On Saturday, Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman revive a great New York City boxing tradition, squaring off against one another before a packed house at Yankee Stadium. From the 1930s to late 1950s, these summer stadium fights were nearly as common as playoff baseball, and not just in New York City. Some of boxing?s greatest stadium bouts took place at Chicago Stadium, other venues like The Polo Grounds and on the West Coast, Memorial Stadium hosted pivotal events in boxing history. Aside from soccer, boxing is one of the most internationally accepted sports, reflected in the many major stadium bouts that have taken place overseas. England, France, and Mexico stand out in those instances, and, in Germany, stadium fights are currently on the rise. This is a welcome return of an old boxing custom, which our own Steve Kim reports is being explored by other promoters and venues.
Many will notice, upon closer inspection of my rankings, that I left out some exciting American stadium bouts that regularly appear on lists such as this. For instance, the first Rocky Graziano-Tony Zale fight certainly belongs in any countdown of the ten most exciting fights, but since I included the duo?s second bout, I left out their initial encounter to make room for a different pair to enlarge the scope of this list. I did this mostly to bring in some international flavor, since those fights are often overlooked in more Ameri-centric features. In fact, I could have gone the route of only listing historic New York City stadium fights, since Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds provided dozens of fantastic bouts.
Also left off this list are fights in the early part of the 20th century that were held in stadiums specifically built for boxing, such as The Goldfield Arena, Boyle?s Thirty Acres, Rushcutters Bay Stadium, or in a later era, converted parking lots in Las Vegas. I found that after narrowing the list to ten fights, a difficult task in itself, I could not rank them accurately because each was unique and intriguing in its own way. So rather than rank them, I sorted them chronologically. To show how difficult it was to make the cuts, below are some of the fights I considered (listed prior to the ten greatest), but missed the cut for various reasons.
Joe Louis KO 13 Billy Conn (Polo Grounds, NYC) Joe Louis KO 11 Jersey Joe Walcott. (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Joe Louis KO 1 Max Schmeling (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Joe Louis KO 8 Jim Braddock (Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL) Rocky Marciano KO 13 Jersey Joe Walcott (Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, PA) Rocky Marciano W 15 Ezzard Charles (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Rocky Marciano KO 8 Ezzard Charles (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Muhammad Ali KO 8 George Foreman (20th of May Stadium, Kinshasa, Zaire) Muhammad Ali W 15 Ken Norton (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Max Schmeling KO 12 Joe Louis (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Battling Siki KO 6 Georges Carpentier (V?lodrome Buffalo Stadium, Paris, France) Jose Becerra KO 9 Alphonse Halimi (Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles) Chartchai Chionoi KO 13 Efren Torres (El Toreo Bullring, Mexico City) Carmen Basilio W 15 Sugar Ray Robinson (Yankee Stadium, NYC) Harry Greb W 15 Mickey Walker (Polo Grounds, NYC) Sugar Ray Robinson KO 5 Gene Fullmer (Chicago Stadium, IL) Sugar Ray Robinson KO 3 Rocky Graziano (Chicago Stadium, IL) Jake LaMotta KO 15 Laurent Dauthuille (Olympia Stadium, Detroit) Dick Tiger W 15 Gene Fullmer (Candlestick Park, San Francisco) Rafael Herrera KO 12 Rodolfo Martinez (Plaza Monumental, Monterrey, Mexico) Alexis Arguello KO 13 Alfredo Escalera (Loubriel Stadium, Bayamon, Puerto Rico) Vincent Saldivar W 15 Howard Winston (Ninian Park Stadium, Cardiff, Wales) Rodrigo Valdez KO 7 Bennie Briscoe (Louis II Stadium, Monte Carlo, France) Johnny Famechon W 15 Fighting Harada (Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia) Nino Benvenuti KO 6 Sandro Mazzinghi (San Siro, Milan, Italy) Victor Galindez KO 15 Richie Kates (Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa) Jorge Paez W 15 Calvin Grove (Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico) Jorge Castro KO 9 John David Jackson (Estadio Beisbol, Monterrey, Mexico) Lennox Lewis KO 7 Frank Bruno (Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales) Ricardo Lopez Tech D 8 Rosendo Alvarez (Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, Mexico) Pascual Perez W 15 Yoshio Shirai (Korakuen Baseball Stadium, Tokyo, Japan)
The Polo Grounds, New York City, NY (September 14, 1923) – Jack Dempsey KO 2 Luis Firpo: This was boxing?s second million-dollar gate, and the 82,000 in attendance screamed themselves hoarse in appreciation. The fight was voted the most thrilling sporting event of the first 50 years of the 20th century by The Associated Press in 2000. The Ring magazine founder Nate Fleischer referred to the fight as his ?master thrill.? The New York Times described it as “The shortest and fiercest battle ever fought between heavyweights.” It only lasted three minutes and 57 seconds, but it was the most exciting 237 seconds of all time. Dempsey was told by a former Firpo trainer to get inside of his looping right hand, and bash the giant with short hooks to the head and body. The strategy backfired, with Dempsey forced to take a knee after tasting a reflexive uppercut. Dempsey said of the blow, “I was knocked out by the first punch, and went right on fighting in my sleep.” Dempsey managed to regain momentum and furiously tore into his Argentine foe. Dempsey knocked Firpo down seven times after his initial knockdown. The fans were beside themselves, roaring in approval of the barbarism. It got better. In spots, Dempsey was still forced to back up by the bull-like rushes of Firpo. As Dempsey retreated to the ropes for support, a looping right hand landed squarely on the upper left portion of his head. Dempsey was thunderstruck. The force of the blow propelled Dempsey through ropes, his backside landing on a typewriter. Dempsey got back in the ring (with a friendly push from reporters) and regained his footing at the count of nine, dazed, and obviously on Queer Street, Dempsey held onto Firpo?s torso with all his might. Dempsey survived the round. The champ?s recuperative powers were top-notch, and Dempsey had his faculties back from the opening bell of the second round. Taking full advantage of his second chance, Dempsey showed his class. Firpo, buoyed by his late-round success, came out swinging. This time, Dempsey properly followed the instruction, getting inside of Firpo?s punches and catching the slower man with counter hooks that felled the giant. The New York Times described the carnage, “Firpo, like his dreams, lay in a huge anguished pile on the canvas.?
Polo Grounds, New York City, NY (May 28, 1934) – Barney Ross W 15 Jimmy McLarnin: Two Hall of Fame legends meet for the first time in what would become a closely contested trilogy. This was an era of ethnic rivalries, and Irish-bred McLarnin had a way of besting the Jewish boxers of the time. It was left to Ross to turn the tide, producing the type of result that legends are made of. 60,000 fans, of all religions and ethnic backgrounds, watched as Ross surprised McLarnin by boxing instead of coming forward behind his usual avalanche of punches. McLarnin was the larger man, but could not keep pace with the hand speed of Ross over the first four rounds. As the bout progressed, it evened out, with McLarnin timing and countering his challenger. The highlight of the bout comes in the ninth round, when both boxers tasted the canvas. Stamina, and perhaps McLarnin?s brittle hands, told over the stretch run, as Ross lands the heavier and cleaner blows. It was in the championship rounds where Ross separated himself from McLarnin, sweeping the final three stanzas to win a split decision. The duo split their next two fights, but never reached the heights that this mix of intelligent boxing, swings of momentum, and flashes of fury created.
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL, (July 16, 1947) – Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony Zale: Forget the middleweight title; forget rematches…this is one of the ten most exciting events to ever be staged for the enjoyment of an audience. In today?s world, their initial meeting would have been deemed an instant classic, so the rematch was suitably anticipated. Few thought their second fight could match the intensity of the first, much less exceed it in drama and ferocity. In their first fight, Graziano hammered Zale mercilessly, only to see Zale stage a comeback for the ages and win via sixth round kayo. This time, it was Graziano?s turn to play the role of…well, Rocky. Graziano also overcame one other obstacle which Zale did not have in their first meeting; Graziano could hardly see his opponent through eyes that were merely slits on the verge of swelling shut. In the first round, Graziano was cut over the left eye, and by the start of the third round, his right eye was swollen shut. This after Graziano was nearly halted in the second round. Behind on points and with the possibility of a stoppage looming, Graziano lands a big right hand late in the fifth round, but Zale escapes via the bell. Graziano followed up on his advantage at the beginning of the sixth, and scores the first knockdown of the fight. After Zale stumbles to his feet, Graziano tries to pound Zale through the ropes with a barrage of punches. Referee Johnny Behr wisely stepped in to stop the fight, with Zale glassy-eyed and unable to react to the attack. In his autobiography, Graziano wrote of the second fight, ?This was no boxing match. It was a war, and if there wasn?t a referee, one of the two of us would have wound up dead.”
Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ (September 21, 1948) – Marcel Cerdan KO 11 Tony Zale: Instead of recognizing an amazing effort by both men, many American newspapers lamented the passing of the world middleweight title from American hands to that of the French-Algerian brawler. That is how spoiled for great fights Americans were back in the 1940s and ?50s. The New York Times? headline spoke for the majority. ?The world middleweight championship in boxing, an exclusive American property since Ruby Robert Fitzsimmons gave up the title, went to foreign lands tonight when Marcel Cerdan, doughty French gladiator from Casablanca, knocked out tough and rugged Tony Zale.? Another ran with the headline, ?French boxer subjects rival to ceaseless battering in annexing world crown?. Even though Cerdan was in control, much of the fight, he could not shake the persistent attacks of Zale. The champ drew first blood in the second round, cutting Cerdan on the forehead, but the damage was more superficial than purposeful. From round four on, Cerdan blocked or smothered many of Zale?s attacks, the lower punch output of Zale a sign of his frustration. However, when Zale landed, it put Cerdan out of sync and adrift. In the seventh, Cerdan visibly rocked Zale for the first time with an uppercut, and began physically imposing his will. Zale was floored with a left hook to the jaw at the close of the 11th, and had to be helped back to his corner by his trainer at round?s end. The referee stopped the fight before the 12th, on the advice of Zale?s corner. Cerdan had entered as a 2-1 underdog, and proved he was better than the built-up record he produced in Europe. 19,000 fans attended the fight, which became The Ring magazine?s ?Fight of the Year? for 1948.
Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa (November 3, 1973) – Arnold Taylor KO 14 Romeo Anaya: Many boxing fans will not recognize these names, but anyone who saw the fight will never forget the intense brawl the duo provided. Taylor was a bit chinny and Anaya was a murderous puncher. So, the outcome seems obvious…right? Well, both delivered on their reputations, and so much more. Mexico?s Anaya traveled to South Africa to defend his title against a challenger more known for knocking out managers than opponents. But Taylor also had enough talent to win national titles from bantamweight to lightweight. Neither man could gain an upper hand early, both men standing at center ring bobbing and weaving into one another?s punches. In the fifth, Taylor broke through, knocking Anaya down and pressed his advantage for the next two rounds. In the seventh, Anaya found his second wind, and began to push the smaller Taylor back. A round later, Anaya dropped Taylor hard with a hook, and followed up his advantage battering Taylor to the canvas twice more before the round ended. The tide had changed dramatically, and Anaya began to drive his advantage home. In the tenth, Anaya hurt and dropped Taylor again; the challenger was lucky to survive the round and stumbled back to his corner. Anaya had relaxed and allowed Taylor to survive, but did not let Taylor win any of the next three rounds. In the 14th, Anaya continued to charge forward and press his advantage. Out of nowhere, Taylor loaded up and connected on a perfect left hook. Seconds after the punch impacted, Taylor could be heard yelling, “He?s gone!” The new champ was right, and it sunk into the crowd how Taylor had overcome four knockdowns as Anaya laid unconscious for two minutes. The loss ruined Anaya, and the 27-year-old lost 15 of his last 24 fights, including an eighth-round TKO rematch with Taylor. Sadly, Taylor passed away at only 36 years old. The Ring magazine called the fight, “The most murderous and dramatic fight in South African history.” A statement that holds up to this day.
Louis II Stadium, Monte Carlo (July 30, 1977) – Carlos Monzon W 15 Rodrigo Valdez II: I admit my biases, and have to say Monzon is one of my favorite boxers. Generally, I am a fan of less-gifted boxers like Manuel Medina, Livingstone Bramble, Jorge Paez, Chris Eubank, or Genaro Hernandez. Somehow, Monzon found a soft spot in my hardened heart, excluding the out-of-the-ring debacle his life became after boxing. This one beats out the pair?s first encounter because it featured more changes in momentum, and, in general, saw more punches thrown. The people had not forgotten Valdez? spirited rally against Monzon, their second fight made a year-and-a-month after their initial meeting. Again, the venue was Monte Carlo and interest was high with 50 reporters from Argentina, and 30 from Colombia flying in to cover the fight. This time, Valdez started fast, knocking Monzon down in the second round, becoming only the second man to send the Argentine to the canvas in his 14 year career. Monzon got up instantly, but the referee administered a count of eight. Valdez? pressure tactics seemed to be taking effect on Monzon, and Valdez was able to cut off the ring and avoid the long jab of Monzon. After seven rounds, Valdez was ahead. Monzon did not make a legend of himself by giving in to adversity. The Argentine adjusted and began to rally behind lateral movement and a stiff counter jab, as the middle rounds tolled. The counters of Monzon began to land with searing accuracy. By the tenth round, both of Valdez? eyes were badly swollen, and he was repeatedly caught and rocked with a right hands that traced the path of Monzon?s jab. In the tenth, Valdez was badly cut over his left eye, adding to the Colombian?s troubles. Valdez endured and continued to fire back, even as his punches had lost accuracy and stopping power. The Ring wrote of Valdez? late-round performance, “Any other fighter would have gone down after such a barrage, but not Valdez.” Monzon swept the final two rounds on all the judges? scorecards, ensuring a tight verdict. With little to differentiate the two, the judges split 144-141, 145-143, and 147-144, in favor of Monzon. It was such a closely contested fight, that the The Ring magazine?s writer scored seven of the rounds even.
Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (June 20, 1980) – Roberto Duran UD 15 Sugar Ray Leonard I: Memo to Sugar Ray Leonard?s ego: You don?t fight Duran?s fight, no matter how great you are. This was a case of a master boxer goaded into a brawl by the brashness of his challenger. Over 46,000 fans were on hand in a chilly Montreal stadium to watch a fight which would not only determine the world welterweight champion, but also the mythical pound-for-pound champion. You got an idea Leonard was losing the first half of the fight, since his wife Juanita passed out during the eighth round. Credit has to be given to Leonard for planting his feet and flurrying in the face of Duran?s assaults, but it was obvious to the judges that Duran was landing the heavier blows and forced the momentum, as well as pace of the fight. The fight featured high-class counters and intelligent leads by both parties, which makes the bout a classic for boxing purists as well. Uncharacteristically, Duran decided to coast and give away the last two rounds, making the scoring close at 146-144, 145-144, and 148-147, which makes one assume that Duran was dreaming about the post-fight party in the 14th round. Ray Leonard was already thinking rematch, which ultimately led to a less-than-dedicated Duran?s ?No Mas? in the rematch.
Orange Bowl, Miami, FL (November 12, 1982) – Aaron Pryor TKO 14 Alexis Arguello: It seems fitting that in a decade that boasted lighter weight fighters like Leonard, Duran, Hagler, Hearns, and Benitez stealing the show from the big boys, that even smaller fighters put on the best fight of the decade. Alexis Arguello was moving up to junior lightweight, for an unprecedented fourth world title, and was installed as a 2-1 betting favorite. Unfortunately for Arguello, a motivated legend stood in his way, because this Arguello would have probably beaten any other 140-pounder on this night. In an odd sense, Pryor, the oft-avoided titleholder, wanted what Arguello had: a measure of respect and the status of an all-time great. The bout gave Pryor his wish, but left Arguello frustrated in his attempt to make boxing history. 32,000 fans packed Miami?s Orange Bowl, with a majority chanting and favoring Arguello. Pryor came out early with bad intentions, forcing the pace and brawling with Arguello. In the first round, both men threw over a hundred punches, a feat repeated many more times during the night. Pryor was clearly trying to smother and weaken Arguello with his in-fighting. Arguello was able to establish distance over the middle rounds, and his long punches got extension, while Pryor backed off and reassessed his game plan. It was during this stretch that it became obvious Pryor could absorb the heavy punches of Arguello, soaking up several of the right hands that made the Nicaraguan a living legend. The late rounds were fantastic, with both men landing punches and the rounds becoming increasingly difficult to judge. The fight was decided in the 13th and 14th rounds. In the 13th, Arguello looked to seal the fight, clearly winning the round and hitting Pryor with all he had. However, in the 14th, Pryor came out the recharged aggressor, as Arguello had seemingly punched himself out. A minute was not enough of a rest period, and Pryor trapped Arguello and his tired legs along the ropes. Arguello?s body lay trapped on the ropes, with Pryor pummeling a defenseless and unconscious great, before referee Stanley Christodoulou intervened to stop the classic fight. Any sense of controversy (over a water bottle mixed with a small amount of peppermint schnapps to settle Pryor?s upset stomach during the late rounds) was put to rest when Pryor comprehensively took Arguello apart in their rematch. The fight proves no hint of controversy can overcome the sight, sounds, and emotions of a great fight. The great fight historian Hank Kaplan said of the fight, “It was thrilling in every aspect of boxing.”
The Superdome, New Orleans, LA (December 3, 1982) – Wilfredo Gomez KO 14 Lupe Pintor: Everyone had come to see Thomas Hearns fight Wilfred Benitez, but this pair of junior featherweight bomb-throwers stole the show. It was intense trench warfare from the start, with the third round voted ?Round of the Year? by The Ring, as Gomez enjoyed an early edge over a rival who was moving up in weight. Though physically stronger, it was Gomez who showed the first signs of weakness, with his left eye swelling shut. This was unexpected since Gomez seemed indestructible at the weight, making a record 17th defense of his title and stopping 16 of his previous challengers. But Pintor would not relent and staggered Gomez in the third and, as the rounds wore on, it was Gomez who seemed to tire. A desperate Gomez was deducted a point for low blows, but it was also this body work that was beginning to get to the speedier Pintor. Round 12 was particularly brutal (Pintor was stunned in the first ten seconds, but somehow survived and rallied in the final minute), with both men?s hands low and only used to punch instead block any incoming bombs. If it were a 12-round fight, Pintor would have emerged victorious, but it was at this point when Gomez got a second wind and found his accuracy, as Pintor slowed. In the 14th, Gomez went for the kill, behind on two scorecards, striking with a right hand that put Pintor down. An obviously exhausted Pintor valiantly rose to his feet, but a four-punch combination ended with a left hook coup de grace, which put Pintor down for the count. Perhaps the best fight the junior featherweight division has ever witnessed.
The Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan (February 11, 1990) – Buster Douglas KO 10 Mike Tyson: Many forget that Buster Douglas had to survive a devastating knockdown in the eighth round to defeat a fighter many thought was a living legend, and is still considered the last real heavyweight of mythical proportion. Plus, this is just such a historically significant event for most boxing fans, a real mile marker in pugilism. The most repeated phrase on Earth, February 12th, 1990, was “What! You?re kidding right?” That was the reaction of the entire sports world when James ?Buster? Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson, AKA ?The Baddest Man on the Planet.? It?s the Kennedy assassination of boxing; everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. This was truly the upset of the century, with Douglas ducking between the ropes a 42-1 underdog. I have to go back to that uppercut of Tyson?s in the eighth round as well; it nearly took Douglas? head off. Others might have quit then and there, which Douglas had certainly done in the past, but this time, Douglas was on a mission to win. The death of Douglas? mother only days before the fight gave him a laser focus, and it simply looked like he was in the zone for this fight. It reminded many of a prime Larry Holmes, snapping out a ramrod jab that confused Tyson and threw his timing off. Forget all that was written and said after the fight; it is revisionist history, not based upon nor understanding of Tyson?s prime. Anyone who lived the era understands the aura that surrounded Tyson, and the magnitude of the mental hurdles Douglas overcame to achieve victory. This was a beautiful performance, and Douglas might have beaten any heavyweight in history on this night.
