Top five greatest rematches

greatest rematches

INSPIRED by the previous article regarding the upcoming rematch between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, I found myself thinking, โ€œWhat are my favorite rematches of all time?โ€ I have tried to narrow it down to my top five.

Here are the top five rematches that lived up to the hype and excitement of the first contest:

5) Sugar Ray Leonard vs Tommy Hearns: although eight years after their first legendary tussle the two kings came together once again for a fiercely fought contest which ended in a draw despite Hearns scoring two knockdowns.

greatest rematches
Sugar Ray Leonard, left, lands a blow to the head of Thomas Hearns in the 10th round of the their boxing fight in Las Vegas, Nv., Monday night, June 13, 1989. The fight was ruled a decision by officials and Leonard retained his WBC super middleweight title with a controversial draw against Hearns. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

4) Arturo Gatti vs Micky Ward 2: the first fight was the stuff of legends! The second โ€ฆ another war! Gatti would take a unanimous decision and set up the rubber match.

3) Israel Vazquez vs Rafael Marquez 2: the first was a hellacious firefight which ended when Vazquez couldnโ€™t continue through a badly damaged nose. The second fight was fight of the year 2007, both fighters traded heavy punches and knockdowns before Vazquez halted his foe in the sixth round setting up a fantastic rubber match.

2) Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe 2: the first fight is part of fistic folklore for the bombs these two detonated on each other! The rematch was a much more tactical affair. While although it was still a great fight it is synonymous with two words – โ€Fan Man.โ€ Holyfield would win the rematch setting up a great rubber match in which the two warriors laid it all on the line.

1) Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier 3: although this is technically a rubber match, this is one of the greatest contests seen in a boxing ring. Having boxed a previous two bouts they knew everything about each otherโ€™s style, coupled with the fact there was genuine needle and contempt. This formula provided for a titanic struggle which Muhammad Ali prevailed to once again prove heโ€™s The Greatest!

These are my personal choices, what do you think? What would be your top five?

Please feel free to comment and share.

Aarron Morgan is a professional boxer, in action this Saturday against Joe Pigford on the big show at the Copper Box

Share Page