The 10 Best Heavyweight Title Fights of recent years:

[THE PHILOSOPHER]

5. Oleg Maskaev TKO12 Hasim Rahman

RECAP: Rahman was attempting to defend his WBC title for the second time. These two had already met almost seven years earlier when Maskaev scored a dramatic eighth round knockout which literally sent Rahman out of the ring. Despite the result of their first encounter, Maskaev was an underdog going into this one. Experts viewed him as slower and more battle-worn, and few were expecting Maskaev to be competitive let alone win. As the old saying goes, styles make fights. For whatever reason, Maskaev just matched up well with Rahman. The fight was competitive through the midway point and Maskaev began taking control in the later parts of the fight, culminating in a dramatic twelfth round stoppage that was eerily reminiscent of their first fight. Following the widespread popularity of the 2005 motion picture Cinderella Man, inevitable comparisons between Maskaev and James Braddock ensued.

4. Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis

RECAP: Lewis was looking to defend his WBC/IBF titles for the fourth time since beating Evander Holyfield in their November 1999 rematch. Rahman was expected to be nothing more than another Lewis victim in the lead-up to an inevitable mega showdown between Lewis and Tyson. Unfortunately for Lewis, Rahman had other plans in mind. Lewis showed up in South Africa just a few weeks before the fight. He had been on the film set for the movie Ocean Eleven while training for this fight, and according to rumors, Lewis was overconfident and taking Rahman lightly. The fight was competitive, although both fighters appeared tired as early as the third round. In round five, Lewis appeared to be gaining momentum when he was suddenly backed across the ring by a series of Rahman jabs. Lewis seemed amused by Rahman’s attack, and he smiled. An instant later, he was on the canvas being counted out compliments of a Rahman right hand. Rahman’s upset victory naturally brought back memories of Buster Douglas.

3. Chris Byrd D Andrew Golota

RECAP: This was Byrd’s second defense of his IBF title and it was a fight that came up unexpectedly. Byrd was originally slated to defend his title against DaVarryl Williamson, but an injury forced him to pull out. When Andrew Golota (who had recently just signed with Don King) got the call as a late replacement, uproar ensued throughout the boxing community. Golota only had two fights since his meltdown against Mike Tyson nearly four years earlier and many viewed him as an undeserving challenger. The fight itself, however, exceeded all expectations. It was a brilliant clash of styles that saw a slick counter puncher and a boxer/puncher engage in a dramatic twelve rounds of action. It was a back and forth encounter where both fighters had their moments and many rounds were extremely difficult to score. In the end, Byrd retained his title with a somewhat controversial draw in a bout some observers felt Golota did just enough to win. Unfortunately they never had a rematch, despite having such an entertaining affair.

2. Lennox Lewis TKO6 Vitali Klitschko

RECAP: Lennox Lewis had waited almost a full year for a Tyson rematch, but “Iron” Mike wanted no part of it. Instead, Lewis was slated to fight Kirk Johnson and Klitschko was supposed to appear on the undercard against Cedric Boswell. When Johnson suffered an injury to his pectoral muscle just over two weeks before the fight, Lewis and Klitschko both admirably agreed to face each other and save the card on short notice. Klitschko surprisingly jumped out to an early lead and appeared to have Lewis hurt in the second. Lewis began found some rhythm in the third and the two were engaged in an exciting scrap with lots of big punches being landed by both fighters. During the third, fourth, and fifth rounds a grotesque cut began growing above Klitschko’s left eye. The cut got progressively worse, and a second cut soon emerged underneath that same eye. At the end of the sixth round, Lewis landed a lethal uppercut, but somehow or another Vitali remained on his feet. Lewis collapsed onto his stool and appeared totally exhausted and Vitali seemed to be slowing down himself. By this time, the cut above Vitali’s eye had gotten so bad that the ring doctor had the fight stopped in between rounds. Unfortunately, a rematch never happened. Fans will always be left to wonder what could have happened had the fight been allowed to continue for just one more round.

1. Sergei Liakhovich UD Lamon Brewster

RECAP: Brewster made three successful defenses of his WBO title before being pitted against Sergei Liekhovich. This was not a fight surrounded with a lot of buzz or huge expectations. As such, this action-packed slugfest exceeded any and all expectations, much to the delight of boxing fans. This crowd-pleasing encounter was a great display of heart and guts from both fighters. Liakhovich demonstrated the superior skills, but what Brewster lacked in skills he made up for through sheer determination. The two warriors bludgeoned each other in a give and take battle. Liakhovich was forced to take a knee in round seven after Brewster unleashed a vicious barrage. Despite being down, Liakhovich battled back and appeared to have better stamina down the stretch. His superior skills and conditioning were enough to win in the eyes of the judges as Liakhovich was awarded a twelve round unanimous decision with the final cards reading 115-113, 115-112, and 117-110.

Have i missed any?