Rivalries We Were Robbed Of!

[porkypara]

After seeing all the Larry Holmes threads and the Aaron Pryor thread, I got to wondering, what rivalries were out there that the boxing fans didn't get to see blossom into their full potential. We got 3 BATTLES between Ali-Frazier and Bowe-Holyfield and those are some of the greatest fights not only because they are action packed but because eras were defined by the winners and losers of those fights.

Here's my list of rivalries we lost out on:

Larry Holmes-George Foreman: Sure George went crazy after his loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 and Holmes was just stepping up to the big time, but I'll be damned if that wouldn't have been a brawl!

George Foreman-Earnie Shavers: Same as above, but it would have been a different fight with 2 guys who could destroy boxers with their punching power.

Aaron Pryor-Ray Leonard/Roberto Duran/Tommy Hearns: Aaron Pryor lost out on the greatest generation of little men for various reasons but it is very interesting to think about.

Salvador Sanchez-Julio Cesar Chavez: I don't know how anyone couldn't think that a fight between these two would have been bad....it would have been like MAB-Morales but better!!!

Riddick Bowe-Lennox Lewis: Sure we know Lewis wrecked Bowe in the amateurs and Bowe was in horrid shape by the time Lennox came back from the McCall loss but as a boxing fan I feel cheated out of not having these guys fight as they were obviously the best of their eras....albeit Bowe had a very short time at the top.

Mike Tyson-Riddick Bowe: From the same neighborhood, totally different styles, attitudes, and careers. I just think as great as the Bowe-Holyfield fights were, Tyson would have made them better in some ways (not in others as I doubt Bowe would have lost to post-prison Tyson but still exciting none the less).

Please feel free to add some that I am sure I missed out on.

Lewis-Bowe is always the first fight I think of when this type of question is asked.
IMO its the worse example of a boxer been scared shittless.

Also dont agree with the Holmes-Foreman,LH would jab him to bits even if big george landed the odd hard punch.

Good topic

[El Kabong]

While I think Bowe was scared of Lewis, I also think Bowe was not right in the head after the fights with Holyfield.


I think if Foreman fought Holmes like he fought Ali the result would have been similar, but had he fought more like he fought vs Moorer he could have worn down Holmes late and maybe catch him with a big bomb, like Snipes, Shavers, or Witherspoon did.

[THE THIRD MAN]

While I think Bowe was scared of Lewis, I also think Bowe was not right in the head after the fights with Holyfield.


I think if Foreman fought Holmes like he fought Ali the result would have been similar, but had he fought more like he fought vs Moorer he could have worn down Holmes late and maybe catch him with a big bomb, like Snipes, Shavers, or Witherspoon did.

I think if Holmes had fought Foreman 3 times in a rivalry from 1979-80 then big George would certainly have won at least once.
It's been a good topic as some fights happened one time only but for whatever reason no rematch occurred, others did not eventuate due to weight class and boxing politics.