Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
The boxing world is still abuzz from the epic Heavyweight battle waged between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko this past April.
It was a closely contested fight that saw both men go down in a seesaw battle before the champion Joshua was able to prevail and defend his IBF title, as well as capture the vacant WBA title.
Former Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson said it changed [the current state of] boxing. When the heavyweight division is at the top of the sport, it is in a good state.
In a memorable fight that lived up to the hype before 90, 000 raucous fans, where does this titanic encounter rank among some of the other great Heavyweight title fights in recent years?
Here is my list of the five greatest Heavyweight title fights in the last 25 years.
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Riddick Bowe – Evander Holyfield I
Date: November 13, 1992
Title(s) at stake: The undisputed world Heavyweight championship (WBA, WBC, IBF and Lineal)
The champion Evander Holyfield (29-0, 22 KOs), 205 lbs, was a 7–5 favorite, but many ring-siders felt the much larger and unbeaten Riddick Bowe (31-0, 27 KOs), 235 lbs, had a great chance of unseating him for the crown.
It was the first time in over 4 years that two undefeated fighters had faced off for the most coveted title in all of sports. Holyfield started strong and was aggressive in the early rounds but trading punches with the bigger, stronger and younger Bowe began to take its toll as the rounds mounted. A memorable, action packed Round 10 was the signature moment of the fight. In the round, a surging Bowe came out strong, staggering Holyfield with several powerful combinations.
Holyfield, however, was able withstand the barrage of punches and came back to stun Bowe with his own combinations to dominate the second half of the round. Bowe would reassert his dominance in Round 11, hitting an exhausted Holyfield with several combinations, eventually hitting Holyfield with a right hook before knocking him down with a straight right hand to the side of the head. Holyfield miraculously managed to survive the remainder of the round.
Knowing he was behind in the scorecards, Holyfield tried for the knockout in Round 12. On this night, however, Bowe got himself into the best shape of his life and displayed his tremendous talents.
The younger, more resilient challenger was able to withstand Holyfield’s aggressive offense throughout the round and was named the new Heavyweight champion via unanimous decision. In what would go down as one of the greatest Heavyweight boxing matches of all time, Bowe defeated Holyfield on all three judges’ scorecards by scores of 117–110, 117–110 and 115–112.
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Michael Moorer – Bert Cooper
Date: May 15, 1992
Title(s) at stake: The WBO world Heavyweight championship (vacant)
The fight was billed as “Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide” featured two power-punching Heavyweights in Michael Moorer (28-0, 26 KOs), 217 lbs, and “Smokin’” Bert Cooper (27-8, 24 KOs), 224¼ lbs. Perhaps largely forgotten because it was contested for the vacant and lightly regarded WBO Heavyweight title. Just six months before in November 1991, Cooper – who was a last minute replacement and unlikely challenger for Evander Holyfield’s unified crown – nearly shocked the sports world. He dropped the champion in Round 3, the first time Holyfield had been knocked down in his professional career.
Holyfield survived and scored a seventh-round TKO. But Cooper came within a heartbeat of being the Heavyweight champion. This fight got off to an explosive start as the unbeaten Michael Moorer, hit the canvas within the first 30 seconds. A barrage of punches had sent him reeling into the ropes and down to the mat.
A badly hurt Moorer covered up and tried to counterpunch while trying to weather the early storm. The two combatants then stood toe-to-toe and began to trade bombs. Moorer then landed a pair of powerful right hands as Cooper’s mouthpiece flew out as he crashed to the canvas.
Now both men visited the canvas in the first round. Cooper made it up off the floor and engaged in a seesaw battle for the remainder of the round. The all-out slugfest continued in Rounds 2 and 3. Just seconds into the third round, Cooper floored Moorer for a second time with a tremendous combination of punches.
Moorer rose and again he bravely fought back. Meanwhile, Cooper would sustain a cut over his right eye during the free-for-all. In Round 5, Cooper again applied pressure and had Moorer against the ropes, wailing away at him. Moorer looked to carefully counter him and with less than 60 seconds remaining in the round, Moorer spun off the ropes and caught Cooper with a crushing right hand, then immediately followed it up with a right uppercut-left hook combination which sent Cooper sailing to the canvas.
Dazed and with his back rested on top of the bottom rope, the referee called a halt to the fight at 2:21 of Round 5. At the time of the stoppage, two judges had Cooper ahead, 38-37 and 39-36, while the third judge had the bout even, 38-38.
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Anthony Joshua – Wladimir Klitschko
Date: April 29, 2017
Title(s) at stake: The unified world Heavyweight championship (IBF and vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight)
With a post-war record crowd of 90,000 in attendance looking on, the two combatants showed each other a lot of respect early on, as they fought cautiously the first four rounds. Then in the fifth, Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs), 250 lbs, exploded with a barrage of punches that caught Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs), 240¼ lbs, sending the 41 year old former undisputed Heavyweight champion to the canvas.
Klitschko rose off the canvas and managed to dominate the remainder of the round. Klitschko continued to batter Joshua in Round 6 and scored his own knockdown with a huge right. Joshua made it to his feet after being knocked down for the first time in his professional career but looked on the brink of defeat.
He, however, withstood Klitschko’s attempts to finish the fight off by utilizing effective counters. The two wary fighters again fought cautiously over the next few rounds. Joshua was reinvigorated to start Round 11, attacking Klitschko with a powerful barrage of punches that started with a tremendous right uppercut that violently snapped the head of Klitschko, sending him to the canvas.
Klitschko again rose but Joshua pounced right on him, knocked him down for a second time in the round with a vicious left hook. Joshua again mounted another barrage of punches as Klitschko laid against the ropes and unable to defend himself, forcing the referee stop the fight.
At the time of stoppage, Joshua was ahead on two judges scorecards (96-93 and 95-93) while the third judge had Klitschko ahead (95-93). Anthony Joshua retained his IBF world Heavyweight title and won the vacant WBA and IBO belts in the process by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in front of the biggest boxing audience in the United Kingdom for almost 80 years.
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Evander Holyfield – Riddick Bowe II
Date: November 6, 1993
Title(s) at stake: The undisputed world Heavyweight championship (WBA, IBF and Lineal)
Billed as “Repeat or Revenge”, the rematch between former champion Evander Holyfield (29-1, 22 KOs), 217 lbs, and the new champion Riddick Bowe (34-0, 29 KOs), 246 lbs, would take place almost one year after their epic first encounter. Both came into the fight noticeably bigger, with Holyfield having bulked up in muscle while Bowe just looked more massive, if not a bit soft.
The weight issue certainly factored in the odds dropping from 5-1 to 2 ½-1 in favor of Bowe and probably the outcome of the fight. This time, it was Bowe who got off to a strong start, easily winning the first three rounds. Holyfield would storm back to take Rounds 4 through 6. In Round 7, Holyfield shook up Bowe with a right hook and Bowe answered back with a powerful combination before the round was abruptly interrupted. This was the infamous fight where James Miller paraglided into the outdoor arena, crashing and getting himself tangled along the ropes of the ring, creating quite a commotion and causing a 21-minute delay.
The two fighters fought to a stalemate for the remainder of the round once action resumed. The delay, however, may have prevented Bowe from building on the momentum he was enjoying before the commotion. Officials were split on who won the round. One judge awarded Holyfield the round, one judge gave it to Bowe the round and the third judge scored it a draw. Holyfield would reassume his dominance in Round 8, opening a cut on Bowe with vicious combinations.
Sensing he was behind in the cards, Bowe fought more aggressively in Rounds 9, 10 and 11. But Holyfield won Rounds 10 and 11 by finishing strong in the final 30 seconds of both rounds. The two men slugged it out with reckless abandon until the final bell in Round 12. Like the previous fight, Bowe and Holyfield would again go the distance, this time with Holyfield earning a narrow victory in a close fight via majority decision.
Holyfield got his revenge, becoming just the third man to regain the Heavyweight championship from the man who took the title from him. It would also be the only loss in Bowe’s professional career. And the first of several upset victories Holyfield would achieve throughout his remarkable career.
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Lennox Lewis – Frank Bruno
Date: October 1, 1993
Title(s) at stake: world Heavyweight championship (WBC)
Lennox Lewis (23-0, 19 KOs), 229 lbs, Frank Bruno (36-3, 35 KOs), 238 lbs, would be the first time in history two British-born boxers to fight for a piece of the Heavyweight title. Lewis was making the second defense of the WBC Heavyweight title he was awarded with Riddick Bowe’s refusal to fight him, making him the first British world Heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons.
Meanwhile, Frank Bruno was making his third attempt at the Heavyweight crown. He had previously lost to Tim Witherspoon and to Mike Tyson. Bruno was a huge crowd favorite and he took the fight to Lewis, winning the early and mid rounds with his aggression. In the third round, Bruno shook Lewis with a solid right of the head. He continued to outwork and apply pressure on the younger champion with a steady jab and persistent combinations.
At the end of the sixth round, two of the judges curiously had the fight even at 57–57, while the third judge had it more accurately scored 59–55 in favor of Bruno. In Round 7, Bruno seemed to have stunned Lewis again with a left jab and a series of short, powerful punches. Then, Lewis caught Bruno with a looping left hook which completely froze him.
Lewis followed it up with a series of lefts and rights that all landed. The referee stop the fight with over a minute gone in the round when a battered Bruno, staggering on unsteady legs, was unable to defend himself.
Honorable Mentions: Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko, Ray Mercer vs. Tommy Morrison, Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II,
