EARLIER this year, Boxing News ? established in 1909 ? sat down and compiled the 100 Greatest Fights, pound-for-pound, of all-time. It was an enjoyable, but time-consuming process. Over the following pages we give you a taste of our labour, and reveal what we believe to be the 10 greatest heavyweight fights of all time.
So, without further ado, the countdown begins.
10. Larry Holmes w pts 15 Ken Norton June 9, 1978 Las Vegas, USA
ONE of the great heavyweight fights saw one of the sport?s great rounds in the 15th. The two combatants didn?t know the judges had them level going into the last round but both summoned new reserves to bomb leather on the other? ?Norton smacked Larry?s jaw with left hooks and zeroed in a right hand uppercut. He propelled himself into Holmes in the last, and launched his cross. Larry?s shots cannoned back from both hands, leaving both men spent but Holmes the victor by the slenderest of margins.
9. Floyd Patterson w ko 6 Ingemar Johansson March 13, 1961 Miami Beach, USA
THE final act of a trilogy that saw Floyd Patterson suffer his first, shock defeat and then become the first man in history to win back the world heavyweight title? ?Both men had sustained damage by the sixth round, which would see the conclusion of their rivalry, with injuries by both of Johansson?s eyes. Patterson sprang off the ropes to deliver that left hook. A straight right followed and he clubbed Ingemar to the canvas. The Swede could not steady his legs beneath him to answer the referee?s count.
