Boxing: Top 5 Greatest Boxing Matches of all Times

Boxing is a popular combat sport between two people – who wear protective gears like gloves, face shields, mouth guards, and hand wraps – who throw punches at each other for a fixed amount of time within a boxing ring. Boxing matches can last for a minimum of three rounds and a maximum of twelve rounds, depending on the type of the match and the game's condition. It is a sport overseen by a referee who will be in the ring and also intervene in the fight when needed. Most websites that offer real money online casinos share links to watch boxing matches live.

Boxing is a famous professional sport around the world, and it is done in countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, and Cuba. Just like the way we have professional football players, we also have professional boxers. Good examples are Muhammad Ali, Anthony Joshua, Mike Tyson, Connor McGregor, etc. Boxing has its rules which the contestants and the game officials have to follow strictly. The rules are often modified from time to time. It is also a rich sport because famous fighters earn millions of dollars per fight.

Apart from the money a fighter earns for a game, the winner also makes some extra bucks from special bets placed by them and on them. However, some fights have gone down as the greatest matches in the sport's history in boxing. These matches were fought between two famous fighters, and they gained attraction from several people around the world. Let's look at the top 5 most significant bouts of all time.

Here is the list of them:

• Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier
• Micky Ward vs Arturo Gatti
• Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns
• Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman
• George Foreman vs Ron Lyle

Are you with me? Okay.

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier – March 8, 1971

Muhammad Ali is an American professional boxer, born as Cassius Clay Jr. on January 19, 1942. Many nicknamed him 'The Greatest', and he was regarded as one of the most significant personalities in the 20th century. He fought a total of 61 fights in his career. He won 56 and lost 5 – 37 out of 56 were won by knockouts.

Joe Frazier (Joseph William Frazier) is an American boxer born on January 12, 1944. He is nicknamed 'Smoking Joe' because of his herculean punching power, strength, and resilience. He fought 37 fights in his career and had 32 wins, one draw, and four losses. He won 27 by knockouts. The match between Muhammad and Joe was called “the fight of the century” for some reason. However, it was more than just a championship. The fight lasted for 15 rounds between two legends. They punch each other so hard during these rounds to the extent that spectators thought they were dead after the final bell rang. As opposed to the rumours, each man still lived after the match, but Joe was considered the winner of the fight by some unanimous decision made by the game officials.

Micky Ward vs Arturo Gatti – May 18, 2002

Micky Ward (George Michael Ward Jr.) is an American-Irish boxer born on October 4, 1965. He is often called Micky, and he has won many awards as a professional boxer. During his early years, Michael won his first 14 fights consecutively. His boxing record has 51 fights, 38 wins, and 13 losses, and he won 27 out of 38 by knockouts. Arturo Gatti is a Canadian-Italian professional boxer born on April 15, 197, in Calabria, Italy. He is nicknamed 'Thunder' and 'Blood and Guts Warrior.’ Arturo fought 49 fights, winning 40 and losing 9, although he won 31 by knockouts.

This fight between the two professionals was the first of the most brutal trilogy in boxing history. The brawl was so rough that each fighter was ready to take advantage of the other at any given chance. As a result, the winner was nearly impossible to determine close to the end of the game. The deciding moment came when Michael sent Arturo to the ground with a powerful blow. Arturo managed to fight on after that, but Michael won due to the majority of decisions. The fight became historical because of that incident in the 9th round, not even the outcome.

Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns – April 15, 1985

Marvin Hagler, born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler on May 23, 1954, is an American professional boxer. He competed in boxing for fifteen years, and he was the champion of the middleweight class for seven years straight. He was nicknamed 'Marvelous' and legally included it in his name after some years. He fought 67 fights in his career, and he had 62 wins, two draws, and three losses; he won 52 out of 62 by knockouts.

Thomas Hearns is an American professional boxer born on October 18, 1958. He is nicknamed 'The Hitman,’ 'Motor City Cobra', and some other names. He had a record of 61 wins, one draw, and five losses from a total of 67 fights. He won 48 by knockouts.

Surprisingly, this legendary fight only lasted for three rounds. But it had more actions and drama than almost any other fight in the history of boxing. They traded heavy punches repeatedly, and no man agreed to go down. They got exhausted and struggled for two more rounds before Hagler got the victory by sending Hearns a right hand and two uppercuts.

Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman – October 30, 1974

This legendary fight was between the man nicknamed 'The Greatest' and George Foreman. George Foreman is a former American professional boxer born on January 10, 1949. He was nicknamed 'Big George' throughout his career. He competed from 1969 to 1997, and he was the world heavyweight champion twice. Throughout his active years, he had 76 wins and five losses from 81 fights. He won 68 by knockouts.

During that period, people testified that George was like hell on earth. George beat Ken Norton in just two rounds when his fight with Muhammad was announced. Muhammad was termed the 'underdog' in the match because George was too fierce. During the fight, Muhammad guarded himself and let George throw punches till he was worn out. At around 8, George was exhausted, and Muhammad made use of the opportunity. He knocked George out with a hard right-hand punch, which cemented the claim as 'The Greatest.’

George Foreman vs Ron Lyle – January 24, 1976

Ron was an American boxer born on February 12, 1941, who competed for ten years from 1971 to 1980. The fighter had a record of 43 wins, one draw, and seven losses from a total of 51 fights. He won 31 by knockouts. The fight between these two happened two years after George lost to Muhammad. Both fighters wanted to prove their worth to the world. Foreman wished to gain his respect after the loss, and Ron wanted to cement a spot as one of the top fighters.

These men exchanged shots for five rounds, with each going down for a short time twice. Afterwards, George knocked Ron down the third and final time, putting a full stop to one of the most exciting heavyweight clashes of all time.

Conclusion

There are so many historical bouts in boxing, but these will never be forgotten, even decades later. One thing or the other made them unforgettable, from the ruthless brawls to the long-lasting ties, bloody victories, and moments of action. In subsequent years, we hope to see more fights that top this set as the greatest boxing matches of all time.