Every year hundreds, even thousands of fights take place in the world between novice boxers and famous athletes who have formed their circle of fans and chosen their reputation. Of course, there are names of boxers known to every person on the planet. Just look at boxing legend Mike Tyson and his amazing history. There have been many memorable fights in the history of the sport, the memory of which will live on through the decades.
In this article we will look back at 5 of the highest ranked fights. When selecting, our editors evaluated the significance of the event, its anticipation and discussion among fans and the press. We did not pay much attention to the monetary aspect of the event, because it deserves a separate review.
Jack Johnson vs James J. Jeffries (4 July, 1910, Reno, USA)
The first ever Heavyweight champion in modern boxing history, John Sullivan, lost the title to James Corbett, the latter to Bob Fitzsimmons, and then the James Jeffries era began.
At the same time in the “parallel universe” the title of “coloured” champion was being played out, which went to Jack Johnson. Boxing with a dark-skinned man was beneath Jeffries’ dignity, and he ended his career in 1904.
Johnson was “pickled” for 4 more years, but got the opportunity to fight for the full title – in 1908 he defeated Tommy Burns on points. The dark-skinned champion crushed white challengers, annoying all the bohemians with his ‘golden smile’ and soon forced ‘The Great White Hope’ Jeffries to come back from retirement. That one set out to prove “white man’s superiority over black man”. It was the first “Fight of the Century” in boxing history.
This is not just a ranked fight. Johnson’s brash, self-assured one-wicket victory is the greatest symbol of an era in the struggle of black Americans for equal rights. Especially as the loser himself noted that he “wouldn’t have been able to hit a champion in 1,000 years”.
Larry Holmes vs Gerry Cooney (11 June, 1982, Las Vegas, USA)
A fight that I don’t suppose you’d expect to see on this list. But it makes it clear how many unresolved racial issues remained in the US in the 80s.
Part of American society dreamed so hard about the “New White Hope” in the Heavyweight that they forgot about the boundaries of propriety. Unproven even at the top level, Cooney was flaunting himself instead of the champion on the covers of leading sports newspapers. To make it clear who the show was created for, there was even a direct line phone to the White House in the contender’s dressing room.
Perhaps all this should have made Holmes, the champion, unbalanced, but he decided otherwise, demonstrating the difference in class directly in the ring. What was the challenger to do? That’s right, he hit below the belt. And when things got really bad, his trainer jumped into the ring.
Nevertheless, the hype was promoted to such an extent that the event set a new (at the time) record for admission ticket revenue – the event was attended by almost 30,000 people, raising over USD 6.2 million.
Amusingly, Holmes and Cooney became friends after the fight.
Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson (8 June 2002, Memphis, USA)
The heavyweight legends of British champion Lewis and former division leader Tyson of the United States have become “friends” – Showtime and HBO have agreed to cooperate, realising the huge financial potential of the upcoming fight.
They were not mistaken, setting the pair to a record of almost 123 million USD per PPV at the time.
Alas, the fight itself did not live up to the fans’ expectations. Unsurprisingly, by then there was little left of Tyson. And even the Nevada Athletic Commission refused to issue a licence to once Iron Mike, forcing the organisers to go to Tennessee.
Before hanging up the gloves, the champion will make one more defence – in Los Angeles in exactly one year he will defeat Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko (TKO 6).
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao (2 May 2015, Las Vegas, USA)
And another Fight of the Century. A showdown between two legends. Both had more than once topped the pound, won “fight of the year”, become “fighters of the decade”, and were the highest-paid boxers in the world at the time of the fight.
In part, their confrontation lived up to expectations, but only financially – a record number of broadcasts sold, a record amount for admission tickets, record proceeds from the event.
And the fight itself disappointed the fans, as it turned out to be tactical and cautious with a minimum of aggravation. But what can you do without it in the top rated fights?
Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor (26 August 2017, Las Vegas, USA)
Who would have thought Floyd would do it again? Especially when the only truly worthy antagonist has already been defeated.
But Mayweather turned his eyes to the world’s most popular MMA league, the UFC, or rather its most sought-after, flashy, scandalous, popular and expensive fighter, Irishman McGregor, overtaking boxing in popularity.
The event was close to Mayweather vs Pacquiao in terms of finances and even turned out to be more spectacular – the American made an effort, ignoring surprisingly the traditional protective style of boxing and made the Irishman to get back in the ring.
By the equator, McGregor was tired and soon capitulated.
The American did not stop there, deciding that there was an even easier way to make money – with exhibition fights. In 2021, after his “contract” with fellow youtuber Logan Paul, Mayweather said that it was his last time in the ring. Would you believe it?