WBC OPUS Greatest fights
The WBC, in partnership with “OPUS”, The Luxury Book Company, will launch The WBC Greatest fights OPUS book as part of the fight week activities for the highly anticipated Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte Heavyweight championship which will take place at Wembley Stadium on April 23.
The top 12 greatest heavyweight fights were selected by a panel of legendary champions. Jimmy Lennon made the introduction of each of the attending icons which included Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tyson Fury, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Carl Froch, Bernard Hopkins, and Jeff Fenech.
Get ready for the official launching of the greatest book of boxing in history as well as to the great fight which will happen on St. George's Day.
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier I
This was the first of three epic encounters between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
They were both undefeated. Joe was the champion and Ali the champion who'd been stripped of the title, after refusing the draft for military service in Viet Nam due to his religious beliefs.
After a three and a half year enforced ring absence, Ali fought twice prior to this, stopping Jerry Quarry in three and poleaxing Oscar Bonavena in the 15th and final round. However, it wasn't enough to properly prepare for a peak condition 'Smokin' Joe;.
Although he was a different fighter to before, Ali started sharp and fast, but Joe's crunching body shots and left hooks to the head slowed him. Joe caught Ali with a humongous left hook to the jaw in the 11th and Ali wobbled, cunningly playing possum, sagging into the ropes in exaggerated fashion. Joe, who thought Ali was playacting, slowly and purposefully advanced on what's been since called his SLOW MARCH. Joe dropped Ali with a terrific left hook in the 15th, Ali went down hard, but miraculously got back up at a count of four and fought back bravely.
Joe won a unanimous decision. It was a truly great fight for the ages.
Ken Norton vs Larry Holmes
The greatest ever 15th round in WBC heavyweight championship fight history!
Ken Norton was defending the title for the first time and Larry Holmes was the No.1 challenger. Jabbing effectively, Larry won four of the first five rounds. And then… Ken started a monumental charge which won him five of the next six. By the time they reached round 13, both were verging on exhaustion. Larry landed some heavy right hands. But in round 14, Ken staggered Larry twice and landed six punches to head and body in the seconds leading up to the bell. The crowd at Cesar's Palace knew they were witnessing greatness. But the best was yet to come. The fight was balanced on a knife edge.
Whoever won the final round would be the champion. Blood was pouring from Larry's mouth, which had been cut in the eighth, and would need 11 stitches the next day. Ken started strong with hard hooks. Larry was losing the round. But then with super human effort he dug deep and then deeper still. He hit Ken with some hammering straight punches and staggered him. The crowd were on their feet roaring them on. The bell rang and Ken gently patted Larry on the shorts. A split decision which Larry won, and later he jumped into the hotel swimming pool with his WBC Belt on to celebrate.
WBC President Don Jose Sulaiman, who was at ringside, said it was the greatest fight he'd seen in many years. But Don Jose simultaneously realised that 15 rounds was just too much. The championship limit needed to be reduced to 12 rounds, and so it happened. Years later Larry said it was by far the hardest fight of his entire career and paid tribute to his opponent and friend. He said: “Kenny's now gone and how I miss him.”
Joe Frazier vs George Foreman
Dubbed the Sunshine Showdown, the fight in which George Foremen dropped Joe Frazier six times, snatching his title in Kingston Town, Jamaica, was a surprising one-sided drubbing, which lasted less than two tempestuous rounds.
A little shy of two minutes into round one, a massive right uppercut dropped Joe, then another put him on his knees and then a left right combination put him back from whence he came.
Joe, who tried to fight back, was shellshocked. George, who looked enormous compared to Joe, seemed to ignore some decent Joe lefts, in order to inflict his own clobber bombs. The bell came as sweet music to Joe's ears, but it delayed what had now become inevitable. Joe, who'd slumped on to the stool after those three torrid minutes, sprang up and bravely, yet misguidedly, waded straight back into the fray.
George tore into him and Joe was caught on the side of the head trying to escape and subsequently downed. Moments later, a left-right combination felled Joe again. Incredibly, he got up only to be lifted off his feet by a mighty right.
Referee Arthur Mercante waved it off at 1:35 of round two. George's sledgehammer blows had swept Joe aside and away. A high wind in Jamaica.
Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick
Mike Tyson aged just 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion ever in boxing history in 1986. That record still stands 35 years later.
Coming into this WBC championship, 'Iron' Mike was undefeated, having stopped 25 of his 27 opponents. Trevor chose to fight flat footed and toe to toe, which was a disastrous tactical mistake. Thudding punches immediatly connected and towards the end of the round, a four punch combination, sent Trevor reeling back across the ring. He did well to stay up. Just after the bell rang Trevor snarled at Mike who remained chillingly expressionless. Trevor then paid dearly for that bravado. 10 seconds into round two and a massive arching right staggered Trevor and a cascade of follow up punches put him down. He got straight back up, and received an eight standing count from Referee Mills Lane. Trevor tried to tie Mike up in clinches, but he was still being hammered from pillar to post. A shuddering right to the body and a left hook to the head, produced a slightly delayed reaction, ponderlessly dropping Trevor to the canvass. When he tried to get up, his legs simply wouldn't obey him. He pitched back into the ropes. He tried again, and sprawled forward. Trevor got up on his third brave attempt and was saved at 2:35 seconds by Mills who wouldn`t allow any more bombs.
An absolute sensation which rocked the world on its axis. Mike Tyson was a superstar.
Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton I
The first in a trilogy between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton. Ali lost this first one and won the next two, in controversial style. Each encounter was difficult and testing for both men. In this first fight, Ali had difficulty with Ken`s unorthadox style, constant pursuit and strength, reinforced by an awkward cross armed defense. Ken was very busy. He pressed the action throughout, which caught the Judges` attention and he won a split decision. Ali was treated in hospital for a broken jaw. He said it had happened in the second round when he was telling Ken: “I`m the greatest!” Years later Ken was badly injured in a car accident. He awoke in hospital, to find Ali praying at the foot of his bed. One time rivals…forever friends! Boxing…at its absolute finest!
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder III
The trilogy thrillogy between the Gypsy King and the Bronze Bomber was wilder with more fury than their two previous encounters. Knockdowns, get back ups, oodles of raw courage, punctuated by awesome punching power.
In round three, the WBC titleholder Tyson Fury clobbered Deontay Wilder with a clipping right hook on the right temple and then a right uppercut in a sardine-like clinch, and down Deontay went. But Deontay was not done yet! A round later, he landed a huge right to the left side of the Brit's face and… timber! Tyson got up looking ashen and a short right dropped him again. He survived the crisis and then, started to assert himself through ring smarts and ring generalship. Deontay became more and more weary and exhausted, looking dead on his feet. A big right put him down in the 10th. A round later, he was blasted to the canvass. His arm draped over a ring rope as he went down for the last time in this fight. Referee Russell Mora immediatly stopped it, to save Deontay from further punishment.
Tyson Fury's next quest is fighting Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium. Don't blink!
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III
The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and it defined them for eternity.
The temperature, due to the humidity and the television lights, was 120 degrees Fahrenheit! Ali opened up early, wobbling 'Smokin' Joe' several times, but as the fight wore on, Joe landed to Ali's body as well as his crunching left hooks to the head. Ali gasped: “They told me you were finished,” to which Joe snapped: “They lied!”
From the eighth stanza, the nature of the fight changed. Joe, who strangely abandoned his bobbing and weaving style, got hit a lot more. His eyes were swelling and in the 13th, Ali knocked out his mouthguard. After the 14 rounds of beautiful brutality both were exhausted. Joe's Chief Second Eddie Futch stopped the fight, refusing to allow the near-blind Frazier to go out for the final round.
Ali, who described it as the closest he had come to dying, held his weary hands aloft in victory and then briefly fainted, sitting down on the canvass. They'd given their absolute all and created a legacy that night in the capital of the Philippines, but the fighters were never the same again after that.
Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman
The most magical, incredible and dramatic fight, Rumble in the Jungle, saw Muhammad Ali regain the title at 32, by knocking out formidable 25-year-old undefeated demolition machine George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It's estimated one billion people around the world saw this epic encounter. 50-million watched on pay per view close circuit television.
The historic fight which happened on October 30th, 1974, after it had been postponed a month, because George had suffered a cut brow in training, via the accidental elbow of sparring partner Bill McMurray.
In round one, underdog Ali surged forward and hit 'Big' George with a booming straight right to the forehead. But after this, he conserved his energy, covered up and restricted George to fighting at short range, in what's since been dubbed the 'Rope-a-dope' tactic.
Ali caught George time after time with right hand leads to the face and used cat like reflexes to cover up. Yet, George pounded Ali's durable body with fearsome punches. George seemed to dominate round five, but in the last 30 seconds Ali spun off the ropes and landed some powerful jolting rights, which momentarily stunned the champion, who was wilting in the oppressive heat. It was a rehearsal for round eight, when Ali caught George with a fast five punch combination. A left hook set him up and a short right dropped him. George stumbled and Ali followed him all the way down with his right hand cocked, but never hit him again. Referee Zack Clayton counted George out.
Minutes later the heavens opened and the monsoon started. Ali was champion of the world again. He'd accomplished the seemingly impossible by overcoming the formidable Foreman, who had knocked out 37 of his 40 victims up to that point, including Joe Frazier.
Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko
The bloodbath in LA was an epic slugfest between aging WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.
Lennox had taken one year off after knocking out Mike Tyson, and the ring rust had leached deep into his 37-year-old body. He was supposed to fight Kirk Johnson, who pulled out due to a chest injury. So tall Vitali stepped in on short notice and gave Lennox the fight of his life, living up to his nickname of: “Dr Ironfist!”.
With his wide stance, Vitali dominated round one by landing fast combinations. In round two, Vitali landed a power driving right to Lennox's chin, wobbling him badly, and following up with cascade of punches.
The nature of the fight changed in the first few seconds of round three, when Lennox connected with a long left jab and then landed a pinpoint corkscrew right on Vitali's left eye, cutting the eyelid terribly. Vitali fought on as if nothing had happened, but Lennox was now targeting the lacerated eye, which also had a nasty cut underneath it too. In round four, they fell to the canvass together. Lennox looked very tired, but kept landing punches on the blooded eye.
31-year-old Vitali never gave up. But after round six, Ring Doctor Paul Wallace, a renowned plastic surgeon, advised Referee Lou Moret to stop the fight. Dr Wallace said: “Vitali´s upper lid covered his field of vision. If he had to move his head to see me, there was no way he could defend himself against a punch. At the time of the stoppage, Vitali was ahead on all the Judges' scorecards. It required 60 stitches to close that terrible wound! Lennox retired after this fight.
In 2018, the World Boxing Council held its annual Convention in Kiev. Vitali, who was and still is the Mayor, greeted everyone, especially Lennox. Vitali and brother Wladimir are now bravely helping to defend their country. against a Russian invasion.
Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe
An extraordinary all action fight in which Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield lost his undisputed heavyweight title to Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe.
Six feet two and a half inches tall Evander, who weighed ONLY two hundred and five pounds, against six feet five, two hundred and thirty five pounds Riddick, who looked absolutely gigantic in comparison. Both came into this fight undefeated and both showed iron willpower intensity to win it. Evander, who initially threw a lot of right leads, was sharper and quicker, but as early as round three, he was cut above the right eye. The pace was unremitting, unrelenting pressure cooker scalding and blistering, with some tremendous exchanges, which were fiercely thrilling. By round eight, Riddick was also cut above the right eye and both their faces were showing swollen signs of heavy handed warfare. Taciturn Eddie Futch in Riddick`s corner and volatile Lou Duva in Evander´s, directing strategy. The breakthrough came for Riddick in the tenth. He landed a hard right uppercut and then another one of almost TNT proportions, which so very nearly put Evander down.
Riddick poured on the pressure, but Evander using all of his guile, guts and superb conditioning, survived and suddenly started fighting back, with intensity plus tenacity! In the eleventh Riddick landed a massive right and Evander went down hard. Somehow, goodness knows how… Evander got up, fought back and finished the round and then the final stanza of this veritable, voracious ring war, to lose a unanimous decision. After the final bell tolled, Riddick allowed himself the ghost of a weary smile. A give and take boxing marathon. And…an Absolutely fantastic fight.
HÖRFA are proud sponsors of British Boxing News