The Most Famous Fights in Boxing

Even if you weren't born at the time, you're bound to have heard of these famous fights.

From times when boxing was limited to the radio to the latest high-tech broadcasts in Las Vegas, some of the most famous fights in boxing will never be forgotten. Today, we’ll look at the top five.

The 5 most famous fights in boxing

You don’t have to be a boxing fanatic nor a sports trivia genius. These matches were so famous that you’re bound to know about them:

1. Ali-Foreman

This was the famous Rumble in the Jungle and was one of the most important sporting events in history. It all happened on October 30, 1974, in the city of Kinshasa, Zaire (present-day Congo).

The fighters in the ring that night were none other than heavyweights Muhammad Ali (The Greatest) and George Foreman (Big George).

Ali had a record of 44 victories (31 by KO) and two defeats whilst Foreman had 40 victories (37 by knockout) and was the then holder of the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles.

Ali was known for his technique and speed; Foreman, for his power and strength. The fight was a rope-a-dope until the former named Cassius Clay delivered a knockout in the eighth round with a mighty blow that’s still remembered today.

2. Duran-Sugar Ray: famous fights in boxing

This was undoubtedly another of the most famous fights in boxing history. It took place on June 20, 1980, and was contested by the most outstanding fighters of the time: the Panamanian Roberto “Hands of Stone” Durán and the American, Sugar Ray Leonard.

There was a great rivalry even before the contest and tickets sold like hotcakes. On the day of the fight, Durán taunted his opponent and didn’t want to touch gloves until the bell rang.

Durán won the fight, but Leonard requested a rematch which would take place six months later.  But it never happened! Durán pulled out claiming stomach cramps. However, Sugar Ray finally had the pleasure of defeating his rival in 1989, by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

3. Ali-Frazier

Muhammad Ali on the list once again, simply because the best boxer in history had several memorable fights. This particular one with Joe Frazier happened on March 8, 1971, in the famous Madison Square Garden stadium in New York. Almost 20,000 people went to watch.

Despite the fact that Ali was both faster and heavier than Frazier, Smokin’ Joe won by unanimous decision after 15 rounds, earning him a place in the Boxing Hall of Fame.

4. Chávez-Taylor: famous fights in boxing

At the beginning of the nineties, there were still some truly memorable fights, and this was certainly one of the most famous fights in boxing. This one featured Julio César Chávez and Meldrick Taylor on March 17, 1990, and was called Thunder Meets Lightning.

The Mexican was known for his punching power and the American for his speed. Near the end of the 12th round, an exhausted Chávez was able to land a flurry on his opponent before knocking his opponent straight to the mat to win the fight by Technical Knockout.

5. Dempsey-Firpo

It won’t be long before we’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of this epic fights, one of the best of all time. On September 14, 1924, the American Jack “Kid Blackie” Dempsey and the Argentine Luis Ángel Firpo, the Bull of the Pampas, met in New York.

Dempsey was defending the heavyweight title but was knocked down by a right hook from the Argentine. However, the Dempsey recovered and knocked his opponent to the mat several times in just the first round. But the highlight of the match came when, just at the end of the first round, Firpo landed a right hand on Dempsey’s chin, who fell out of the ring.

In the second round, Kid Blackie took revenge and won the match by knockout. Although some people say that the referee counted too quickly when the Argentine was down (and very slowly when Dempsey fell out of the ring), the truth is that it was an incredible fight.

Obviously, there are some other notable fights that didn’t make this list, such as Tyson-Holyfield and Mayweather Jr.-Pacquiao. But these are certainly our top five. Which of them seems most impressive to you?