Who's Number 1: "Greatest Fights"

[Kball15]

ali-frazier 3 was waaaaaaaay better then 1

[The Raging Bull]

ali-frazier 3 was waaaaaaaay better then 1

I agree with you. I prefer 3 over 1 but people say 1 had more significance than 1, which I agree with. That is why it is viewed as the better fight.

[butterfly1964]

Who's Number 1?: "Greatest Fights"

Hello, butterfly1964 here and welcome again to the inaugural edition of BoxingScene's very own "Who's Number 1?". In this edition we are counting down the twenty greatest fights of all time. Before we get to number 1, here's a review.

20





Johnson-Willard (1915)





19





LaMotta-Robinson VI (1951)





18





Saddler-Pep II (1949)





17





Hearns-Leonard I (1981)





16





Foreman-Ali (1974)





15





Holyfield-Bowe I (1992)





14





Patterson-Johannson III (1961)





13





Louis-Walcott II (1948)





12





Norton-Holmes (1978)





11





Walcott-Marciano I (1952)





10





Louis-Conn I (1941)





9





Zale-Graziano I (1946)





8





DeMarco-Basilio I (1955)





7





Zale-Graziano II (1947)





6





Hearns-Hagler (1985)





5





Foreman-Lyle (1976)





4





Moore-Durelle I (1958)





3





Dempsey-Firpo (1923)





2





Ali-Frazier III (1975)

Here it is, the grandaddy of them all, the creme de la cream, the be all end all, the... well ok, here it is.









1

1

1................................................. ....

1. Frazier-Ali I: If you want a great fight, what do you start with? How about a fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World? Ok, then after? How about both men being undefeated? Got that, now how about both men being Undefeated Heavyweight Champions of the World? Huh?

Well, that happened on March 8, 1971 in the Mecca of Boxing itself, Madison Square Garden, when Undefeated Heavyweight Champampion Joe Frazier (26-0-0 23ko), took on Undefeated Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali (31-0-0 25ko). Ali came back after a three and a half year exile and after two tune-up fights took on the man called, Smokin' Joe.

What makes this fight so special unlike other fights is that not only was the actual event was great, the fight itself was great. In other words, unlike the Tyson-Spinks debacle, this fight lived up to the hype.

This was like Jesus coming back to earth or something. Muhammad Ali comes out of nowhere right back to the forefront of Boxing and we all loved it.

The first Ali-Frazier fight was better than the third not only because of the actual spectacle. Both men were younger, faster, sharper, they fought at a faster pace. It was great, every minute of it.

In the first rounds, Ali let the gloves bounce off Frazier's head continuously and Frazier looked like a beaten fighter. But Frazier kept coming at him throwing that left hook bomb. Frazier came on in the sixth round and then sustained a steady attack in rounds seven and eight and now this was a fight! Ali was getting nailed as was against the ropes, where Frazier did his best work. Then Ali made his "last stand" and rocked Frazier in the ninth round, his biggest round of the fight. Ali got more confident, but in the eleventh round, Frazier's biggest round, Joe would turn it around. He rocked Ali against the ropes so hard that Ali's knees almost hit the canvas, but he managed to straighten up. Ali staggered for most of the round from Frazier's blistering shots. However Ali recovered somewhat and landed some good shots in the fourteenth that put himself back in the fight, and then came the fifteenth round. Ali trying to knock Frazier out gets nailed himself with a left hook that spun his eyes like the way film in a slot machine does. Ali, suprisingly was up at the count of four, but by the end of the fight, it was Frazier who had emrged victorious, winning a unanimouis decision and handing Ali his first loss in his professional career. This proved Frazier's greatness and was his finest hour in a night that was one for the ages.










I thought my list was pretty good, but one man might say otherwise, the resident second guesser Kid Achilles. He might have a different opinion. The ball is in your court Kid.

A pretty damn good list Butterfly. I would not rank the Thrilla in Manilla so highly though. To me that fight, while a great display of determination from both men, featured two formerly great champions who were past their primes and it really showed IMO. Both guys were not as sharp as they were during the FOTC and it shows. I'll watch their first fight any day of the week, but the third? I'll pass on that. I've seen enough of the almost completely shot Frazier taking a beating and being forced to retire in his corner in a humiliating fashion for now. That's one fight I don't really like to watch. I'd put it no higher than fifteen honestly. There are much better fights on your list that should be rated higher.

Really my only other beef with your list is including Johnson-Willard at the end. I just can't see that fight belonging on anyone's top twenty list, whether for excitement or historical reasons.

It's tough to rank fights considering all the weight divisions (and you've left out a lot of the little guys) but you've done a pretty impressive job. Then again, I was just expecting an "Ali's Greatest Hits" type list ; )

That will do it for this edition of "Who's Number 1". I'll return next week to countdown times, events and athletes that have shaped our world of boxing. Until then, I'm butterfly1964, let the debating begin!





























Special thanks to Kid Achilles.

Butterfly Productions Inc.
© 2006

[Kball15]

gatti ward 1 was better then ali-frazier one. i wonder why they put it in the top 10 at all? it definetly deserves top 20, but 10 IMO

[Toddy]

gatti ward 1 was better then ali-frazier one. i wonder why they put it in the top 10 at all? it definetly deserves top 20, but 10 IMO

agreed on that myself but still pretty good thread butterfly mate

[butterfly1964]

C'mon people, rate me.

[Yogi]

Apparently most of the greatest fights in history have happened out of the heavyweight division...Who'd have thunk?

[-Antonio-]

Real good post. Mad props man...

[burglar]

C'mon people, rate me.

KEPt GLUED to my monitor till the end..kinda exciting in a way..GREAT THREAD....keep them coming BRO....

[butterfly1964]

Apparently most of the greatest fights in history have happened out of the heavyweight division...Who'd have thunk?

Good to see you back yogi.