You guys are all forgetting your boxing history and just concentrating on the modern era ... when boxing is a minority sport.

For me, there can only be one fight ...... the Jeffries v Johnson heavyweight title fight in Reno on Independence Day 1910.

James J. Jeffries was a gigantic 6'3" and 230 pounds. He was a great athlete who could run the 100m in just over ten seconds despite his size and won the title and defended it some 7 times. He was the first heavywight champion to actually retire undefeated (only Rocky Marciano has done this since) and was celebrated and feted as the greatest fighter who had ever lived and a prime specimen of the white race (those were the times in the USA, I'm afraid)

Johnson came along after he had retired and won the title against the much smaller Tommy Burns. The whole of white America hated Johnson, mainly because he was black but also because of his arrogance and habit of mocking his opponents in the ring.

Public pressure grew and grew for Jeffries to come out of retirement to teach the uppity Johnson a lesson and "restore the title to the white race" (Jack London). IN fairness, Jeffries answered the challenge more out of a sense of duty rather than any real wish to fight again.

In the fight, Jack Johnson mercilessly pounded Jeffries and kept up a running commentary of taunts to him and to his corner. It was a one-sided massacre and Jeffries was humiliated.

After the fight, race riots, lynchings and violence erupted across the US .... the social order had changed somehow after this fight when black people (quietly) rejoiced at the fact that 'they' had won something in equal competition with a white man, the world had its first universally recognised black world heavyweight champion, the first fighter who was not tied to a manager or promoter, Johnson began his march to all-time greatness while Jeffries legend was forever tarnished by this one loss that occurred after his prime had been and gone. He retired again, a broken man. Johnson was a prototype oif a modern boxer in style, size and technique .. and he forever altered the sweet science of boxing.

I cannot think of a single other boxing match where more was won and lost by the protagonists, that received more public interest, where more social impact occurred, or indeed of more historical significance.

(honourable mention to Louis/Schmeling II, but I would argue that was of greater POLITICAL import, but much less of everything else I mentioned above)