Holmes vs Norton: A Fight to Remember

[Panamaniac]

Rivaling Ali/Frazier III, this epic battle turned-out to be one of the most exciting fights in the history of the heavyweight division.

My attempt to post the full fight and/or a link here failed because the software on this forum "detected" three letters (D-I-k) in the youtube code as an expletive. To watch all 15 rounds, go to youtube and enter "Holmes vs Norton full fight" and click on first video by katis999 or click play below for highlights.

[vbtube]boJpRuC2gaY[/vbtube]

[GeneralZod]

i watch this fight when i need to feel manly.

[Panamaniac]

i watch this fight when i need to feel manly.

Hmmm. A rather interesting take on manliness, upon watching the manly art of self defense...

[Southpaw Stinger]

i watch this fight when i need to feel manly.

I do the dishes.... naked!

[K-DOGG]

Easily one of the greatest Heavyweight battles of all time.

On a whim, here are my top ten Heavyweight Championship Fights ever!

1. Frazier vs Ali I....easily the Fight of the Century as two undefeated heavyweights with claims to the crown met in MSG and battled it out for supremacy while the world itself held its breath.

2. Louis vs Schmeling II ....admittedly a blow out; but a rare combination of fistic expectations and political dynamite met in this exclusive America vs **** Germany microcosm as two men squared off mano a mano. This type of atmosphere has never been approached since with the solel exception of my # 1 pick as two battling American social classes and opinions personified two fighters for their causes.

3. Marciano vs Walcott I...for sheer action, brutality, and a come from behind knockout of epic proportions, this fight can't be beat.

4. Holmes vs Norton....The only two reasons I have this fight below the aforementioned is that it went the distance (which could put it above) and the title they fought for wasn't the real one. Styles and hearts make fights and these two legends of the ring put on a classic display of age versus youth, desire vs want-to in the battle of "Who will succeed Ali?"

5. Ali vs Frazier III....for sheer drama, this fight will probably forever go unequaled as two aging rivals bitterly slugged it out for supremacy and pride. There never was going to be a final bell in this one; and both fighters should have retired afterwards. They were never the same.

6. Bowe vs Holyfield I....Some would rank this higher; but because it was only 12 rounds, it'll never be in my top 5. This fight made and unmade Rid**** Bowe the same time it firmly established a heavyweight respect base for Evander. Great war.

7. Holyfield vs Tyson I....a combination of underestimation, love of the underdog, and the emergence of the warrior spirit in a clash of two of the best of their era who were past their best days. This fight ranks this highly due to the unexpected reemergence of Evander Holyfield as a force in the division as he bullied the bully in front of millions of shocked onlookers.

8. Dempsey vs Firpo.....This was a heavyweight Hagler-Hearns before Hagler or Hearns were even a twinkle in their daddies' eyes. Dempsey later said, more or less, that he didn't even remember the first round. Both men went up and down a total of 9 times in two rounds if memory serves me correctly; and Dempsey went through the ropes onto press row in round one. What a battle!

9. Louis vs Conn I ...How could this one not be in the top ten. Light-heavyweight champ (really a super middleweight for this fight) dominates the great Joe Louis for 12 rounds, hurting the Brown Bomber towards the end of the 12th stanza. He came out in the 13th looking for the knockout....he found it; but on the other side of the ten count as the great Joe Louis retained his title.

10. Douglas vs Tyson....Admittedly, it was mostly a one-sided fight and I could have put other gems such as Baer-Carnera, Louis-Walcott II, Jeffries-Sharkey II, Ali-Foreman, Foreman-Moorer, Lewis-Klitshko, or even Holmes-Cooney here; and perhaps I will in the future. But, for now, this slot goes to the fight that Shocked all of Us and Shook up the World as 42-1 underdog, James Buster Douglas, two weeks after his mom died, while the mother of his son was in the hospital, and he himself was getting over the flu did what all of us wished we had the heart to do: Get off the canvas and beat Godzilla in Tokyo. He did; and those of us who saw it will never forget it.

Cheers all.

[Scott9945]

Easily one of the greatest Heavyweight battles of all time.

On a whim, here are my top ten Heavyweight Championship Fights ever!

1. Frazier vs Ali I....easily the Fight of the Century as two undefeated heavyweights with claims to the crown met in MSG and battled it out for supremacy while the world itself held its breath.

2. Louis vs Schmeling II ....admittedly a blow out; but a rare combination of fistic expectations and political dynamite met in this exclusive America vs **** Germany microcosm as two men squared off mano a mano. This type of atmosphere has never been approached since with the solel exception of my # 1 pick as two battling American social classes and opinions personified two fighters for their causes.

3. Marciano vs Walcott I...for sheer action, brutality, and a come from behind knockout of epic proportions, this fight can't be beat.

4. Holmes vs Norton....The only two reasons I have this fight below the aforementioned is that it went the distance (which could put it above) and the title they fought for wasn't the real one. Styles and hearts make fights and these two legends of the ring put on a classic display of age versus youth, desire vs want-to in the battle of "Who will succeed Ali?"

5. Ali vs Frazier III....for sheer drama, this fight will probably forever go unequaled as two aging rivals bitterly slugged it out for supremacy and pride. There never was going to be a final bell in this one; and both fighters should have retired afterwards. They were never the same.

6. Bowe vs Holyfield I....Some would rank this higher; but because it was only 12 rounds, it'll never be in my top 5. This fight made and unmade Rid**** Bowe the same time it firmly established a heavyweight respect base for Evander. Great war.

7. Holyfield vs Tyson I....a combination of underestimation, love of the underdog, and the emergence of the warrior spirit in a clash of two of the best of their era who were past their best days. This fight ranks this highly due to the unexpected reemergence of Evander Holyfield as a force in the division as he bullied the bully in front of millions of shocked onlookers.

8. Dempsey vs Firpo.....This was a heavyweight Hagler-Hearns before Hagler or Hearns were even a twinkle in their daddies' eyes. Dempsey later said, more or less, that he didn't even remember the first round. Both men went up and down a total of 9 times in two rounds if memory serves me correctly; and Dempsey went through the ropes onto press row in round one. What a battle!

9. Louis vs Conn I ...How could this one not be in the top ten. Light-heavyweight champ (really a super middleweight for this fight) dominates the great Joe Louis for 12 rounds, hurting the Brown Bomber towards the end of the 12th stanza. He came out in the 13th looking for the knockout....he found it; but on the other side of the ten count as the great Joe Louis retained his title.

10. Douglas vs Tyson....Admittedly, it was mostly a one-sided fight and I could have put other gems such as Baer-Carnera, Louis-Walcott II, Jeffries-Sharkey II, Ali-Foreman, Foreman-Moorer, Lewis-Klitshko, or even Holmes-Cooney here; and perhaps I will in the future. But, for now, this slot goes to the fight that Shocked all of Us and Shook up the World as 42-1 underdog, James Buster Douglas, two weeks after his mom died, while the mother of his son was in the hospital, and he himself was getting over the flu did what all of us wished we had the heart to do: Get off the canvas and beat Godzilla in Tokyo. He did; and those of us who saw it will never forget it.

Cheers all.

Good stuff here ^^^

[Rossman]

Easily one of the greatest Heavyweight battles of all time.

On a whim, here are my top ten Heavyweight Championship Fights ever!

1. Frazier vs Ali I....easily the Fight of the Century as two undefeated heavyweights with claims to the crown met in MSG and battled it out for supremacy while the world itself held its breath.

2. Louis vs Schmeling II ....admittedly a blow out; but a rare combination of fistic expectations and political dynamite met in this exclusive America vs **** Germany microcosm as two men squared off mano a mano. This type of atmosphere has never been approached since with the solel exception of my # 1 pick as two battling American social classes and opinions personified two fighters for their causes.

3. Marciano vs Walcott I...for sheer action, brutality, and a come from behind knockout of epic proportions, this fight can't be beat.

4. Holmes vs Norton....The only two reasons I have this fight below the aforementioned is that it went the distance (which could put it above) and the title they fought for wasn't the real one. Styles and hearts make fights and these two legends of the ring put on a classic display of age versus youth, desire vs want-to in the battle of "Who will succeed Ali?"

5. Ali vs Frazier III....for sheer drama, this fight will probably forever go unequaled as two aging rivals bitterly slugged it out for supremacy and pride. There never was going to be a final bell in this one; and both fighters should have retired afterwards. They were never the same.

6. Bowe vs Holyfield I....Some would rank this higher; but because it was only 12 rounds, it'll never be in my top 5. This fight made and unmade Rid**** Bowe the same time it firmly established a heavyweight respect base for Evander. Great war.

7. Holyfield vs Tyson I....a combination of underestimation, love of the underdog, and the emergence of the warrior spirit in a clash of two of the best of their era who were past their best days. This fight ranks this highly due to the unexpected reemergence of Evander Holyfield as a force in the division as he bullied the bully in front of millions of shocked onlookers.

8. Dempsey vs Firpo.....This was a heavyweight Hagler-Hearns before Hagler or Hearns were even a twinkle in their daddies' eyes. Dempsey later said, more or less, that he didn't even remember the first round. Both men went up and down a total of 9 times in two rounds if memory serves me correctly; and Dempsey went through the ropes onto press row in round one. What a battle!

9. Louis vs Conn I ...How could this one not be in the top ten. Light-heavyweight champ (really a super middleweight for this fight) dominates the great Joe Louis for 12 rounds, hurting the Brown Bomber towards the end of the 12th stanza. He came out in the 13th looking for the knockout....he found it; but on the other side of the ten count as the great Joe Louis retained his title.

10. Douglas vs Tyson....Admittedly, it was mostly a one-sided fight and I could have put other gems such as Baer-Carnera, Louis-Walcott II, Jeffries-Sharkey II, Ali-Foreman, Foreman-Moorer, Lewis-Klitshko, or even Holmes-Cooney here; and perhaps I will in the future. But, for now, this slot goes to the fight that Shocked all of Us and Shook up the World as 42-1 underdog, James Buster Douglas, two weeks after his mom died, while the mother of his son was in the hospital, and he himself was getting over the flu did what all of us wished we had the heart to do: Get off the canvas and beat Godzilla in Tokyo. He did; and those of us who saw it will never forget it.

Cheers all.

Great list IMO

[Panamaniac]

My top 10 - Favorite (HW) Fights of the Modern Era

1. Ali vs Frazier III
2. Holmes vs Norton
3. Ali vs Frazier I
4. Tyson vs Ruddock II
5. Ali vs Foreman
6. Holmes vs Cooney
7. Foreman vs Lyle
8. Tyson vs Douglas I
9. Ali vs Bonavena
10. Bowe vs Holyfield III

[soul_survivor]

1. Ali vs Frazier III
2. Holmes vs Norton
3. Ali vs Frazier I
4. Tyson vs Ruddock II
5. Ali vs Foreman
6. Holmes vs Cooney
7. Foreman vs Lyle
8. Tyson vs Douglas I
9. Ali vs Bonavena
10. Bowe vs Holyfield III

Oh man, what a great fight and so unappreciated outside of hardcore boxing circles. Since you guys are posting your top 10 HW fights, I'll do the same:

1. Ali v Frazier 1, just more classy than the other twos and loved Frazier finally spanking the monkey on his back (that's not racist, it's just a saying LOL)

2. Marciano v JJ Walcott, Jersey Joe was supposed to lose, he was too old, too slow and Marciano hit too hard, eventually that was the case but not before Jersey Joe taught Marciano a few things about the sweet science.

3. Ali v Frazier 3, sheer brutality, ugly and sad...it's not a fight I particularly like to revisit but it was great, the sheer heart shown by both men was above and beyond the call of duty.

4. Holmes v Norton, violent, fun to watch and a fight that just has you on the edge of your seat. I loved the from opening bell to the last. Both men wanted to be great in the ring that night and they were.

5. Tyson v Douglas, forget the upset, forget the stoppage, this was a great underdog v champion fight. Both men landed and took HUGE and I mean HUGE shots but Douglas would not be denied.

6. Ali v Foreman, this was more than just the rope-a-dope, Ali upset the odds exactly 10 years after Liston, he did so in Africa against possibly the most dangerous heavyweight pre-Tyson and at times, he made it look easy. Ali schooled him in the first round, one of the best opening rounds by Ali ever.

7. Dempsey v Firpo, 11 KDs, Demspey goes down first but then savages Firpo and just when Firpo's about to go WHAM! Dempsey gets punched/pushed out of the ring. Tha twas a big mistake, in what follows, Dempsey almost decapitates the challenger.

8. Holyfield v Bowe, one was the proven "veteran", the other a young, brash, Ali-esque challenger and the two combined to put on a beautiful display. Both men knew how to box but they wanted a fight and it's what we all got.

9. Louis v Conn, Billy Conn was meant to be too small, he shouldn't have done what he did but prior to being stopped he was outboxing the greatest heavyweight on the planet. I twas a sad end to what was turning into a cinderella story...speaking of which

10. Braddock v Baer, this is such a beautiful story. Braddock shouldn't have won but he did. He shouldn't have been good enough but he was. It was unexpected, it was boxing and it's why we all love it.

[Panamaniac]

...1. Ali v Frazier 1, just more classy than the other twos and loved Frazier finally spanking the monkey on his back (that's not racist, it's just a saying LOL)...

It's not racist, but half ***ual. You combined and missused and least one of two sayings: "Spanking the monkey" (male ************) and "Monkey on his back" (burden of doubt).