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Your Top Ten Fights Ever
Have been thinking about this recently and am interested to hear what other fans consider the best/their favorite fights in history. These would be the 10 fights you would pick if you were told you could only watch 10 fights for the rest of your life. Please add some detail as to why you pick those fights as well. Mine are
1. Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns: Most ferocious fight I've ever seen, with two ATG fighters who were unbelievably skilled. Both guys tore into each other like two rabid dogs and threw all of their formidable skill, natural gifts, and souls into winning this war. I'm still in awe when I watch these two go at it on youtube.
2. Bernard Hopkins vs. Tito Trinidad: Two ATG fighters who were at their peak, with both being top 10 p4p guys (Tito was #2 at the time behind Roy) and considered the undisputed top 2 middleweights fighting to unify the championship for the first time since Marvelous Marvin Hagler over a decade before. Hop put on a masterpiece in this fight and it was one of the most complete performances I've ever seen, right up to the point where he went out and closed the show in the last round. Tito was a phenomenal fighter who had a ton of mental toughness and pride, and took the loss without making excuses.
3. Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera 1: Two ATG fighters whose strengths and weaknesses came played perfectly off each other. Add to that the fact that both were extremely prideful fighters who carried the honor of Mexico on their shoulders and were fighting to become the heir apparent to Julio Ceasar Chavez, and possessed a natural dislike for each other, and you have the makings of a classic. This fight didn't disappoint at all, and to this day it will be difficult to find two equally skilled, equally tough, equally proud fighters who were able to fight at that pace and perform at that level on the biggest stage.
4. Julio Ceasar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor: Fight of the decade between the top two p4p fighters who were fighting to cement their legacy. Contrasting styles meshed well together and there was excitement throughout thanks to Taylor's fast hands and willingness to fight, as well as Chavez's relentless pressure and punching power advantage. Breaks my heart that Taylor lost this fight, but both guys performed beautifully that night and showed what true greatness is. Should be noted that Taylor swallowed two pints of his own blood, had broken ribs and suffered a fractured orbital bone, yet never even thought about giving up. True Philly fighter.
5. Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson 1: Great match up of styles (Tyson was all aggression, Evander was the consumate counter puncher) between two proud warriors who were both past their best. Evander was a HUGe underdog in this fight but went in and did what he does best, surviving some hellacious shots and scary moments to break Tyson's will and stop him late in a competitive fight and unbelievable upset. I had waited for over a decade to see this fight, and unlike the Manny vs. Floyd farce, this one lived up to the hype for me (and then some).
6. Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo: Vicious war between two aggressive punchers who abandoned their outside game to stand toe to toe in the trenches and test each other's will and inside fighting ability. Castillo was the more effective overall, and was starting to pull away before Chico rose from two knockdowns to land the punch of his life and knock the sense out of Castillo. Diego showed true heart and grit by overcoming exhaustion and pain to unleash a fusillade of punches on Castillo's face, trapping him on the ropes and forcing the ref to step in and stop the fight.
7. Raphael Marquez vs. Izzy Vasquez 2: First three fights were all classics and difficult to choose between. All were fought with unbelievable skill, at a ridiculous pace, and with bombs thrown by two ATG fighters known for packing big power. Both of these guys were ridiculously skilled and naturally talented, and it's a shame that they weren't able to make more money for the amount of effort they put in and punishment they took during their careers.
8. James Toney vs. Vassily Jirov: There are tons of Toney fights I could've put here, such as his knockouts of Nunn, Barkely, Evander Holyfield, and Prince Charles Williams, but this one was my favorite since it solidified James' greatness and capped off his comeback. Jirov was a beast who pressured fighters and threw non stop punches from the inside, while James is the master counterpuncher who loves fighting aggressive fighters who try to knock him out. This fight didn't disappoint with Jirov applying constant pressure and punches and James laying on the inside and slipping, parrying, catching, and ducking shots while retaliating with pinpoint counters. Best part of the fight is Roach telling Toney to put Jirov on his ass and Toney going out and doing just that. Great fight.
9. Sweet Pea Whitaker vs. Julio Ceasar Chavez: Top two p4p guys fighting for the welterweight championship and supremacy of the sport. I will never forget watching Pea walk out to the ring and seeing the joy/glee and confidence in his face and knowing he was going to dominate. Pea did just that, putting on the best pure boxing masterpiece I've ever seen, especially considering he was fighting the p4p #1, 84-0 monster in Chavez. It falls to 9 on my list since the judges got it wrong and called it a draw, and the due to the fact that it was more one sided than the others on my list.
10. Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns: Does it get any better than this? Top two guys in their prime fighting each other. Tommy was undefeated and looked unstoppable at 147, Ray had one defeat to ATG Duran, and had avenged that loss in spectacular fashion in the rematch. The fight itself was full of suspense and drama, with both men exchanging leads and styles throughout the fight (boxer, puncher, counter puncher...etc.), and Ray coming back from behind and with a horribly swollen eye to stop Tommy in the 14th round.
Honorable Mentions: Oscar vs. Vargas, Floyd vs. Corralles, Floyd vs. Hatton, Evander vs. Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer, Pac vs. JMM (all of them), Roy vs. Tarver 1, MAB vs Morales (the other two), and Izzy vs. Raph Marquez (1/3), Moorer vs. Cooper, and Benn vs. Eubank (both).
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Originally Posted by TitoFan
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