Rivalries We Were Robbed Of!

[CGM]

Morales-Marquez

reps for the "Hatton out cold" pic in your sig.

Anyways, I see Salvador Sanchez got a few mentions, but none against the guy he really should have and could have fought, which was Eusebio Pedroza, a guy who is up near the top of my list of fighters who don't get their due.

edit: ok the reps will have to wait. Gotta spread it around a bit first. What a dumbass rule that is.

[Dark Lord Al]

Gavin Rees v Aaron Pryor.
Gavin Rees v JC Chavez.
Gavin Rees v Oscar.
Gavin Rees v Roberto Duran.
Gavin Rees v Terry Norris.

Rees is so over looked in threads like this , with Warren behind him , he is just great.

[rjj tszyu]

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.

Great call on Holmes - Foreman. Prime for prime I think Foreman kicks Holmes' ass but as you say at the time Foreman went crazy and that could have created some great fights between these two legends!

[Taeth]

Herol Graham v Nigel Benn
Herol Graham v Chris Eubanks
Herol Graham v Michael Watson
Roy Jones v Darius Michelzski
ODH v Tszyu
Mosley v Tszyu

Roy JOnes would have killed Dariusz, maybe Roy against McClellan or Calzaghe in his/their prime would have become a rivalry, or Roy Jones vs Hopkins the rivalry with 1 fight that happened way too early in their careers.

[RozzySean]

Quartey vs Trinidad

Mccallum vs Hearns, Hagler, Leonard and Duran

Tua vs Tyson

Bowe vs Lewis, Moorer, Tyson and Morrison

Jones vs Calzaghe at 168

Toney vs Hopkins

Vlad vs Lewis

This is a great list.

It's also too bad Jones vs Nunn didn't come off.

Ward vs Oliveira

Mayweather vs Tszyu

Jones vs Toney at LHW

Hagler vs McCallum, maybe even Hagler vs Qawi

[Master]

Gavin Rees v Aaron Pryor.
Gavin Rees v JC Chavez.
Gavin Rees v Oscar.
Gavin Rees v Roberto Duran.
Gavin Rees v Terry Norris.

Rees is so over looked in threads like this , with Warren behind him , he is just great.

You are kidding right. There is no way on earth Terry Norris could compete with Rees.

[CGM]

Gavin Rees v Aaron Pryor.
Gavin Rees v JC Chavez.
Gavin Rees v Oscar.
Gavin Rees v Roberto Duran.
Gavin Rees v Terry Norris.

Rees is so over looked in threads like this , with Warren behind him , he is just great.

You are kidding right. There is no way on earth Terry Norris could compete with Rees.

oooh: double facetiousness.

[jon09]

Quartey vs Trinidad

Mccallum vs Hearns, Hagler, Leonard and Duran

Tua vs Tyson

Bowe vs Lewis, Moorer, Tyson and Morrison

Jones vs Calzaghe at 168

Toney vs Hopkins

Vlad vs Lewis

This is a great list.

It's also too bad Jones vs Nunn didn't come off.

Ward vs Oliveira

Mayweather vs Tszyu

Jones vs Toney at LHW

Hagler vs McCallum, maybe even Hagler vs Qawi

Good list also. But I think Jones vs Toney at Cruiser would have been awesome. After Toneys win against Jirov and Jones win against Ruiz.

G. Johnson vs Calzaghe- I love Johnson and think he deserved his shot.

Winky Wright vs Whitaker

[DAWGSWIN]

Hagler vs Hearns
Hearns vs Duran

[CutMeMick]

Arguello - Serrano
Conteh - Galindez
Sanchez - Pedroza
"Maestrito" Lopez - ODLH
JMM - Naz
Zapata - Gushiken
Tyson - Ibeabuchi
Archie - SRR (just missed being made)
McCallum was assed out of a handful of fights. SRL, Duran...
Tapia - "Too Sharp"

More recent; (Although some might happen thus far we've been robbed)
Joe - BCD
Cotto - Hatton
Cotto - PBF
Pavlik - AA
Montiel - Nonito
Soto Karass - Delvin Rdgz.

[El Kabong]

Hagler vs Hearns
Hearns vs Duran

Did you want rematches or something because those fights/rivalries happened.



Riddick Bowe: Donovan Rudduck, Tommy Morrison, Shannon Briggs, Michael Moorer: I think a Bowe-Briggs fight would have been incredible!!! I also think Rudduck-Bowe fight would have been a WAR! Morrison used to spar with Bowe and has said (although he could have been lying) he whipped Bowe's ass. Michael Moorer vs any of these guys would have been very entertaining as when he had the title he didn't have a glass jaw.

[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.