The ten Middleweight title fights you must see in your lifetime

Howdy fellas,

Delving back in to this series after a little break now, and we've gone back up in weight to give the Middleweights their turn. You all know the drill by now, so I'll keep it short; there's the skinny, the reasons I've selected the fight in question for this list and, as ever, I've made sure that all fights covered are available in full, from start to finish, on YouTube in case anyone wishes to check them out if they haven't seen them or revisit them if they have.

As one of boxing's glamour divisions, naturally the 160 pounders gave me some trouble when trying to whittle this list down to ten. It wasn't easy leaving out fights as superb as Mavin Hagler against John Mugabi or Gerald McClellan's first shootout with Julian Jackson, and rather annoyingly legendary encounters such as Jake La Motta's fifteen round TKO of Laurent Dauthuille and the first two back 'n' forth battles between Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano are only available in highlight form at best. Nevertheless, I'm fairly pleased with the final ten, and I hope you all are as well.

I'll also apologise in advance for any daft errors in grammar which may have crept in - this one's been ever so slightly rushed! Anyway, without further ado....

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# 10 - Gene Fullmer W TKO 14 Carmen Basilio, NBA title, 1959

The skinny: By 1959, Carmen Basilio had featured in Ring Magazine's 'Fight of the Year' for the past four years, three times as the victor and once as the loser. Now, here he was trying to regain the vacant portion of his old world Middleweight title from Gene Fullmer, another tough, iron-chinned scrapper who, like Basilio, had had enough of languishing in the shadow cast by Ray Robinson over the Middleweight division throughout the fifties and was desperate to step out of it once and for all. Who'd have bet against Carmen making if five on the spin?

Basilio fought this fight from the off the only way he knew how - by attacking, attacking, attacking. His clubbing left hand gave him an edge in the first round, before Fullmer, usually a crude operator in a similar mould to Basilio, played the role of the boxing matador in the second, getting the better of the action going away and catching most of Basilio's return fire with his cross-armed defence, similar to the one famously used by Archie Moore. Fullmer's accurate work wasn't discouraging Basilio from marching forward with intent through rounds three and four, but they were giving the Utah man a handy early lead. Basilio needed to make something happen, and in the fifth he did, two enormous right hands to the ribs of Fullmer (a trademark move of the all-action Basilio) being the highlights of the round.

The immiedate following rounds were characterised by some truly ferocious inside fighting. Basilio, a notoriously rough handful, worked the referee's blind side at every chance with kidney punches and shots on the rare occasions that the pair of them were pulled apart, but in the eighth Fullmer made Basilio's legs buckle and turn to jelly with a flush left hook, the bell sounding to rob him of the chance of ending the fight right there. Basilio, of course, was no stranger to being under the cosh and looking down and out - he'd been in this situation before, most notably in his incredible second fight against Tony De Marco in his days as world Welterweight champion, and still roared back to win. And for a while, it looked as if he may just manage to do the same here, coming out for the tenth with a renewed bounce in his step and visibly shaking Fullmer up with an outstanding right uppercut before his pressure just about nicked the eleventh, too.

But Fullmer was deceptive, catching much of Basilio's best work on the gloves still and looking comfortable going away when he had the chance, dominating the twelfth with crisp crosses and jabs as a tired Basilio lumbered manfully after him. Basilio, known to legions of fans as the 'Upstate Onion Farmer', was hurt at the end of that round, and things got worse in unlucky number thirteen as Fullmer doubled up his left hook and then hurt Basilio badly with the same shot moments later. By the fourteenth, Basilio was spent. Almost straight away, a right over the top from Fullmer had the former Welterweight and Middleweight champion tottering back to the ropes. Fullmer went after him with everything he had and, although most of his shots weren't landing cleanly, the referee was convinced he'd seen enough - and with that, Gene Fullmer had become the first man to stop Carmen Basilio and, with it, had taken the NBA Middleweight title.

Why it's here: Was Carmen Basilio simply incapable of being involved in a bad fight? This bout has no great pretences to style, but it was utterly gripping throughout. It's also a reminder of how all that wear and tear catches up with a fighter eventually - Basilio had forced so many miraculous recoveries and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat so many times, many must have simply expected him to do the same here. And for a while, he looked like he might. But ultimately, the man had just run out of miracles by this point. As for Fullmer? Well, as one of the most underrated fighers of his time, he more than deserves a mention for his performance here. He also showed his classy side after this 1959 'Fight of the Year' winner, saying, "He (Basilio) is the toughest man I've ever fought, bar none. I'd like to give him another chance - he's a great sport." Two two did indeed meet again, Fullmer getting the job done in twelve rounds that time, but this first installment remains the pick of the pair.



# 9 - Rodrigo Valdez W TKO 7 Bennie Briscoe, WBC title, 1974

The skinny: When the slick and heavy-handed allrounder, Rodrigo Valdez of Colombia, squared off for a second time (he'd taken a decision in their first meeting) against the rough, tough and determined Bennie Briscoe - the archetypal hardman who fitted the mould of the Philadelphia fighter perfectly - for the WBC Middleweight title which had been stripped from Carlos Monzon in 1974, it was special right from the word go. Never mind fights - first rounds alone don't come much better than this. Briscoe's intentions were clear - he wanted to rough his more elegant opponent up, and he did so within the first minute, driving him back to the ropes with a vicious body attack, scoring with a thumping uppercut and then, somewhat mischievously, landing a hard right hand as referee Harry Gibbs broke the pair. His early charge was so successful, he thought he'd try the same again, only this time Valdez was ready with a booming right cross which sent Briscoe staggering across the ring. For the remainder of the round the pair exchanged huge hooks and uppercuts inside at a cary pace. The dye was cast and the rest of the fight was sure to be a classic.

Briscoe's energy took the second, though a plentitude of punishment came with it, before the Colombian found his range with his jab in the third, though he was having to throw an awful lot of them just to keep the ultra-aggressive Briscoe away from him. Valdez looked uncomfortable in the next round, as Briscoe leaned his head on his chest and let rip with some evil-looking hooks to the body, but in the fifth he made his greater quality show, intelligently shifting his legs in to position to fire off a perfect counter right hand cross, and following it up with a blitering two hook combination. Remarkably, the iron-chinned Briscoe sucked it all up and kept coming, but Valdez was becoming an ever more elusive target, while the man from Colombia was starting to find Briscoe with just about every shot he threw.

The pair stuck to each other like they'd been glued at the hip in a frantically-paced sixth, swapping massive left hooks, and suddenly in the seventh it was Valdez who was looking a little tired as his jab could no longer time the erratic, perpetual head movement of Briscoe. But then came one of the most devastating and dramatic punches in Middleweight history. It was a whipping right hand of Valdez's, thrown as Briscoe tried to land one of his own, and it detonated perfectly on the Phildelphian's chin. Briscoe froze upon impanct, before his body crumpled to the canvas, helped by a following left hand which probably wasn't needed. Remarkably, he managed to climb to his feet by the count of eight, but he was still in a world of his own and Gibbs, quite rightly, waved the fight off. Valdez was the new WBC champion, and he'd done it with one of the most remarkable finishes in Middleweight history.

Why it's here: A great fight, with an even greater ending. Bennie Briscoe was one of the hardest men to ever contest a Middleweight title fight - in a career spanning two decades and over ninety contests, nobody else ever managed to put him away inside the distance, and that includes greats such as Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon and Emile Griffith. It's often said that Valdez was highly unfortunate to be a contemporary of the great Monzon but, nonetheless, he has plenty of moments showcasing what a superb fighter he was in his own right, none more glaring than this bout. A classic in every sense.



# 8 - James Toney DREW Mike McCallum, IBF and lineal titles, 1991

The skinny: In 1991, the question of who exactly was the best Middleweight in the world was unanswered in the eyes of most boxing fans. By rights, it should have been James 'Lights Out' Toney who, in May 1991, had stopped the previously undefeated Michael Nunn in eleven rounds for the IBF and lineal titles, Nunn having underlined his authority over the weight class two years previously by knocking out WBA champion Sumbu Kalambay in one round, though the WBA had stripped Kalambay beforehand. The problem was, Toney had been outboxed for the most part by Nunn and was trailing on all cards when the stoppage came, and so with that came the whispers that, while he had the titles and 'man who beat the man' status, he was really just a loud-mouthed, twenty-two year old upstart who'd got lucky and was likely to be exposed soon.

Meanwhile, former 154 lb kingpin Mike McCallum had avenged an earlier loss to Kalambay in the three successful defences he'd made of his WBA Middleweight belt, and so one thing was clear - whoever won a fight between him and Toney would be, beyond doubt, the world's premier 160 lb man. The WBA, once more, stripped their man before the bout, but with Marvin Hagler on standby to present the winner with a 'Middleweight of the Decade' (!) trophy, the stakes were still high.

After a tight opener, Toney was first to get a foothold in the fight, his head movement making him an elusive target and confusing the slower McCallum. He made 'The Bodysnather' dip at the knees with a solid left, and the follow up right scraped the back of the head to put him over, though the referee was willing to rule it a slip. A high-quality third round saw McCallum forcing some big misses from the IBF champion, before Toney replied with his signature move in the fourth, a well-timed half step to the side and a booming counter right hand as McCallum missed with his shot. The pair continued to match each other punch for punch in the fifth, before McCallum, in his thirteenth world title fight, put some beautiful combinations together to take the sixth.

However, Toney was slowly dispelling any myth that he was just a well-conditioned puncher. His crisp, short inside work made McCallum, twelve years the older man, want to hang on for the first time in the eighth, before the wily, experienced former WBA champion replied with his best round for a while in the ninth, throwing such a great variety of punches that Toney just couldn't get off, and there was little to split them in the tenth and eleventh, too.

Going in to the twelfth, the fight was still in the balance, but Toney took control of it immediately and produced a fantastic finish, jarring McCallum right away with some excellent, short hooks on the inside, staggering the older man to the ropes and then having him perilously close to visiting the canvas with and equally devastating right. Using all of the guile and nous acquired in his seven years of world title experience, McCallum knew enough to hold, spoil and somehow step his way out of the immediate danger, but with moments to go he was once more out on his feet as Toney swung in another punishing left hook to the temple area, sending McCallum's legs in to spasm once more before the final bell prevented Toney from potentially forcing a stoppage. And yet, after a wonderful battle, we were left right back where we started - the judges called a draw, and the question of who was the best Middleweight in the world, officially at least, remained somewhat unanswered.

Why it's here: Slug fests are great, but so too are proper, technical boxing matches and, in my opinion, this bout was one of the highest quality encounters of the nineties, alongside the first bout between Pernell Whitaker and James 'Buddy' McGirt. The pure boxing on show from each man was superb; offense mixed with defence, counters, inside work, distance boxing, the lot. It also told us a lot about each man; Toney, who most felt deserved to take the decision (I'd agree), vanquished any talk of him being the lucky punk alluded to earlier. He'd been a big underdog beforehand and, though he didn't walk away with the victory on record, his performance here was good enough to prompt 'Ring Magazing' to name him their 'Fighter of the Year' for 1991. And likewise, McCallum lost none of his lustre here, either. Here was an old war horse, faced with the challenge of a hungry, young and gifted fighter, and he faced the challenge with class and some pretty mean talent of his own for the full twelve rounds. And grit, of course. Oh, that grit. How was McCallum still standing at the end of the twelfth?



# 7 - Chris Eubank W TKO 9 Nigel Benn, WBO title, 1990

The skinny: "I personally do hate him" said Nigel Benn in 1990, talking of Chris Eubank, having just signed on the dotted line seconds before to defend his WBO Middleweight crown against that very same man. "The public are demanding this, and I can't wait to give him a good hiding." The public (in Britain at least) were indeed demanding this fight, and it was a promoter's dream; two men who were the absolute antithesis of each other, in both personality and boxing styles, and who both knew how to sell themselves. Given the high interest up and down the country in the fight, the bookies loved it too. Their odds said that Benn would retain his title against the pompous showman Eubank, though the challenger wasn't in the least bit concerned, saying "He's just a puncher. And for this, I would like his autograph, because when I've finished with him, he isn't going to be anybody."

When the pair finally squared off in the midst of a bear pit atmosphere in Birmingham, it initially seemed as if the months of hype had got the best of both of them, as they forgot their fundamentals and instantly swung from the hip looking for that knockout blow straight away. It was Eubank, the pure boxer of the two, who settled down first, confusing Benn with his unusual right hand lead and movement, but the fearsome-punching champion got in to his stride in the second, stunning Eubank with a hard left-right combination and then producing a fine counter right hand before Eubank forged a remarkable fight back in the final 30 seconds of the round, though it still belonged to Benn. When Benn's left hooks to both head and body twice forced Eubank to retreat in the fourth and fifth, most would surely have been thinking that the 'Dark Destroyer' wouldn't be parted from his belt any time soon.

However, if there were any questions about Eubank's heart coming in to the fight, he was quickly going about answering them in the best fashion possible. He pinned Benn down behind his jab in the sixth, resulting in the champion's left eye closing up, and then survived a vicious onslaught in the seventh to have the final say with a huge left followed by an equally good right which send Benn staggering to the ropes, where a revitalised Euabank went for the finish, though he couldn't quite manage it. However, Benn's left eye was now little more than a slit, and the humiliation of losing the title to a man who would remain his arch rival right throughout his career was now becoming a distinct possibility.

Benn showed that there was no dog in him, either - he came out for the eighth in a supremely aggressive mood and found a long, reaching right hand to the side of the head which put Eubank down in the corner. The champion protested that he'd slipped, but to no avail, and towards the end of the round Benn made his knees dip with a cracking right and then finished by snapping Eubank's head back with a left hand which sent the crowd in to a frenzy. And then came the ninth round - the stuff of legend. Two sickening body hooks from the champion had Eubank wincing, but the challrnger remained the more composed and, as Benn went to throw a big hook upstairs, Eubank cooly rolled under it and switched defence to attack, hurting Benn with a short left hand inside and an additional right which had Benn dangerously close to going down. Bravely, Benn fought back as best he could, but buying time was always an alien concept to such an aggressive, all or nothing fighter. He walked on to another flush left and, trapped on the ropes, had no answer to three more punches, forcing referee Richard Steele to step in to end an incredible fight, despite Benn's protests.

Why it's here: It's often said that we in Britain take a far too romanticised view of our nineties crop of Middleweights and Super-Middleweights, and maybe we do. However, that doesn't mean that the era was all style and no substance, and this was a fight worthy of gracing any series, between any fighters and in any era - it really was that good. Ebb and flow, high emotion, two men who were opposities in just about every way and real, genuine antipathy between them; boxing just doesn't get much better or more exciting than this. Benn showed both the immense physicality / power as well as the vulnerabilities and naivety which made him such an exciting fighter to watch, while Eubank proved that he had a massive supply of guts and heart to back up his gimmickry and ego. This fight was everything that was good about that era for British boxing crammed in to nine completely enthralling and absorbing stanzas.



# 6 - Carlos Monzon W PTS 15 Rodrigo Valdez, Undisputed title, 1977

The skinny: At the age of thirty-five, with a 14-0 record in world title fights already to his name and with little (if anything at all) left to prove, Carlos Monzon really didn't need to take this second fight against Colombian rival Rodrigo Valdez in 1977. He'd already outscored Valdez a year previously to re-unify the world Middleweight titles (the WBA and lineal versions of which he'd held since 1970) but, as Valdez complained that his head hadn't been in the right place for that fight due to his brother's murder beforehand, Monzon agreed to face him again. Monzon, the Argentine with the ramrod jab and iron chin, had always vowed to retire while still the Middleweight champion, and had been unbeatable since 1964, 81 fights previously. To put it mildly, he was risking a hell of a lot against Valdez, who'd demonstrated his quality during his stretch as WBC title holder by stopping the likes of Bennie Briscoe and Gratien Tonna before losing that title on points to Monzon in 1976.

Monzon looked a little uncharacteristically eager to get his man out of there in the early going, and must have been regretting his decision to risk his titles one last time when, in the second round, Valdez took advantage of his more aggressive approach to counter with a hard, short right which stunned the champion to the canvas, albeit for a brief visit. Valdez pushed for the finish, landing another right (this time a long, looping one), but Monzon survived and came out for the third round in a gear more befitting his strengths and dominating behind his supreme jab. It was that unwavering and oh-so accurate jab which forced Valdez's eyes to start closing through rounds five and six, but the Colombian, a fighter with no apparent weakness, found ways to work his way inside without taking too much leather soon after, showing his hand with a cracking overhand right early in round seven. In the eighth, Valdez continued to work his way in and even began pushing Monzon back - challengers just weren't supposed to do that against the all-conquering Argentine.

However, Monzon had insisted that this fight was to be his retirement party, and he'd be damned before he let anyone ruin it. He produced a champion's effort to withstand an onslaught in the ninth, getting up on his toes, something not usually associated with his mechanical, upright style, to get away from Valdez's crouching attacks, and finished the round with a booming right cross for good measure. That punch seemed to switch the momentum totally back in the champion's favour for a while, as he jabbed and right crossed Valdez all over the ring for the next three rounds, but remarkably the challenger had one more big push left in him, trading shots designed to produce a knockout with a snarling Monzon throughout the thirteenth and getting the better of these exchanges.

But Monzon knew that, if he made it through the fifteenth round, he'd make it to fourteen title defences thanks to his brilliant mid to late fight burst; Valdez had Argentine hearts in their mouths when he landed two crashing rights early in the round, and Carlos spent much of the final stanza looking to hold and spoil, but when the final bell rang the great Monzon knew that he was still the undisputed Middleweight champion of the world - and with that, one of the great careers of modern times came to an end.

Why it's here: For me, this was the greatest moment of a Middleweight title reign was has never been equalled before or since. Monzon was long in the tooth and could easily have given this rematch against a top, top Middleweight like Valdez a wide berth. A fresher, perhaps hungrier foe who was a hell of a fighter in his own right, and he produces a champion's effort like that to cling on to his title. Seldom will you ever see a more fitting end to a career. Taking that aside, the fight itself was still a damn fine one in its own right - the mix of styles, the drama of Monzon being sent to the deck early on for the only time in his title tenure, the magnificent rally later on to swing the momentum back in his favour....If you're a boxing fan, then everything you could want in a fight is here, I'd say. A marvel.



# 5 - Tony Zale W KO 3 Rocky Graziano, World title, 1948

The skinny: Both Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano had served the USA in World War II, but with wildly different levels of success; Zale, who for a while supplemented his income from boxing by working in a steel mill, served his country with honour, whereas Graziano was given a dishonourable discharge in 1942 for hitting an officer and was forced to serve time in an Army prison. The results of their first two bouts for the world Middleweight title had been wildy different in the result, too; Graziano was knocked out in six rounds trying for Zale's belt in 1946, before he did the same to Zale in six in 1947 to take the title. Now it was time for a third installment, and what an installment it was.

As a galaxy of stars and important figures from the boxing world watched on from the front row and stands in Newark, New Jersey, as Zale made a brilliant start, pinning the champion to the ropes and attacking the body relentlessly (Zale's body attack was considered one of the finest in boxing in his era). For a while, Graziano looked as if he had got through the worst of it, but as he pulled back from a Zale advance he was forced to take two hard lefts in quick succession to the head, which dumped him down for a count of three. Graziano, a rough, tough operator who cared little for defence, went with his instincts and tried to brawl his way out of trouble, and it looked as if it may work, until he was buzzed by yet another massive left at the end of the round, and had the bell not sounded there's a conceivability that Zale would have ripped the title back away from him there and then.

But what a difference a minute can make. A refreshed and somehow clear-headed Graziano came out like a train for the second round and, this time, it was Zale being forced to retreat to the ropes and cover up as the champion dazed him with a torrent of hard left hands. Zale fought back with intensity, scoring with a whipping right uppercut and a short hook inside, but in a reversal of fortune - a common them of the Zale-Graziano fights - it was the challenger's turn to be in a spot of bother as the round drew to a close.
With such a terrifying pace and such little regard from either man for defence, this was never destined to be a long fight, and when the opening seconds of the third saw both men land with blows which would have knocked out lesser fighters, it really was anyone's guess which man who would be standing at the end of it all.

Zale's left once more proved to be the key - he threw it hard and wide, but Graziano, never the most subtle of operators, made no effort to avoid it, and what a catastrophic error it turned out to be. Graziano was sent spinning to the corner by it and, despite holding the ropes and doing what he could to roll with the shots, the resulting onslaught was just too much - he was sent dramatically to the canvas, his body contorted, by a giant right hand which just that little bit shorter and quicker than the one he was trying to throw. He made it up and staggered once he was there, and was given that champion's benefit of the doubt when being waved back in to action, but he was a sitting duck - and the no nonsense Zale knew how to close a show. The finishing combination was somehow gorgeous and yet also grusome at the same time. Zale stalked his man, waited until he left himself wide open (predictably, Graziano was still trying to throw the leather) and then connected with a picture-perfect right to the body, left to the point of the chin combination. Graziano was down and out, Zale was the 160 lb king again, and an awesome series had been concluded in as gripping a way as possible.

Why it's here: Zale-Graziano remains one of the most storied rivalries and fight series in boxing history. Sadly, promotional disputes of the day and other issues since have prevented their first two bouts from ever being seen on film in their entirety - so when the chance comes to see the third from start to finish, you simply have to grab it with both hands. Three rounds of pure carnage and high drama, generating the sort of excitement that only a great fight can give. Oh aye, long before Hagler-Hearns, there was Zale-Graziano.



# 4 - Jorge Fernando Castro W TKO 9 John David Jackson, WBA title, 1994

The skinny: Unlike many of the fights on this list, Jorge Fernando Castro's first meeting against John David Jackson was not even supposed to be the best or premier fight of that night of December 10, 1994; it was fourth in line behind bouts including Ricardo Lopez, Felix Trinidad and Frankie Randall (come back Mr Don King, all is forgiven!). But while nobody thinks back all that often to Randall stopping Rodney Moore, Trinidad butchering Oba Carr or Lopez thrashing Yamil Caraballo to defeat in a single round, Castro-Jackson I is still remembered to this day as one of the most remarkable fights on the nineties.

Castro, your typical Argentine fighter (ridiculously tough and resilient, heavy-handed but not too pretty or smooth with it), had proven his worth with two hard-fought points wins over former Middleweight and future Light-Heavyweight titlist Reggie Johnson, but was roundly expected to surrender his crown to the 32-0 Jackson, a smooth and easy on the eye technician who'd already held the WBO Light-Middleweight and WBA Middleweight belt (Castro had picked it up in light of Jackson being stripped) and, with Roy Jones and Gerald McClellan having now moved up to 168 lb, was now being tipped to take complete control of the 160 lb weight class by many.

He dominated the first two minutes of the opener, catching the slower Castro with his sharp jab routinely, but the champion showed that he meant business by digging in a perfect left hook and following up with two overhand rights in the closing stages. Mindful of that power, Jackson was more disiplined in round two and remained totally focussed behind his jab, never allowing the flat-footed Castro to get set and punctuating a dominant three minutes with a gorgeous left uppercut, right hook combination. Castro was embarrassed for two and a half minutes of round three, unable to lay a glove on the free-moving challenger and spending much of his time covering up in the corner, and it was only a late flurry which prevented a 10-8 margin in Jackson's favour. Nevertheless, a successful defence of his belt was beginning to look like an insurmountable task for the short, thick-built Argentine.

He finally showed some urgency in the fourth, attempting to walk Jackson down and having success when hooking to the body, though Jackson still couldn't miss with the jab - and my Lord, he was having to throw a lot of them to keep Castro off. However, as the fight reached its middle stages, Jackson was mixing his jab perfectly between head and body and, as Castro's eyes began to bleed and swell, was becoming increasingly more daring, letting big hooks go. Castro, as tough a fighter as you could wish to see, was taking them, but each shot saw him slow a little more, and fall further and further behind on points. By the eighth, Castro's face resembled a car crash and even the referee's shirt was soaked in parts by his blood, and when his legs buckled under no apparent pressure mid-round, it looked as Jackson may even become the first man to stop the champion. If things were bad then, they seemed to be getting even worse in the early goings of round nine - an accidental low blow to Castro's groin got the action underway, and then Jackson backed him up to the ropes with a left right through the guard, and he was under seige again.

And then, out of nowhere, came THAT punch. Desperately trying to roll with Jackson's shots as best he could, Castro took one little peek through the gap of his gloves, threw a massive left hook with all his might and seemed almost as surprised as anyone else when, upon impact on Jackson's chin, the challenger went limply down to the canvas. Within a single second, Jackson had gone from looking like an invincible boxing God to a beaten man. He somehow scrambled to his feet at the count of nine and, despite him still being visibly unsteady, the referee waved him back in to action, a dubious call to say the least. It took just two seconds and two right hands to put the defenceless Jackson down for a second time, and it took just one more even more dubious call from the referee to allow the fight to continue. This time, one right hand was all that was needed - down went Jackson for the third time in the round and, in accordance with WBA rules, his unbeaten record and hopes of a third world title went with it. Rarely, if ever, has a turnaround been so sudden and so dramatic.

Why it's here: You don't always need two 'great' fighters in the conventional sense to have a great fight, and this is a perfect example. And if they ever write an official boxing dictionary, then the word 'comeback' should direct any reader to this sensational bout. We may roll our eyes when we hear the old clichés such as 'It's not over until it's over', or 'never give up' are rolled out, but every now and then something remarkable happens which makes you appreciate the relevance of those sentiments, and Castro's remarkable comeback is proof that they will always hold water. I don't think I've ever seen any other Middleweight walk through as much punishment and adversity in a fight and then come back to be victorious as Castro did here. Simply a phenomenal spectacle.



# 3 - Roberto Duran W PTS 12 Iran Barkley, WBC title, 1989

The skinny: Roberto Duran was completely finished by 1989, and everyone knew it. After the glorious highs of unifying the Lightweight division and then reaching his career peak with his Welterweight title in 1980, the Panamanian's reputation had suffered some severe dents in the previous few years; outboxed emphatically by Wilfred Benitez, smashed in to smithereens by Thomas Hearns and dumping a decision to the unheralded Robbie Sims. Iran Barkley had no great pretences to style, but as having usurped none other than Hearns via a third round stoppage to become WBC Middleweight champion was largely expected to dispose of the 37-year-old Duran in a similar manner to how Hearns did.

When Duran displayed his trademark head movement to negate Barkley's rangy jab, and followed it up with a right hand which had Barkley lumering to the ropes at the end of the first round, most simply shrugged. Barkley will get to grips with him soon, they reasoned, and he briefly did in the second. However, when the slippery old Duran rollled and ducked with everything the champion had to offer before sizing him up to fire off a brilliant counter right in the third, they maybe started thinking again. Remarkably, the smaller, podgy Duran, never even close to a natural Middleweight, even had the confidence to push the broad, 6'1" Barkley back to the ropes and wing in some brutal body shots. The champion dug deep to edge the fourth with two hard right hands over the top, but found himself being pushed to his very limits in the fifth as Duran continually slipped out of range after getting off some impressive jabs and giving as good as he got when it came to letting the heavy artillery go, too.

Barkley's big left and Duran's sharp right cross just about cancelled each other out in the middle stages, and when Duran, in the middle of swinging a wild shot himself, walked on to a flush, devastating left hook which looked as if it may force him to go over in the eighth, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that his brave challenge had gone as far as it could. Instead, wearing that trademark snarl on his face, he traded strength-sapping body punches on the inside with Barkley throughout the ninth, and then produced a classic piece of Duran 'swagger' in the tenth, casually and arrogantly moving his head around four or five flicked jabs from Barkley in succession, his feet totally planted, before countering with a brilliant right of his own.

Barkley looked to be back in control in the eleventh, bossing the inside exchanges, but as he tried to push the Panamanian back he walked on to a huge right hand and was badly stunned. Duran's killer instinct, still there after more than two decades as a professional, saw him follow up with a perfect left and two more crunching rights, toppling Barkley to the floor for an eight count, after which he was forced to hold on to survive until the bell. He produced a champion's effort to take the twelfth, however, and at the final bell the title was still very much in the balance. But, via a split decision, the remarkable old war horse had done it again; Duran was named the winner and new champion, and yet another chapter was written in to one of the most remarkable careers of all time.

Why it's here: After the ignomy of 'No Mas', the drubbing at Hearns' hands and the subsequent years in the wilderness as a chubby parody of his former self in the late eighties, Duran needed to redeem himself in the eyes of many, and he more than did that here. Here's an old man in boxing terms (this victory made him the oldest Middleweight champion of all time up until this point) fighting way above his best weight and written off by virtually everyone, finding something from deep within him to upset a big, strong and hard-hitting titlist whose confidence had never been higher. It was that poetic, final hurrah that all great shows have before the curtain goes down, a timely reminder of Duran's eternal greatness which, incredible as it seems, had been questioned in certain quarters beforehand. Even taking such factors away, the fight itself was a barnstormer. It switched between being a slug fest, a boxing match and a chess game with alarming frequency and, quiter rightly, was named as Ring Magazine's 'Fight of the Year' for 1989. Great fight, great theatre, and there's something for all boxing fans within it.



# 2 - Ray Robinson W TKO 13 Jake La Motta, World title, 1951

The skinny: In 1943, the 'Bronx Bull' Jake La Motta had made his own little piece of boxing history when he became the first man to defeat the great Sugar Ray Robinson, handing him a dominant points beating to level their series at 1-1. They'd boxed three times since, each time Robinson coming out on top (though La Motta will go to his grave insisting that he was robbed in at least one of them) and, by 1951, time was running out for a sixth installment in their gripping series. La Motta, not yet thirty but after a hard, punishing career in which he'd had to walk through a hell of a lot more punches than the average man could take, had one eye on retirement having reached his ultimate goal of the Middleweight championship when he forced the injured Marcel Cerdan to retire on his stool in 1949, and Robinson had spent the previous half decade or so dominating the Welterweights. At twenty-nine, the strain of making 147 lb had become too much, and so the eagerly-anticipated matchup between him and La Motta for the latter's 160 lb title was made for Valentine's day 1951 in Chicago.

A host of celebrities watched from ringside as La Motta, crude but extremely durable and strong, gave the more fluid challenger plenty to think about in the first couple of rounds, charging him constantly and doubling up his left to good effect. Robinson showed his hand in the third, starting it with a beautiful right hand and ending it with a huge uppercut bang on the point of the champion's chin, and a perfectly-timed left hook as La Motta chased him to the ropes showed that, after a cagey start, he was beginning to warm to the task. La Motta was warming to it as well, however, and a quick low-high combination of left hooks in the fifth, as well as some fine jabbing and left hand pressure in the seventh, meant that he could certainly dare to dream of retaining his title against his old adversary as the fight went to the middle stages.

However, it had been well documented that La Motta had been struggling to make 160 lb himself, and by the eighth round there were signs that the incredible pace of the fight was beginning to take its toll on him; Robinson, blessed with a boxing brain to match his great physical gifts, had the short, squat champion chasing after him to hasten the gradual demise of La Motta's legs, dominating behind his jab in the eighth, and he had his best round so far in the ninth, dazing the Italian-American champion with a big left and then digging in a lightning-fast body-head combination just before the bell. By the tenth, Robinson's speed advantage was as clear as it had ever been, and La Motta must have felt that the tide of the fight had started to turn inexorably against him.

He had one final bust left in him in the eleventh, when he somehow found the energy to bully Robinson in to a corner and have him in just a touch of trouble as he hooked to both head and body with all of his remaining might, but no sooner had he finished doing so Robinson had him reeling with a stunning trio of left hooks in succession, and Jake was again staggered at the end of the round. The twelfth was pure butchery, and I imagine that many ringsiders were forced to watch through parted fingers in the twelfth as Robinson continued to dish out a truly awful beating. True to form, La Motta somehow found a way to stay on his feet, but when the end finally came in the thirteenth, it was a relief to most concerned. Robinson had his man hurt very early with the right, and soon after a big left sent the champion spinning to the ropes. The referee should really have stopped it there, and indeed he gave a hard look to La Motta's corner to see if they had any intention of saving their man from further punishment, but the fight was allowed to continue for just a little while longer. A gargantuan right hand from Robinson sapped any fight left in the Bull, and the follow up attack forced the referee to finally step in, ending one of the most brutal assaults in the history of the sport.

La Motta, a proud man who revelled in his tough guy image and who maintained that no man could ever knock him off his feet legitimately, is said to have confronted Ray moments after the stoppage and reminded him, "Hey, Ray - you never got me down!" Maybe so - but Ray did have Jake's old Middleweight title.

Why it's here: Robinson had many rivals in his long career, but none of them are linked with his name to the same extent that La Motta is. Predictably known as the 'St Valentine's Day Massacre', this fight epitomised how things were between the pair; La Motta, the unbelievably tough, snarling war lord who, unfortunately, was always destined to be in the shadows of Robinson, the cool and calculated slickster who used his brain as much as his brawn to reach the dizzying heights that he did. It's said that boxing can be both beautiful and brutal at the same time, and seldom will you find a better example of that than in this fight. In Robinson's case, it's often cited as the moment he put the rubber stamp on his case to be known as the greatest boxer of all time, whereas for La Motta, it may well have been the fight which suggested something he'll tell anyone who listens - that he was the toughest man to ever step through those ropes.



# 1 - Marvin Hagler W TKO 3 Thomas Hearns, Undisputed title, 1985

The skinny: This was the era of the 'Super Fight', and ever since Thomas Hearns had shown that he could operate with success above 147 lb by taking Wilfred Benitez's Light-Middleweight title in 1982, the question was when, and not if, he'd challenge 'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler for his undisputed 160 lb crown. The fight was a long time in the making, Hearns first pulling out of a scheduled event due to a finger injury in late 1982 but later accusing Hagler of not wanting the fight and trying to duck out of it when he signed for a fight with the seeminly overmatched Roberto Duran. Slippery old Roberto went the full fifteen with Hagler, and as if to make a point, Hearns then annihilated Duran in two brutal rounds; and on that kind of form, many predicted that the tall, spindly Hearns would upset the shaven-skulled Middleweight king and take his titles.

When the first bell rang in front of a frenzied Caesars Palace crowd, neither man bothered to probe for openings, despite the wonderful pure skills they both could call upon. Instead, they tore in to each other, Hagler getting off the mark with a good right hand before Hearns responded with an even better one which just stopped the champion in his tracks for a moment. The sight of Hagler being forced to hold on was rare, and indeed it didn't last long as he pushed Hearns back to the ropes with a fantastic high-low combination. Hearns briefly began boxing on the move and it paid off as he opened a bad cut on the champion's forehead, but before long the pair of them were engaged in another frantic tussle on the ropes at the end of the round.

Hearns, at the screamed requests of his corner, looked to box his way through round two and, once more, he split open another horrible cut on the champion, this time on the left cheek. But already there were signs that Hearns was starting to get a little too brave for his own good - perhaps encouraged by the sight of more blood, he engaged Hagler in Hagler's kind of fight late in the round, taking a succession of heavy hooks which had his legs looking a little rubbery, although at the bell he was able to flash a disdainful smirk in the champion's direction.

For Hagler, the equation was simple; he needed to stop Hearns and stop him quickly, otherwise he'd lose thet title on a cuts stoppage, a point drilled home early in the third when referee Richard Steele took him over for inspection by the ring doctor. "Can you see him?" asked the doctor, and then came Hagler's legendary, snarled response: "I'm hitting him, aren't I!?"

It's often said that it was Hagler's bleak single-mindedness which prevented him from connecting with the public the way Sugar Ray Leonard did. Well, maybe so. But, upon receiving that ominous inspection from the doctor, it's that very single-mindedness which prompted the Marvelous one to earn his place amongst Robinson, Greb and Monzon as a Middleweight immortal by getting Hearns out of there. A right hand sent Tommy's legs in to spasm as he reeled across the ring, and Hagler, quite literally, ran after him. Another succession of rights detonated on Hearns' chin, and the 'Hit Man' was down. He bravely made it to his feet, but he was clearly a beaten man and Steele, quite rightly, flung his arms around him and waved off the fight. In three sensational rounds, Hagler had become a legend.

Why it's here: Any fight as exciting and brutal as this is to be celebrated. But when it's a genuine, proper super fight between two all-time greats at the absolute peak of their powers, then it simply becomes part of sporting legend. Almost three decades later, the term 'Hagler-Hearns' is THE byword for ferocity; how many times have we all heard a brutal encounter referred to as "the Hagler-Hearns of its day" or the "Hagler-Hearns of this weight class"? And for Hagler, this fight was the confirmation of his greatness. Before this, he was a very good Middleweight champion. Afterwards, he was without any reservation one of the greatest ones. Three rounds of pure ecstacy disguised as boxing.

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So, that's another edition of this series done and dusted. What did you make of my selection? What are you memories and thoughts on the fights above? Any obvious ones I've missed or fights you'd have included? All opinions are welcome, so get 'em in, everyone!

Cheers.

Hard to argue with your choices Chris, the only one I think which may be worthy of consideration is Hopkins Trinidad, not an especially competitive fight but what a performance by Bhop, the pre fight hype and flag throwing was something to behold and any fight that delivers a unified champion in these fragmented times, particularly in one of the classic divisions is something special.

I wish you'd put more effort in to your articles, Chris...

In all seriousness though, great article and some fantastic choices

Agree with Rowley on Hopkins / Trinidad and would also suggest Toney / Nunn. Not the most exciting first 6 rounds, but a fight of immense quality with a thrilling conclusion!

Gentleman01 wrote:I wish you'd put more effort in to your articles, Chris...

He is phoning them in to be fair. All these words and not one mention of Khan or Mayweather and Manny, must try harder.

Good shout Rowley, and Hopkins-Trinidad was definitely up for consideration. It was certainly a hell of a coronation for Bernard, but ultimately it just wasn't quite competitive enough for me to stick it in there. Wouldn't object to anyone who plumped for it, though.

I'm getting there slowly but surely, Gentleman01!

Think you need to have .....

JAKE LAMOTTA vs LAURENT DAUTHVILLE...........It's rightfully considered the greatest comeback knoclout of alltime......Lamotta needed a Ko to keep his title and did it with 11 seconds to go.....

kind of a must..

Gentleman01 wrote:In all seriousness though, great article and some fantastic choices

Agree with Rowley on Hopkins / Trinidad and would also suggest Toney / Nunn. Not the most exciting first 6 rounds, but a fight of immense quality with a thrilling conclusion!

I thought about including Tony-Nunn, but at the same time there was no way I was going to leave Toney-McCallum I out....And I wasn't prepared to take the abuse for making the article in to a Toney slobber fest that I'd have got if I'd included two of his fights!

Legendary fight, Truss, but as I said at the start of the article I only include fights which can be viewed in their absolute entirety on YouTube, and La Motta-Dauthuille just ain't there unfortunately.

Considering Leonard-Hagler is considered one of the greatest fight upsets of alltime..and probably the biggest middleweight title fight in history..

How the hell is the Barkley-Duran robbery on there????

Barkley was ordinary as Benn showed??

Leonard-Hagler wasn't a great fight in itself though, Truss. Duran-Barkley (in no way a robbery, either) was and was a pretty huge upset in its own right as well. It was the last truly great moment of Roberto's career and, to this day, no other Lightweight champion has ever managed to take even a portion of the Middleweight crown like he did.

WBC are a hispanic Organisation and Duran was a big moneyspinner...

KO had it 115-112 Barkley and Boxing illustrated called it by two rounds....

Surely the biggest middleweight title fight of alltime featuring two legends and a massive upset.........is worth seeing in your lifetime...

It was a close fight Truss, no two ways about it. Far too close to call it a robbery even if you think Barkley nicked it, I'd say. I'd like to think I'm pretty impartial when I score and, having seen the fight a few times over and scored it two or three times (including again for the purpose of this article), I genuinely do think that the right man had his arm raised at the end. I only had it by two points, though, and with so many ferocious and hard-fought rounds I can see why someone could have it to Barkley by a similarly small margin. It was just that kind of fight, but for me Duran's late surge in rounds ten and eleven just about got him over the line (I gave Barkley the twelfth, though he didn't quite shore things up on my card).

No robbery there, for me. I can see why you'd include Leonard-Hagler, but I try to make sure there's a bit of variation and include one or two fights which wouldn't automatically spring to mind, hence that one goes on the 'near miss' pile for me.

Not impartial when it comes to Duran that's why he's on your list.....

Toney-Mccallum.............of no significant interest or historical relevance.......and no Leonard - Hagler...........

You have to have the biggest fight of all time on there kid............

I watched Raging Bull before i'd seen actual valentines day massacre fight and in a rarity of film making it didn't do the brutality of the end of fight justice at all. It was the defining moment for both and would be my number one just ahead of 'The War' which isn't quite long enough for top spot.

I'm sure Chris' reasoning would go something like this Truss.

Who out of choice would rewatch Leonard/Hagler, it was a stinker of a fight featuring two boxers past their best.

Not impartial towards Duran? On what basis - because, like roughly fifty percent of all people who've seen the fight, I think he just about edged out Barkley? The scorecards from the Benitez fight indicate that Duran pushed Wilfred all the way and wasn't that handily beaten - you'll notice the other day that I made it clear that the cards were a disgrace and that Duran deserved no more than four rounds at best, for me.

He's on my list because it was a remarkable fight and, when you consider all the circumstances, a surprising and extremely legacy-enhancing win. No more, no less.

Thanks for commenting too, Ghosty, and you've basically summed up my feelings on Leonard-Hagler. A huge event, but just not that much of an enjoyable fight. Wouldn't object to anyone picking it, but just didn't quite make it for me.

Not suggesting that you didn't have him winning...

.Not impartial because you pick a hugely contentious decision against an ordinary champion in an okay fight which didn't warm up until the closing rounds over...

The biggest middleweight fight in history featuring one of the greatest upsets..

No brainer that Leonard-Hagler should be on any must watch list..

Do you genuinely enjoy rewatching that fight then Truss?

The article title is suggesting that If you are only to watch ten middle fights in your life then watch these...

I'm suggesting that the Biggest middleweight fight of alltime which had everything from the contentious decision to an incredible upset ought to be on any list!! for any Boxing fan..

He had everything apart from being a fight people would want to watch.

Thought it was a good fight.....

It certainly wasn't a great fight.

Duran v Barkley wasn't........great!

Isn't Zale v graziano 2...........considered in the top 3 middle fights of alltime...ko6.

No film of that fight Truss, if you're picking fights to watch for enjoyment then the social aspect wouldn't come into it for me and as such I wouldn't consider it. It was hyped and was meant to be a massive spectacle but the fight itself failed to live up to the pre fight expectations.

Aye it is, Truss, but as I said above a film rights dispute means that Zale-Graziano parts I and II have never been available in full, though as you say reports suggest that both of them were incredible.

Luckily, part III is available and it wasn't bad either, as I've tried to convey in the article, so no need to be too upset!

88Chris05 wrote:Leonard-Hagler wasn't a great fight in itself though, Truss. Duran-Barkley (in no way a robbery, either) was and was a pretty huge upset in its own right as well. It was the last truly great moment of Roberto's career and, to this day, no other Lightweight champion has ever managed to take even a portion of the Middleweight crown like he did.

De La Hoya stole a piece of the Middleweight title from Sturm, much more of a robbery than Duran-Barkley but it still counts.

Who said it didn't count??

Good point, bellchees, and Oscar's short-lived stint as WBO Middleweight champion totally slipped my mind. Still, Roberto got there first - and unlike Oscar, he actually won a fight to do it! (Cue Truss!)

I thought the St valentines massacre was a one sided slap?? Not that I've sen it..

Historically important fight though

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:I thought the St valentines massacre was a one sided slap?? Not that I've sen it..

Historically important fight though

For about seven rounds the fight was fought on a ferociously equal footing, and it wouldn't even be that far-fetched to suggest that Jake maybe even had the better of it up until that point, although it'd be marginal. However, Robinson turned the tide in rounds eight, nine and ten, and after that administered the mother of all royal spankings on the luckless La Motta. Even now, it's actually kind of hard to watch rounds eleven, twelve and thirteen - absolute butchery of the most brutal kind.

What were the scorecards does anybody know??.........The film portrayed it as a slap..

But films do embellish.

Not sure, Truss, but I imagine that Robinson would have been well ahead. He definitely should have been, anyway. From the eighth round onwards it wasn't really a fight at all, just a one-sided beat down.

I think after scoring it again for this article (using a 10 point must system) I'd have had it 116-111 at the time of the stoppage, which is perhaps the kindest you could be to Jake (8-4 in rounds but with a 10-8 for the twelfth, in which La Motta absorbed an unbelievable amount of punishment for the full three minutes).

That's a pretty convincing victory.....

Fulmer vs Tiger???

I can't really remember Fullmer-Tiger, Truss, and I didn't get the chance to have another look before getting this article out. I had intended to, but wanted to get this one done before today, so just decided to leave that one. I know it's considered a good fight so will need to have a look when I can.

I only watched Zale v Graziano III the other day on ESPN and it was a cracking fight. Love watching fights that I have never seen nor know who the victor was going to be which made the fight even more interesting.

Great read Chris.

Thanks SOF, it's just a bonus to get a reply which doesn't bash me for not including Hagler-Leonard!

Glad you enjoyed it, and as you say Zale-Graziano III was a humdinger. That finish by Zale was about as clean and emphatic as they come.

Zales ko of Graziano is on my I phone.

Nothing to add but praise for the effort and execution, Chris. Top read, top man.

Thanks a lot, Il G. As a fellow Notts man your opinion should always be hotly sought after!

Nice one, Chris. Really looking forward to tucking into the Toney McCallum fight!

Thanks a lot, Sean. Yep, Toney-McCallum I is a great fight. Neither of them were at their very best as Middleweights in general (Toney one division above, McCallum one below) but they were both brilliant that night.

To this day, McCallum is literally the only fighter that Toney fought who he won't bad mouth, and he's been vocal in telling several people that McCallum is the "one fighter I truly respect" because his boxing brain, brilliant chin (which he needed in the wake of that big twelfth round for 'Lights Out') and use of angles made the young Toney really have to think for the first time, rather than just fighting with his instincts, and that he learned so much from McCallum as a result.

I had avoid watching that because I didnt want to see Mccallum getting a beating Teach me to make assumptions. Cheers for this mate.

The other suggestion I would like to throw in is the second Eubank vs Watson fight which although horrible in its conclusion was every bit as exciting as Benn v Eubank.

What are peoples thoughts on that bout?

Great fight and a sad event rolled in to one, Adam. Luckily for me, that fight took place at Super-Middleweight so I didn't have to make the tricky decision whether to include it or not. In the Welterweight article I did include the massively tragic fourth fight between Emile Griffith and Benny Paret, mind you.

Once I've done the original eight weight classes I might round it all off with a 'Best of the Rest' article and a list of the ten best fights from the additional divisions, and if I do then Eubank-Watson II will definitely be considered.

I just want it noting as this series started last year it does not count any more to the end of year awards as best series.

We want a Calzaghe vs Froch and hatton vs Witter thread. Go Rowley go

Considering Eubank-Watson................But not the biggest middleweight fight of alltime, controversial and a great upset to boot....

Someone doesn't like Sugar Ray round here..

Have I said I think Hagler-Leonard belongs on your list??

Brilliant article Chris - really enjoyed reading it.

I might have been tempted to include Jones Jnr vs Hopkins for its historical significance. Dunno if that got anywhere near your list or not?

Looking forward to the next in the series...

How is the career going cast??