Boxing fans... best fight since 1970

[Va Lefty]

Quite simply, what was the best fight you have seen since 1970?

[bulldogge]

1. January 1976

George Foreman vs Ron Lyle, obviously the fights you listed were great fights but this particular fight stunned me with the overall brutality and determination displayed by two very bad men! When i think of boxing this fight always comes to mind.

[Va Lefty]

4. That was a slugfest

Both fighters getting knocked down numerous times.

[Awsi Dooger]

2. I picked Leonard/Hearns

First of all, IMO a "best of" answer should be a high profile classic. Obviously there may have been less significant fights that featured more action or knockdowns, etc., but that's like identifying a relatively meaningless 45-42 college football game as best ever. Flawed fighters don't produce great fights. They produce interesting fights that may be memorable, but memorable for the wrong reasons.

Leonard and Hearns were young fighters at peak form and it was an incredibly anticipated matchup. H20 Man may remember dates and times of hundreds of big fights but the ones I retain are mega events like that one; September 16, 1981. It was such a huge event I was eating dinner at a Carl's Jr. across the street from the USC campus a night or two before the fight, and two young guys walked in peddling baseball caps. One promoted Leonard and the other said, "I'm for Hit Man Hearns." I bought one of those. Understand the fight wasn't in Los Angeles. It was hundreds of miles away at Caesar's Palace. But that's the type of attention the fight was generating. It's why I scoff at recent so-called superfights like the Mayweather thing a few months ago. It's like a local track meet likened to the Olympics.

Obviously the fight was phenomenal. The dramatic shift of styles and fortunes make it the most memorable and best, from my standpoint.

[Redbear]

3. Leonard/Duran I

Leonard deciding that proving he could fight and not just box was more important than winning was fascinating to watch.