By Tim Harrison
Boxing has always been among the most famous sports globally, with some super fights amassing over $400 million in ticket sales.
Furthermore, a lot of the highest-paid athletes throughout the world are boxers due to their popularity across the globe. Fans of this sport enjoy nothing more than a historical bout between two accomplished boxers going at it with all the strength they can muster, and these bloody fights shape the most iconic episodes in boxing history.
Besides the general public, many gambling enthusiasts and thrill seekers also love boxing due to its fast-paced nature and unpredictability. Moreover, with the emergence of online gambling sites with flexible payment options allowing you to bet on sports with Litecoin, online sports betting has become very popular.
Boxing is famous because the thrill of watching a knockout is like no other. Although some players have given us highly impressive knockouts, some unforgettable matches exist. We have our resident BetZillion expert, Tim Harrison, with us, who has seen many boxing matches in his time. Let us discuss some of the more meaningful bouts in detail as Tim recalls some of the most memorable matches he has ever witnessed throughout his career.
Memorable Boxing Matches Throughout History
1. “Sugar” Ray Leonard Vs. Thomas Hearns — Sept. 16, 1981,
Let us start this list with a clash between one of the most talented boxers the boxing world has ever known. It was the first clash between these two incredibly polished athletes and was a sight to behold.
Each tried to adapt to their opponent’s fighting style; this welterweight title saw Hearns throwing long jabs, taking advantage of the height difference to keep Leonard at bay. However, it was soon understood that “Sugar Ray” wasn’t such an iconic boxer by fluke. He quickly adapted to this fighting style and changed his pace to be more assertive, aggressively approaching the “Hit Man.”
Although this pressuring style of boxing carried Sugar Ray through till the seventh round, Hearns caught on by then and adapted to this pace, fighting back using technique rather than raw power. The fans were convinced that Hearns had secured the win as he kept bobbing and weaving through Leanard’s attacks and countering with precision. Still, the match took an unprecedented turn when Sugar Ray took a considerable risk and threw the idea of defense out the window.
Coming at him with extreme aggressiveness, Sugar Ray attacked his opponent with such ferocity that he routed the Hitman until he scored a knockdown in the 13th round, completely changing the course of the match and achieving victory.
2. Muhammad Ali Vs. George Foreman — Oct. 30, 1974,
No list of memorable fights can exist without mentioning one of the most iconic boxers in the world of sports, Muhammad Ali. His fight with Foreman is a testament to the sheer speed for which Muhammad Ali is revered in boxing.
During 1974, George Foreman was known to be a living nightmare to go up against. Handling veterans like amateurs and clobbering Joe Frazier to a pulp, George was known for his absolute cannon of an arm which he used to knock boxers out senselessly. After dealing with Frazier and Ken Norton, his next match was with Ali in a bout dubbed the “Rumble in the Jungle.”
George Foreman was such a hulking person that, even though Ali was widely known as the crowd favorite then, he still couldn’t help but feel like an underdog in front of Foreman. However, soon after the match began, Ali quickly demonstrated why he was known as the best in the game. He used a technique called the “Rope-n-dope” and covered himself up, leaning against the rope as he deemed Foreman’s strikes useless as he dodged through every one of them.
Although Foreman had a bigger build, it made no difference because none of his punches was hitting, and eventually, George wore himself in the eighth round. Ali capitalized on this situation and delivered a massive right hook to down the big man in one fell swoop, cementing his name in boxing as the “greatest of all time.”
3. Muhammad Ali Vs. Joe Frazier — Mar. 8, 1971,
Known as the fight of the century, the rivalry between two boxers is the most talked about throughout the history of boxing.
The heavyweight title fight between Frazier and Ali was widely known because of their history together and because it represented something much more when considering this fight on a bigger scale. It was not only a fight between two boxers but was a clash between the counterculture represented by Muhammad Ali and the illogical pro-war establishment which Frazier adopted.
These were two legends in the ring duking it out, and the magnitude of the fight showed as soon as the bell rang. For all 15 rounds, fighters were on the offensive, brawling in the ring in Madison Square Garden. Both icons knew how big this match was and fought with each fiber of their being, to the extent that some rumors of their deaths were released after the fight ended.
The showdown between Ali and Joe Frazier is known to be an absolute marvel. A clash between the best of the best, and even though Frazier stepped out victorious due to a unanimous decision, it was clear that both of them gave their all in this match.
