano vs Charles I

Patterson vs Johanson II

Clay vs Liston I

Ali vs Frazier III

Ali vs Shavers

Spinks vs Ali

Holmes vs Weaver

Holmes vs Cooney

Spinks vs Holmes I

Holyfield vs Bowe II

Holyfield vs Tyson I

Lewis vs Klitschko