Ring Magazine Fight of the Year : The 1970's

1970 - CARLOS MONZON W KO12 NINO BENVENUTI I :

1971 - JOE FRAZIER W 15 MUHAMMAD ALI I :

1972 - BOB FOSTER W KO14 CHRIS FINNEGAN :

1973 - GEORGE FOREMAN W KO2 JOE FRAZIER I :

1974 - MUHAMMAD ALI W KO8 GEORGE FOREMAN :

1975 - MUHAMMAD ALI W TKO14 JOE FRAZIER III :

1976 - GEORGE FOREMAN W KO5 RON LYLE :

1977 - JIMMY YOUNG W 12 GEORGE FOREMAN :

1978 - LEON SPINKS W 15 MUHAMMAD ALI I :

1979 - DANNY LOPEZ W KO15 MIKE AYALA :

Union Cane wrote:
I'm presuming it was a shock anyway, as I wasn't born at the time...

rowley wrote:Cheers union, remember some time ago we discussed what was the fight of the year in the year you were born, mine is Foreman vs Frazier, have always considered it an odd pick because it ain't exactly close or competitive.

rowley wrote:Cheers union, remember some time ago we discussed what was the fight of the year in the year you were born, mine is Foreman vs Frazier, have always considered it an odd pick because it ain't exactly close or competitive.

In 1972, still undefeated, and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier[10] and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.

The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout in one of boxing's biggest upsets. In HBO Boxing's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell became one of the most memorable in all of sports: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.

rowley wrote:You've got a bad one as well Cpt, another more for the shock factor than any great quality in the fight me thinks, one guy who can no longer fight against one who never could, hardly my definition of a classic