7 of the Greatest Moments in Boxing History
Looking for the biggest events in boxing? Check our list of the seven most famous examples of fighting with fisticuffs.
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Boxing can be brutal at times, but also produce the historic sporting moments in history. Two men pitted against each other… it’s an age-old recipe that has led to some truly memorable moments. Some of these moments can go by in the blink of an eye, such as Ali's 'Phantom Punch' that floored Liston, which is why we’re here to ensure that you keep up to date with all the biggest moments in boxing.
The moments featured below are each monumental in their own way, so we’ve decided to list them chronologically. Not everyone shares the same lists or ideas, so for variations in opinions and bets visit Free Bets.
Without further ado, here are seven some of the greatest moments in the history of boxing:
1. Andy Bowen vs Jack Burke (1893)
Back in the 1800s, boxing was a lot more dangerous than nowadays. Not too long after fist fighting was outlawed in professional boxing, the Olympic Club in New Orleans, Louisiana, hosted the world’s longest boxing match.
The match between Andy Bowen and Jack Burke, for the lightweight title of the South, led to an astonishing bout that lasted seven hours. The two fighters kept at it for 110 rounds. By the end, both fighters became delirious, lost a shocking amount of weight, and sustained numerous grievous injuries.
2. Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman (1974)
Does Rumble in the Jungle sound familiar? It should, seeing as it's one of boxing’s most famous phrases. The saying owes its existence to one match in particular – the October 30th, 1974 bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
The fight was a massive upset, owing to the fact that Ali was the major underdog heading into the fight. Thanks to his now iconic rope-a-dope tactic, Ali beat the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion, George Foreman, by knockout in the eighth round.
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3. Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas (1990)
Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas is widely regarded as the biggest upset in boxing history. The fight was heavily marketed as a comeback for Tyson, but the actual fight was an entirely different story; Tyson lost by knockout in the tenth round.
The fight’s outcome caused major controversy. Douglas was a 42-1 underdog and, thanks to protests from Tyson’s camp, two out of three regulatory bodies withheld confirmation of his victory. The public backlash was monumental, but it still took four days for officials to recognise Douglas’ victory.
4. Roy Jones Jr. Wins Heavyweight Title (2003)
Roy Levesta Jones Jr. is the only boxer in history to begin his career as a light middleweight and then go on to win a heavyweight title. He held several world championship titles in four weight classes; middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.
In 2003, with the odds stacked against him, Jones went up against John Ruiz, the heavyweight champion at the time. Despite being outclassed in height and weight, Jones dominated the fight and won the bout by unanimous decision.
5. Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao (2015)
Billed as the “Fight of the Century”, the May 2nd, 2015 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has gone down in history as one of the most hyped-up yet biggest letdowns in boxing history.
The fight was announced as far back as 2009 but, thanks to a number of negotiation failures, an agreement was only reached at the start of 2015. This back-and-forth negotiation led to a large media following, building the fight up, only for critics and audiences to eventually witness a fight that many felt was nothing short of mediocre.
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6. Zolani Tete vs Siboniso Gonya (2017)
WBO bantamweight Zolani Tete holds the world record for the quickest knockout in professional boxing. In 2017, Tete went up against Siboniso Gonya at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Thanks to a brutal right hook six seconds into the bout, Tete needed a mere 11 seconds to win the match.
It took the referee five seconds to declare that the match was over, accounting for the remainder of the 11-second record. The previous record, held by WBO super-bantamweight Daniel Jimenez, was 17 seconds.
7. Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder (2021)
Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder was a trilogy fight that caused one of the biggest rivalries in boxing. The first fight between the two heavyweights led to a draw. Fury won the second fight; the third would end up being delayed for more than a year. The final fight eventually took place in Paradise, Nevada, at the T-Mobile Arena on October 9th, 2021.
The final fight itself is what made this bout so memorable for boxing fans. Prior to the match-up, Wilder accused Fury of cheating in their previous fights. Once the fight began, Wilder’s aggression matched his tenacity out of the ring. That wouldn’t matter at the end of the day, as Fury went on to win via knockout in the first minute of the 11th round.