What’s the Greatest Win in Boxing History?

[Master]

Great boxing knowledge The Six Four.

The greatest win in English boxing history is not Turpin beating Sugar Ray Robinson but Lloyd Honeyghan destroying the undefeated undisputed welterweight champion Don Curry in the USA. The Cobra was considered the best p4p fighter at the time and huge favourite. The Ragamuffin Man was unknown and had some big wins including ripping the European title away in Italy against Gianfranco Rosi. Honeyghan was a beast that night.

[Primo Carnera]

Great boxing knowledge The Six Four.

The greatest win in English boxing history is not Turpin beating Sugar Ray Robinson but Lloyd Honeyghan destroying the undefeated undisputed welterweight champion Don Curry in the USA. The Cobra was considered the best p4p fighter at the time and huge favourite. The Ragamuffin Man was unknown and had some big wins including ripping the European title away in Italy against Gianfranco Rosi. Honeyghan was a beast that night.

I was literally just about to throw Honeyghan v Curry into the mix . Curry was also p4p #1 at the time and very slick. Honeyghan showed he had immense talent but clearly not professional enough to be an ATG.

[The Six Four]

Master & Primo Carnera, Honeyghan’s win over Curry may have been the bigger upset (debatable), but Turpin’s victory over Robinson stands as the greater win for me. Robinson was a global icon, riding an 89-fight unbeaten streak (55 KOs) with a record of 129-1-2-1 (84 KOs). Many consider him the greatest fighter of all time.

[Master]

Master & Primo Carnera, Honeyghan’s win over Curry may have been the bigger upset (debatable), but Turpin’s victory over Robinson stands as the greater win for me. Robinson was a global icon, riding an 89-fight unbeaten streak (55 KOs) with a record of 129-1-2-1 (84 KOs). Many consider him the greatest fighter of all time.

Agreed Sugar Ray Robinson is considered the greatest p4p boxer of all time but as you said he was on a tour of Europe and that was very tiring for him. He avenged that loss in dramatic fashion which shows that he may not have lost if it was not for the travel.

It is a great win for Turpin, no doubt about that.

[Primo Carnera]

Master & Primo Carnera, Honeyghan’s win over Curry may have been the bigger upset (debatable), but Turpin’s victory over Robinson stands as the greater win for me. Robinson was a global icon, riding an 89-fight unbeaten streak (55 KOs) with a record of 129-1-2-1 (84 KOs). Many consider him the greatest fighter of all time.

I wouldn’t argue with that , although I wasn’t around at the time . But it all depends how you define “greatest win”?
Greatest win and biggest upset don’t necessarily equate to the same thing.
For example you could say something like Ali v Foreman was the greatest win because many people just couldn’t see how he could beat Foreman after what Foreman had done to Frazier and Norton, who had both beaten Ali.
Other examples are Benn v McLennan and Calzaghe v Lacy.
They weren’t the biggest upsets odds wise because they were World class fighters, but they had to do something very special to win.

[The Six Four]

Exactly, Primo Carnera—that’s why I made the distinction between an upset and a greater win. Reports had Robinson as a 4-1 favorite against Turpin, while Honeyghan was listed as a 6-1 underdog against Curry. But betting odds don’t always reflect where the fighters actually stand going into a fight.

Robinson’s bout with Turpin was the last of his European tour, and it’s said he barely trained. He even admitted, “I left my legs in Paris,” referencing his partying. As for Curry, some believe he struggled with weight and overlooked Honeyghan.

For me, Ali over Foreman remains the greatest win due to how feared George was at the time and how close he was to his prime. Duran over Leonard is a close second—Leonard was about as perfectly rounded a fighter as you could get and already a superstar. Leonard over Hearns and Frazier over Ali follow closely, with Duran over Barkley also deserving mention.

I also think Usyk’s win over Fury has already been written into boxing history. There are so many legendary victories, and it’s always fun to look back and compare them. Benn over McClellan was a brutally magnificent fight with tragic consequences, though I suspect Benn was juiced. As for Lacy, I never bought into the hype, and I still don’t understand how so many pundits had him as the favorite. After two rounds, it was clear he wasn’t on the same level.

Great suggestions—this discussion could go on forever!

[TitoFan]

What makes a great win (IMO) is a combination of factors. Obviously, upsets are in as of themselves great wins by definition.

But for me, it involves things like the skill level of both involved. Clashes between undefeated fighters are special, because one of them is going to suffer his first defeat. Along with the record itself, resumes have to be taken into consideration. It's not the same thing to have a 40-0 record fattened by taxi cab drivers, than a 20-0 record against increasingly tough opposition. Also I like all things to be equal. No weight draining... no (or few) special concessions to either fighter... and basically fighters at their peak.

I love fights with ebb and flow. That's why to me Leonard-Hearns I and Ali-Frazier III are in a category of their own. Back and forth and back and forth. With each fighter taking turns dominating the fight. Fighters changing strategy or game plan mid-fight in order to adjust.

Rivalry fights are special to me. Close to home, the PR-Mexico rivalry (in my obviously biased opinion ) is one of the best. But there's others as well.

I guess I would add historical significance, as it is a factor that cannot be overlooked. Some have already been mentioned. Along that vein, I would add those fights where records (meaningful ones) are set.

Finally... I just like fights where pride is at stake. Whether it's a rivalry, a personal thing... or whatever. I abhor fights that only represent efforts to achieve meaningless or stained trinkets.

[ykdadamaja]

When Arturo Gatti beat Micky Ward in their second fight. It was nothing short of heroic.