Greatest fights that never happened

I got into boxing around 07 and I'm really really disappointed Floyd-Manny never happened, anyways I just wanted to know about other potential great fights in history that never happened and why? or maybe even just 2 fighters who you wanted to see go at it (regardless of how huge it would've been for boxing).

Is there any other fight in history that never happened which was close to Floyd-Manny? There was genuine talk of this fight smashing all records.

Lewis/Bowe
Robbo/Burley

Robbo as in Robinson?

Sanchez-Arguello; McCallum-Hearns; Nelson-McGuigan (alright, would have been a little too one-sided to be a great fight, but Jesus, it would have shifted tickets).

Sugar Floyd Louis wrote:Robbo as in Robinson?

Yep.

I would liked to have seen Froch vs Calzaghe. At that stage of their careers, I suspect Joe saw Froch as a high risk low reward fight.

Froch-Calzaghe would've been good.

I think Calzaghe thought of him as no risk no reward fight. Froch is much better now than he was then and I wouldnt give him a 30% chance of beating Joe back then it would have been lacyesque.

Sanchez vs Arguello would be my pick, by Captain beat me to it.

How about Morales vs Hamed around 97/98 time, a huge fight. Also loved the idea of Tyson v Foreman around 90 bombs away !

Cheers Rodders

Lewis - Bowe for me, and Sanchez - Arguello too. SRL - Pryor on the other thread would've been a good fight!

Morales - Marquez? If only because of context.

Yes, Lewis Bowe is a good one. I think Hamed Berrera a year or two earlier than it actually happened would also have been a great fight, one which I think Hamed would have won convincingly.

Don Curry vs Marvin Hagler in the fall 86...........

Hagler found it hard to shift a 154 pounder in Mugabi and I think the Don was a natural 154er................

Curry becomes a legend If this fight happened and there was talk....

Instead he gifted his title away..............

not the greatest, but still a great fight's that didnt happen,

Morales vs nas

Morales vs JMM

Trinidad vs Mosley

Prince Naz vs Barrera 2.
Prince Naz vs Floyd.
Prime RJJ vs any prime UK SM's at the time.
JC vs The Cobra.
Pac vs Mayweather.

The list is potentially endless.

Frazier/Norton.

Foreman vs Holmes

Froch vs JC would have been a total mismatch, around that time carl wouldnt have won a round,

What are the reasons for some of these fights not happening? I know the sport's always been political and promoters protecting fighters etc but I'm surprised there's been quite a lot. Seem's "ducking" is not a 21st century thing or was there some viable reasons? (I'm aware some older fighters would get picked for their army).

Gatti vs Corrales or Freitas would have been spectacular around 2003/2004

De La Hoya vs Winky Wright should have happened

Trinidad vs Mosely

Mayweather v Margarito after Hatton may have been a slight test, or Paul Williams. While talking of that period also Cotto v Hatton

Ali vs PRIME Tyson

Klitschko v Klitschko in 2009 would have been massive.

I would like to have seen vitali Klitschko vs Lennox Lewis 2. Their first fight was close, Vitali was unlucky with a cut, and the sequel would have been very interesting.

Sam_London wrote:Yes, Lewis Bowe is a good one. I think Hamed Berrera a year or two earlier than it actually happened would also have been a great fight, one which I think Hamed would have won convincingly.

every time i say the exact same thing about nas and barrerra, everybody sends me to the gallows, glad someone else shares the same opionion.

calzaghe froch is a definite must see, im going to be a tad controversial and say tyson haye, agreed weve not seen much of haye at heavyweight and his far from the greatest, but i think his elusiveness would have broken tyson down mentally, could potentially see it as a tyson douglas sort of situation

I know they fought later on, but I think it'd have been very interesting to see how Duran-Benitez would have played out had Duran made a stop at Light-Welter before going after 147 lb honours. When they did eventually box, Benitez pretty much had it all his own way with Duran and won at a canter, but it's almost always put down (partially at least) to the fact that it took place at 154 lb. Be interesting to see if a weight more suited to Duran's frame might have made a difference or if Benitez was just too good for Roberto.

Anyway, Arguello-Sanchez has been mentioned a couple of time, but how about Arguello-Duran? Only just missed each other at Lightweight and, while Alexis was in his 130 lb pomp, Duran was only one division above.

Would have been fantastic for his legacy had Ricardo Lopez managed to squre off against a Humberto Gonzalez or a Yuri Arbachakov, too.

Makaveli wrote:

Sam_London wrote:Yes, Lewis Bowe is a good one. I think Hamed Berrera a year or two earlier than it actually happened would also have been a great fight, one which I think Hamed would have won convincingly.

every time i say the exact same thing about nas and barrerra, everybody sends me to the gallows, glad someone else shares the same opionion.

calzaghe froch is a definite must see, im going to be a tad controversial and say tyson haye, agreed weve not seen much of haye at heavyweight and his far from the greatest, but i think his elusiveness would have broken tyson down mentally, could potentially see it as a tyson douglas sort of situation

Can't for the life of me see how Haye makes it past halfway against Tyson. Total stylistic nightmare for Haye, who's also naturally bigger and just as fast as him.

I would have liked to have seen an Ali v Foreman 2 fight, in the USA, in an air conditioned stadium. It would have been interesting to see what tactics Ali would have used in a second fight and if being in 'friendlier conditions' would have helped Foreman a little. I doubt the "rope a dope" would have worked a second time. It's weird, Ali and Foreman fought in 1974 and Ali was active for another 4 years and Foreman 3, but yet there was no rematch.

Am just reading a biography of Alexis Arguello, never realised how close him and Duran come to meeting in the late 70's but for an unexpected loss by Alexis to Fernadez that one could have happened and at 135 you have to think would have been a classic

Think that Alexis was just past his peak at lightweight - the Fernandez loss is the sole blot on his record at 135, but he didn't put Watt away when he had him in trouble, he was floored by Ganigan and struggled mightily to end the persistent challenge of Mancini.

Still very good, of course, but far from the dominant, all-conquering warrior that he was at 130 against a slightly higher class of opposition. That weight suited Alexis to a T. Could see Duran-Arguello at 135 going not unlike Pryor-Arguello, with Duran having to take plenty, but coming through in the championship rounds.

Doesn't make Arguello anything but one of the greatest champions ever, mind you.

Tend to agree Captain, the only thing you could possibly argue in Alexis' favour is the fight would have had to come when Duran was really struggling to keep himself inside the 135 limit and so would have been a tough ask on the scales. Guess you still have to make him favourite but Alexis is not a guy you want to go in against whilst weight drained.

Makaveli wrote:im going to be a tad controversial and say tyson haye, agreed weve not seen much of haye at heavyweight and his far from the greatest, but i think his elusiveness would have broken tyson down mentally, could potentially see it as a tyson douglas sort of situation

I appreciate that there are no guarantees in boxing, Mak, and obviously you've acknowledged that it's a controversial pick, but I suspect you might be in a spot of bother for this one if a couple of Mr Haye's more vocal detractors get hold of it!

Am trying to be nice Chris as he is new on here!

Whether strongy pays him the same courtesy is anyone's guess

I imagine a rampaging Ray Mancini would be hard for Duran to put away...

In fairness to Arguello ...Mancini wasn't an easy fight for anybody........

Watch the Kim fight he'd take it and keep coming back.....relentless

Duran would have his hands full........

It would have been very interesting to see how Terry Norris would have done against someone like Mike McCallum. They just missed each other at 154 lb, where they were both absolutely exceptional, but for a couple of years when Norris was dominating the Light-Middles, McCallum was still only 6 lb above and holding his own, although he did lose a little bit of his lustre at the higher weight.

The odd thing about Norris is that, for a while in the early nineties, he was viewed as a genuine candidate for the pound for pound number one spot alongside Whitaker and Chavez, and yet he was really stranded in between the two best divisions in boxing at the time; Welter was housing guys like McGirt, Whitaker and a young Trinidad, while Middle was boasting names such as Nunn, Toney, McCallum, McClellan, a young Jones etc.

Anyway, Norris-McCallum.....I guess you'd have to make Mike the favourite on balance, given that Norris was all but off his rocker even when at his peak and could get a bit too brave for his own good, but if his head was screwed on he had the tools to handle McCallum and certainly would have been outspeeding him, too. I think that fight would have told us just how good Norris really was.

Pick Norris to win unless he got caught and it's a big IF.......Great fast hands and a decent dig too. Norris really should be considered a great of the sport. Much underrated.

The chin is the problem though........He outboxes Mccallum for sure.

My biggest regret is that Curry never rematched Honey at 154!!!

Loved to have seen what would happen in a 2nd fight.

Fitzsimmons - Corbett 2.............

Norris and Trinidad flirted for ages but it never came off.

That would have been a great up-and-downer at 154.