A number of the all-time nice boxers met when one was on the prime of their recreation, and the opposite was on the decline.
One good instance was when former world heavyweight champion Joe ‘The Brown Bomber’ Louis, 66-2 with 52 stoppages, fought unbeaten Rocky Marciano, 37-0 with 32 stoppages, in October 1951 at Madison Sq. Backyard.
After seven rounds, Marciano was forward by scores of 4-2, 5-2, and 4-3. Louis was knocked down twice within the eighth spherical. Marciano dropped Louis for an 8-count with a left hook for the primary one. The second knockdown was from a flurry of punches sending Louis by way of the ropes, forcing referee Ruby Goldstein to name a halt with no depend. It’s been mentioned Marciano cried later as a consequence of beating his hero.
One other was when former heavyweight champion Muhammad ‘The Biggest’ Ali, 56-3, was stopped for the one time in his profession by WBC champion Larry ‘The Easton Murderer’ Holmes, 35-0, in October 1980 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, after ten rounds.
Holmes was forward 100-90 twice and 100-89. Holmes was delivering physique pictures, trying towards referee Richard Steele to name a halt. Ali’s nook stopped it on the finish of the spherical. It was in January of 1988 at Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey’s Conference Corridor.
When former champion Holmes, 48-2, fought ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, 32-0, after shedding a pair of selections to Michael Spinks, the second was disputed.
Muhammad Ali and on line casino proprietor Donald J. Trump sat at ringside subsequent to 1 one other. When Ali was launched, he merely tapped Holmes’s gloves. He then went over to Tyson and whispered one thing in his ears. “Beat the hell out of him?” Nobody is aware of however the two of them.
After three rounds, Tyson was forward 30-27 and 29-28 twice. It was stopped at 2:55 of the fourth spherical after Tyson scored a pair of knockdowns. Holmes’ toes had been up within the air after the second, and he landed on his again when referee Joe Cortez waved it off. Holmes tried saying he caught his arm on the ropes making an attempt to throw a punch when he was knocked down. He gave Tyson no credit score for the mismatch.
On this author’s opinion, the 2 best pound-for-pound boxers met in August 1943 at New York’s Madison Sq. Backyard, with contender ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson, 44-1, #145, and former 3-division world champion Henry ‘Murder Hank’ Armstrong, 132-17-8, #140, with Robinson profitable the choice.
Armstrong misplaced his welterweight title in October 1940. Robinson gained the title in December 1946, when he was 73-1-1, defeating champion Tommy Bell, 39-10-3, by scores of 8-6 and 10-5 twice at Madison Sq. Backyard.
‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard and Thomas ‘Hit Man’ Hearns met twice. The primary one was Ring Journal’s Struggle of the Yr in September 1981 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Leonard was behind after 13 rounds by scores of 122-124, 122-125, and 121 125, needing a stoppage, which he did at 1:45 within the 14th spherical. Within the rematch in June of 1989, every obtained a vote and a draw, ending it in a draw on the identical venue. Leonard was down twice.
