With Floyd Mayweather Jr. facing Manny Pacquiao this Saturday in what many have dubbed the “Fight of the Century,” Onion Sports looks back at the greatest bouts in boxing history:
Muhammad Ali v. Joe Frazier III: The “Thrilla in Manila” was notable for Ali’s powerful “I Am The Greatest” speech, delivered during the final 45 seconds of the fifth round
Evander Holyfield v. Mike Tyson II: “Iron Mike” was disqualified after notoriously biting off a portion of Holyfield’s ear during a clinch, in what easily ranks as the 82nd or 83rd most deplorable thing Tyson has ever done
Miguel Cotto v. Antonio Margarito: A testy argument over the precise round in which Cotto would go down ultimately marred this otherwise wonderful display of the power and grace of boxing
Sugar Ray Leonard v. Dave Green: The highly anticipated 1980 bout lived up to its billing as “A Pretty Good Fight to Watch”
Woodrow Wilson v. Charles Evans Hughes: In this memorable 1916 fight, Wilson knocked out his challenger in the 15th round and thereby secured a second presidential term
Michael Jordan v. Lennox Lewis: After his brief foray into baseball proved unsuccessful, Jordan made an even more ill-advised attempt to conquer the boxing world, lasting only 28 seconds into the first round of his matchup with WBC champion Lewis
Micky Ward v. Arturo Gatti I: Easily ranks among the top 100 “Fight of the Century” bouts fought in May 2002
Butch Coolidge v. Floyd Wilson: In what was one of the most brutal boxing matches of the last 20 years, Coolidge KO’d Wilson, who eventually died from his injuries after the fight. Following his victory, Coolidge immediately fled the arena and was never seen again.
Muhammad Ali v. Joe Frazier XXXIV: A 64-year-old Frazier knocked out a 66-year-old Ali in the 12th round at a 2008 Goldman Sachs private holiday party
Floyd Mayweather Jr. v. Manny Pacquiao I: Despite receiving little media coverage, the first matchup between the two welterweights in 2005 was a hard-fought affair, which Mayweather won in a split decision
