From Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 and Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks in 1988 to Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman in 1973 and even Hector Camacho vs. Julio Cesar Chavez in 1992, 411?s Patrick Cassidy breaks down the top 10 big time mismatches in the latest edition of The Ten Count! Check out the full article to see which fights made the list and why!
Last Saturday, we were witness to the shocking destruction of Shane Mosley at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. We weren’t surprised by the outcome but just how one sided the fight managed to become. This is not the first time a major fight had turned into a shocking one-sided affair. The history of Boxing is littered with heavily hyped matchups that turned into one sided affairs.
So in honor of Shane Mosley, we’ve compiled a special 10 count of the biggest big fight mismatches. We’re not just ranking simple mismatches; we’re ranking mismatches from fights that were major events. So sorry, you’re not going to see Kelly Pavik vs. Kelly Lockett. For a fight to be considered it had to be decidedly one-sided and the bout was considered to be relatively close in the lead up to the match. With that said let’s get to the countdown!
10 – Lennox Lewis vs. Michael Grant, 4-29-2000 It was supposed to be the night where the Heavyweight guard was supposed to change. Michael Grant was a celebrated amateur who had the physical look and presence that left many predicting that Grant was going to be the next great American heavyweight. Coming off a come from behind victory against Andrew Golota, he was set to face Lewis at Madison Square Garden in the spring of 2000. The bout was heavily hyped and aired on HBO’s PPV service; however, the fight was probably more fit for Boxing After Dark. Grant appeared to be a deer in the headlights from the opening bell as his shots were sloppy and they were easily countered by Lewis. Lewis slapped him around the ring in the first and finally sent Grant back to the scrap heap in the second round. Michael Grant went from promising prospect to legendary dud in a period of one night.
9 – Hector Camacho vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, 9-12-1992 When Macho Camacho met up with Julio Cesar Chavez it was hyped as a classic bout featuring the best Mexican and Puerto Rican fighters of the generation. National Pride was on the line but like much of Camacho’s career his performance was decidedly underwhelming. Camacho once again seemed to squander his considerable talents as his speed did little to blunt the strength and aggression of Chavez. Chavez managed to walk through Camacho over the course of 12 rounds that saw Chavez utterly dominate Camacho and expose him as nothing more than a good fighter who was supposed to be great.
8 ? Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad, 9-29-2001 It was the showdown of the long running Middleweight King and the best lb for lb fighter in the sport. Felix Trinidad had laid waste to every challenger thrown in his face including the likes of Fernando Vargas, Pernell Whitaker, and Oscar De La Hoya. Trinidad was expected to do the same to Hopkins as he was a 3 ? 1 favorite against Hopkins. The fight took place in Madison Square Garden in the shadow of 9/11 and in front of a rabid sold out crowd; Hopkins shocked everyone by dissecting Trinidad and making himself a star in the process. Few thought Hopkins could win but no one expected him to expose Trinidad in the manner that he did. His technical base and defensive skills were far too much for Trinidad who had never fought such a crafty fighter before, Trinidad needed a stationary target and Hopkins was not about to let Trinidad walk him down. His angles and awkward combinations left Trinidad gasping in disbelief. Hopkins finally ended the beaten and battered Trinidad in the 12th by terrific technical knockout.
7 ? Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, 06-08-2002 It was perhaps the most anticipated Heavyweight bout since Ali-Frazier I, the two biggest fighters of their generation were finally going to face each other after over 10 years of anticipation. The crowd in Memphis was star studded to say the least and it was at the time the highest grossing PPV of its time. However, the anticipation and spectacle of the fight was far greater than the actual fight. Tyson was able to use his aggression to make it competitive for the first round but after Lewis settled down it was clear that his jab was too much for the slower and shorter Tyson. Tyson’s classic angles and head movements were not there and instead Tyson was pummeled by Lewis’s jabs and right hands. Tyson was finally cut down by a classic right hook that left Tyson out on his feet and staring at the ceiling lights.
6 ? Joe Calzaghe vs. Jeff Lacy 03?04?2006 IBF Super Middleweight champion, Jeff Lacy was heralded as the future of the division and a potential superstar. Lacy had used his vicious hooks and power shots to cut down many of his early opponents. Lacy’s ascension to the top of the division was supposed to happen when he finally got longtime kingpin Joe Calzaghe in the ring. Lacy despite his inexperience was a legitimate favorite against Calzaghe in his own backyard. However, once the bell rang, Calzaghe was just too fast for Lacy who couldn’t manage to get his power shots off in the face of a barrage of Calzaghe combinations. Calzaghe punished Lacy over 12 brutal rounds where he managed to bust the young champion’s face into chopped meat. Calzaghe’s performance vaulted him into stardom and Lacy would never be the same.
5 ? Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II, 05-25-1965 The bout marks as one of the most controversial in the history of boxing. Months of legal wrangling had the fight end up in a small auditorium in Lewiston, Maine where there was little regulation to be placed on the bout. The bell sounded and after a little time passed Liston hit the canvas hard and didn’t manage to get up. This also happened to be the occasion where Ali stood over Liston taunting him captured by photographer Neil Leifer and would go on to rank as one of the greatest photos ever taken. There is some questions as to the legitimacy of the knockout as many speculated that Liston had serious gambling debts and bet against himself to pay off past dues. However, whether the “phantom punch” really did land or not, the fight was still a major blowout for a Heavyweight championship bout and established Ali as the legitimate Heavyweight champion and a future great.
4 ? Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya 12-06-2008 The Golden Boy was looking to reaffirm his status as one of boxings best when he stepped into the ring with the much smaller Manny Pacquiao in December of 2008. De La Hoya was a decided favorite based off his superior size which many believed would be too much for the Filipino who started his career at 106 pounds. How wrong we were, from the opening bell it was clear that De La Hoya was flat and drained from trying to make the welterweight limit. Pacquiao landed punches at will on De La Hoya and battered him with both rights and lefts. Every offense that De La Hoya attempted to mount was quickly negated by Pacquiao’s superior speed and lateral movement. Pacquiao even displayed an impressive body attack which only further slowed De La Hoya down to the point that he became nothing but a sitting target. The brutal offense of Pacquiao forced De La Hoya to retire on his stool after the 8th round and the era of Manny Pacquiao commenced with a savage beat down.
3 ?Michael Spinks vs. Mike Tyson 06-27-1988 Mike Tyson had risen like a phoenix to the top of the Heavyweight division collecting two of the major belts along the way. Yet, not every fan was willing to grant him the title of Heavyweight Champion as many still rallied to the fact that the previous champion, Michael Spinks, had yet to be defeated in 31 fights. This logjam at the top forced the Spinks/Tyson bout to be made to decide just who the legitimate champion was. Mike Tyson wasted little time in proving that he was the man to beat in the sport’s richest division. Tyson stalked Spinks from the opening bell and blasted the champion with rights and lefts that did major damage to Spinks. Spinks not willing to get on his bicycle and walk away from the onslaught tried to fight back but Tyson’s left uppercuts and right hooks spelled the demise of Mike Spinks as he was knocked back on his head and was in no shape to continue. The era of Mike Tyson had begun?
2 – Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling 06-28-1938 Joe Louis had previously been thought to be unbeatable until the spry Schmeling managed to tire and outbox Louis before finally finishing the future champion off in the 12th round on a hot summer’s night in 1936. The loss damaged Louis’s reputation and would serve as a catalyst for Louis to work even harder to achieve the dream of becoming Heavyweight champion. Louis would eventually pummel James Braddock for the title but refused to recognize himself as the champion until he defeated Schmeling. Schmeling had become the athletic pride of Nazi Germany and with the specter of WWII looming in the distance it became a priority for the two countries to match their prized Heavyweights against one another. This time Louis would not wait for Schmeling to get into his rhythm. In front of 70,000 people at Yankee Stadium, Louis came out and threw everything he had against Schmeling as he was not interested in the fight lasting longer than three rounds. Louis pummeled Schmeling over the course of three minutes, knocking Schmeling down three times and cracking several of Schmeling’s ribs. Louis was fighting like a man possessed and Schmeling was unable to throw anything at Louis in the face of Louis’s offensive attack. Schmeling’s corner finally saw enough and called a halt to the bout. Joe Louis had avenged his only loss and had become an American hero in the process.
1 – Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman 01-22-1973 Joe Frazier had cemented his place as the world’s best Heavyweight when he vanquished Muhammad Ali in “The Fight of the Century”. Frazier followed that performance up by easily vanquishing two overmatched opponents in quick succession which set up the matchup with Foreman for the Heavyweight title. Foreman had dominated every one of his opponents but they weren’t close to the level that Joe Frazier was on. Frazier began the fight with his normal aggressive style which would prove to be an epic mistake. Foreman blasted him with swinging left and right hooks and his trademark right uppercut. Foreman put Frazier down with a right hook to the shock of the audience and Howard Cosell who uttered the famous “Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier!” Foreman wouldn’t relent as he battered Joe Frazier who appeared to be out on his feet. Foreman would put him down another five times before his corner finally relented and George Foreman was the new Heavyweight champion of the world. The victory was a shock but how it came about was even more shocking. The vanquisher of Muhammad Ali had been utterly destroyed in Kingston, Jamaica.
