Fighters of the Decade

The opening decade of the 21st century is coming to a close and, regardless of the outcome of the remaining matches that are yet to play out in what has turned to be an exciting 2010 for professional boxing,? it is time to bring back the glorious years of boxing entertainment. It is time to recall those who gave color, drama and life to the sport; those who created indelible impressions among the fans; and those who, year after year, have proven their reign atop the ring by taking on the toughest opposition. I mean let's meet, once more, the fighters of the decade.

1910's-1920's

BoxRec Boxing Encyclopedia wrote that "Jack Dempsey changed the sport of boxing from a slow, defense-minded contest of single punches and frequent holding into an exciting, aggressive battle of furious combinations and blazing knockouts." But his life outside the ring gave him a bad press. Widely regarded by many as "a thug wallowing in immorality and brutality," fans loved to hate him. And yet when Gene Tunney dethroned him in 1926 after a 7-year reign, fans ironically began to admire him. Tunney was the epitome of an intelligent and scientific boxer, and they found him boring to watch. They missed Jack's "ultra-masculine charisma and slugger's brawn." In Dempsey's time, nobody packed the crowds in quite like he did.

Still, when the scribes minted the term "pound-for-pound" during this period, it was not because of Dempsey. It was because of Benny Leonard, who reigned as Lightweight Champion from May 1917 to January 1925. Boxing experts argued that Leonard at this time was the best, pound for pound. They also made mention of Harry Greb, a Middleweight Champion from 1923 to 1926. Greb has incredibly beaten heavier opponents in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He held the distinction of being the only fighter to ever beat Gene Tunney, the light heavyweight champion and conqueror of heavyweight king Jack Dempsey.

1930's

Henry Armstrong rocked the boxing world in 1937 and 1938, generating after-shocks that would continue to be felt until now. At a time when there were only 8 weight divisions, he won the featherweight, welterweight and lightweight titles in succession within a period of 10 months (from October 1937 to August 1938). Thus Armstrong would go down in boxing history as the only fighter ever to hold 3 world titles in 3 different divisions all at the same time.

Also at this time, Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis started a terrific run and would continue to dominate the opposition towards the latter part of the 40s. Earlier in the decade, Barney Ross stamped his class in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, besting Italian and fellow all-time great Tony Canzoneri, among others, twice.

1940's

World War 2 momentarily halted ring action except on very few occasions. Joe Louis kept his title despite being out of ring action due to his military service, and when he did return in 1946, he defended it 5 more times until Ezzard Charles defeated him in 1950.

At the lighter divisions, Featherweight Champion Willie Pep was making it hard for anyone not to notice him. He won 229 of his 241 fights, and showing, in the process, his opponents the finer points of defense in boxing.

Towards the late 1940's, the welterweight division had ran out of warm bodies that were capable of putting up a decent competition against a rising star named Sugar Ray Robinson.

1950's

Sugar Ray Robinson remained lord of welterweights and was, by now, the newest darling of boxing. He reminded boxing historians of Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Willie Pep and all the great boxers of the lighter weight divisions before him. The only difference with them, it seemed, was that he was better. When he annexed the middleweight crown early in the decade and outclassed the best middle-weights afterward, the term "pound-for-pound" champion that briefly emerged during Leonard's era was back, and it was firmly associated with Robinson. Fans found him so good that beating him-which the likes of Carmen Basilio and Gene Fullmer did when Robinson was apparently past his prime-meant earning for themselves an exalted place in the all-time greats list.

1960's

Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali on the same night he wrested the heavyweight crown from Sonny Liston in 1964. Producing spectacular wins inside the ring and creating political drama outside of it made Ali the most recognized-and probably adored -athlete in this era.

The lighter weight divisions also produced an exciting crop of fighters in Bantamweight Champion Edre Jofre (Brazil), his conqueror Fighting Harada of Japan, Junior Lightweight King Gabriel "Flash" Elorde (Philippines), and Lightweight Champion Carlos Ortiz (Puerto Rico).

1970's

In no time was there such a bumper harvest, so to speak, of talent in the heavyweight division as in this period. Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman were not only former Olympic stars, all of them were also undefeated challengers when they all won the heavyweight championship. Frazier grabbed the title vacated by Ali (who preferred to be in jail rather than in military service during the American-Vietnam war in the 60s and 70s). Frazier yielded it to Foreman via a second round KO loss. Ali recaptured his title from Foreman after besting the latter in 8 rounds.

Elsewhere, Argentina's Carlos Monzon rose to the Middleweight throne in 1970 and ran out of abled opponents in that division until he retired in 1977. Experts viewed him as the pound for pound champion in this era-that is, until Roberto Duran of Panama came along.

1980's

Like what Monzon did in the middleweight class, Duran thrashed all comers in the lightweight division. He eventually invaded the talent-laden welterweight and middleweight divisions. He won the welterweight championship from Sugar Ray Leonard in their first encounter (1980), only to relinquish it back to Leonard in their return bout. Leonard did not only bested Duran in their 3-bout match-up, he beat Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns and decisioned Middleweight all-time great Marvin Marvelous Hagler, among many other who's who in boxing.

1990's

Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones Junior dominated their respective divisions during this period. Although Chavez, Whitaker and De La Hoya crossed paths at some points in their careers, one would be off his peak in relation to the other. The outcomes of their personal match-ups could therefore hardly be a measure of who was superior to whom. Jones? He rocked (for a time, that is).

2000's

Jones and De La Hoya eventually shared the limelight with relative newcomers Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather. All of them would be accorded with the pound for pound title at certain points in their careers, with Mayweather considered as the best until he retired in 2007. Meanwhile, Filipino Manny Pacquiao scaled the higher weight divisions in blitzkrieg fashion. Starting as a flyweight champion in 1998, he won the bantamweight crown in 2001, the featherweight mythical crown in 2003, the super featherweight belt in March 2008, the lightweight championship in July 2008, the light welterweight trophy in May 2009, and the welterweight 6 months later. In December 2008, he faced De La Hoya also at 147 pounds and mauled him in 7 rounds. Experts conceded that the kind of ascent he did had never been done by any fighter before.

Meantime, Mayweather decided to rejoin the fray, celebrating his return to ring action with a convincing decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in September 2009. A month later, Pacquiao himself solidified his unique status among the world's greatest boxers by becoming the only fighter to have won world titles in 7 weight divisions when he defeated Miguel Cotto for the latter's welterweight crown. The result of both bouts had left the boxing world itching to see if Mayweather could reclaim his pound for pound title from Pacquiao through a ring battle. And while the boxing world awaited, Pacquiao was not done with his belt-grabbing binge. Only last November 13, he beat Antonio Margarito to collect the WBC junior middleweight title.

Hermilando "Ingming" Duque Aberia is a sports fan and a literary enthusiast. He has written a book titled "Story Bigger Than Boxing". He has a master's degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management and is a practitioner in social development work. He can be contacted at Email: iaberia@yahoo.com or by phone at 639067443695.

Champions Forever: The Definitive Edition (Muhammad Ali the Lost Interviews)

These are the lost interviews with: The Greatest of All Time! - Filmed at his home in Michigan and during the making of Champions Forever--the acclaimed documentary that brought together Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Ken Norton for the first and only time--these 1990 interviews with Craig Glazer were placed in a vault and forgotten for nearly 20 years until rediscovered by Producers Craig Glazer and Ron Hamady. In these never before seen conversations, a playful, feisty, and inspiring Ali talks about his place in history, his love for his fellow heavyweight champs, and even throws punches like the young Ali.
This is the only time that all heavyweight champions were ever together and Muhammad fought them all!
Price: $19.98

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John Paul "The Beast" Mugabi - Uganda's 1980 Bid For Boxing Olympic Gold in Moscow

Before he turned professional, famous Ugandan boxer John Paul "the Beast" Mugabi was simply John Mugabi--a young and hard-hitting, fast, promising boxer. After his silver medal win at the 1980 Olympics that were held in Moscow, 20 year-old Mugabi eyed the professional scene. Renowned British trainer and manager Mickey Duff noticed Mugabi and quickly enlisted him. Duff is one of many (including Ugandan Charles Lubulwa who participated in 3 Olympic tournaments) who opine that Mugabi was robbed of the gold medal. Into the professional ranks, Mugabi's ferocity, strength, and speed in the ring would earn him the nickname, "the Beast,"--one that Mugabi has voiced as unflattering, but which the world became stuck on referring to him.

It was in the Parish of the Sacred Heart in Nogales in Arizona that Mugabi while training for what would become his most epic battle, that with world middleweight champion "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler on 10th March 1986, that Mugabi would acquire the name Paul after baptism into Catholicism (Clive Gammon, "This Beast Is a Beauty," in 'Sports Illustrated'; March 03, 1986).

Semi-arid Nogales 'City of Walnut Trees', stringing along the Mexican border, is Arizona's biggest border town. Tiny Rio Rico is ten miles north of Nogales, and it is here at the Sheraton Hotel that a Mugabi training camp was set up in preparation for the Hagler encounter. Mugabi's trainer, instrumental to his getting baptized, was the same Father Anthony Clark---the parish priest.

Back in 1976, 16 year-old Mugabi won a welterweight silver medal after losing to American Herol Graham in the Junior Amateur World Boxing Championships. Interestingly, only weeks before Mugabi's battle with Hagler, Graham dethroned Ugandan Ayub Kalule of the European middleweight title after knocking him out in the tenth round. This fight would spell the end of Kalule's illustrious boxing career. Many have wondered what would have been the outcome of a bout between Kalule and Mugabi. There is a 6-year age difference, and Kalule had been an idol and mentor of young Mugabi years back in Kampala.

The Olympic Games of 1976, held in Montreal were boycotted by many nations, including Uganda. Ayub Kalule had been scheduled to fight for Uganda. He became a professional boxer. And so did team-mate Cornelius Bbosa who was later to become widely known as Cornelius Bosa (Boza) Edwards, and become a world junior-lightweight champion.

The major highlight of the Games in Montreal were the finals of the welterweight boxing division, the date 31st July 1976. Young American "Sugar" Ray Leonard, who planned to stop boxing and continue with school at the University of Maryland was pitted against a stronger and taller Cuban with a stellar knock-out record. This Andres Aldama who had knocked out all five of his previous opponents, was expected to win. But Leonard, similar to Muhammad Ali in his earlier career adopted a "hit-and-run" strategy, and elusively frustrated and angered the Cuban. As the Cuban charged, Leonard would throw in a rapid combination of solid and accurate punches and then retreat. It was like a David-Goliath slaughtering, that even involved the Cuban getting knocked down, and also taking two mandatory counts.

The Moscow Olympic finals of the welterweight division in boxing, 2nd August 1980, involved a second coming of the experienced dreaded Andres Aldama. Among his recent accolades was a gold medal win at the Pan African Games held in Puerto Rico in the previous year. Aldama's opponent John Mugabi at 20, was 4 years younger, far less experienced, and far less tested and known than himself. Each of the two boxers had knocked out four out of five of their previous Olympic boxing opponents. John Mugabi was Uganda's remaining prospect for gold.

In the first round Mugabi proved to be the more active one. He threw many jabs, but the tall southpaw Aldama kept most of them at bay, most were not hitting their target. Aldama seemed to be studying his opponent, sizing him up. The judges probably gave this round to Mugabi, just for the effort.

The second round saw Aldama come off his stool fighting hard and determined. He gained confidence as the round progressed, unleashing hard head-shots on Mugabi several times. Toward the end of the round, he caused Mugabi to briefly stumble. But Mugabi courageously counter-attacked, obviously without intention to cave in. And just like most capable southpaws, Aldama occasionally confuse Mugabi by his switching to the orthodox boxing stance.

The third round was a war. Mugabi was landing blows to the head in the brawl, but Aldama's delivery was noticeably more significant. Aldama was also more accurate. Mugabi was tiring in the face of experience and stiff solid punches. He did not yield to a knockdown, but a hypothetical fourth round would likely have resulted in Mugabi getting knocked out. Mugabi always had the strength and heart, but ineffectiveness at defending himself was his major career weakness.

The referee declared the fight a deserved 4-1 in favor of Aldama. The entirety of the fight is available on U-Tube. Thirty years later, legendary John Mugabi remains the last Ugandan to win an Olympic boxing medal.

Jonathan Musere

The Best Boxing Fights Ever - Revealed

What does it take to be considered the best boxing fight ever? Is it the way knockout punches were delivered? Is it the manner the opponent was put down in the earliest possible round? Is it winning over an opponent who holds the most number of world titles? What does it really take? Here are some of the best boxing fights that the world has ever seen, and although you will likely have your own list you could not disagree that the following boxing spectaculars made history.

There would definitely be no violent reaction if the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier match dubbed as "The Thriller in Manila" would be mentioned first and thus get the top slot. Ali himself described this fight as one that sent him as close to death as he had ever been. Both men threw venomous punches which made the fight one of the best that boxing had ever seen. After the fight, neither man was ever the same.

There are at least several other Ali fights that would qualify as "best" but this one stands out. How about Sugar Ray Robinson's fights when he defeated Henry Armstrong, Jake La Motta, Carmine Basilio, Gene Fullmer, Carl Olsen, Randy Turpin, Rocky Graziano, Kid Gavilin and Fritzie Zivic? The long list tells why he deserves to be included. Defeating the best boxers is equivalent to fighting the best fights. This list includes a few of the many Hall of Fame Champions whom Sugar Ray fought against and defeated. Just pick any of these fights and you get the best.

Rocky Marciano achieved one of the best boxing knockouts when he smashed Jersey Jo Walcott to the canvas. In fact, had Walcott been an ordinary person, he would have been decapitated. Among other of Marciano's fights eligible to be considered best are his winning fights against Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore.

Add to your list of the best boxing knockouts the Diego Corrales vs. Juan Luis Castillo match. This fight, giving Diego Corrales the WBC lightweight crown in May 2005 was a full recipe of battering blows, lightning combinations and underhand tactics. What's amazing about this best boxing fight is the fact that Corrales had been knocked down twice and still won. He spat out his gumshield after each knockdown to gain additional recovery time. Corrales needed more rounds to deliver his so-called "perfect" right hand that sent Castillo down in Round 10.

Of course it would be unfair not to put the Mickey Ward vs. Arturo Gatti fight in the list. This match was considered one that brought back memories from a golden era of boxing. After a decade of controversies in the boxing world, this "Fight of the Century" helped revive boxing's flagging fortunes. This 2002 event sent the two fighters into a brawl that was so reminiscent of the old days, with Ward sending Gatti down in the ninth round with his ferocious left.

The Julio Cesar Chaves vs. Meldrick Taylor fight truly belongs to the "best" list, and truly astonishing at that! These two talented fighters went at it for almost the full twelve rounds. You were asking why almost? It is because Chavez, who was behind on points, was able to steal the victory over Taylor only in the last two seconds of Round 12. If this fight doesn't qualify for the best then what does?

The 1981 Las Vegas match between "Sugar" Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns deserves to be included in the row. Fighting for the welterweight title, the speed of "Sugar" Ray met the devastating power of the "Hit Man". In one of the toughest boxing fights ever, Hearns who had the advantage of his huge reach was well ahead of Leonard by the 12th round. In spite of having a badly swollen left eye, however, "Sugar Ray" got his act together and started to use the full advantage of his superior speed. In a battle of speed against power, Leonard cut loose in the 14th and won by a KO.

It would make the list incomplete if Manny Pacquiao didn't figure in here somewhere. Recognized as being the best pound for pound fighter in the world, any of Pacquiao's title fights would qualify for this list of greatest fights. It would be a pleasure to watch this Filipino lefty again as he defeats boxing greats like David Diaz, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar de la Hoya and his demolition of Ricky Hatton.

Many more could be added to the list, both from the "old" fighters and the newer ones. The best boxing fights are filled not only with a display of strength, power and tactics, they are also loaded with emotions that could stir hope, unite people, and open new horizons to peoples and races.

The great fights of the past bring back legendary names such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and even the daddy of them all, John L. Sullivan. Then onto Randolph Turpin, Floyd Patterson and the great Cassius Clay, soon to become Muhammed Ali. Then into the modern era. Who can say who was best or what fights were the best ever. There are too many great ones, and those mentioned above are just a very small drop in a large ocean, with everybody having their own favorites.

For more on the best of boxing, and to read one man's views on the world's best boxing fights, visit Best Boxing Fights Ever where not only Manny, but also Ali, Rocky Marciano and Sugar Ray Robinson figure in some of the best boxing matches ever.

Boxing Memories Of Past Years

Boxing has been around for a very long time. During the great history of boxing were some amazing matches. These matches showed the true heart and determination of the human soul. They also show the power and skill that some boxers possess. It seems that these traits can not be found in boxers these days. I have watched quite a few boxing matches lately, and I have yet to see a match that is even close to measuring up to some of these old boxing matches. I am only going to look at one of my favorite boxing memories that I had when I was a kid, but I could discuss many more. The boxing match that I can remember very vividly in my mind was the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns fight.

The fight between Leonard and Hearns was one for the ages. Hearns was a big puncher and caused quite a bit of damage to Leonard's eye. However Sugar Ray would not quit fighting, and hurt Hearns during the middle rounds. By the thirteenth round Sugar Ray was way behind on all of the judge's score cards, however the match was about to change. Sugar Ray landed a barrage of punches to Hearns' head, and he staggered backwards. Sugar Ray kept charging and knocked Hearns through the ropes onto a table outside of the ring. You would think that this would have ended the fight, but Hearns had enough heart to keep fighting. Sugar Ray would eventually finish the fight in the next round when the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.

This match would have lasting effects on both boxers' careers. Hearns would leave this match and go on to win many world championships, but this fight would always linger in people's minds as a blemish on his career. Leonard suffered a detached retina in this fight, which caused him to retire for the first time. Leonard would later come back two different times and fight for another ten years. Leonard also went on to ink many endorsement deals after this fight, and Hearns always believed the reason he did not get many deals of his own was because he lost this fight.

Boxing equipment for professionals and amateurs at http://www.ukboxingstore.co.uk.

ESPN Classic Ringside: Top 10 Heavyweights

Let The Countdown Begin!
Here, for the first time, host Brian Kenny, veteran boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar and a panel of blue ribbon boxing experts debate the question, adding never-before-seen fight footage - including such epic encounters as the Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano "Superfight," the infamous Gene Tunney vs. Jack Dempsey "Long Count," and the legendary Ali vs. Frazier "Thrilla in Manila"" - Top 10 Heavyweights is a no-holds-barred winner by knockout!
Bonus Features
KO highlights from Top 10 including:
Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman
George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali
Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling
Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Walcott
And more!
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45 Fantastic Fights Of The Century

45 Fantastic Fights is a TKO! This must have boxing footage includes the legendary 1935 World Heavyweight Championship fight between James Braddock and Max Baer as seen in the film "Cinderella Man". Also included: Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Hurrican Carter, Rocky Graziano, Jersey Joe Walcott and many many more! Special Features include 58 Fight Chapters and 52 Boxer Biographies.

Price: $9.98

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Fighters of the Decade

The opening decade of the 21st century is coming to a close and, regardless of the outcome of the remaining matches that are yet to play out in what has turned to be an exciting 2010 for professional boxing,? it is time to bring back the glorious years of boxing entertainment. It is time to recall those who gave color, drama and life to the sport; those who created indelible impressions among the fans; and those who, year after year, have proven their reign atop the ring by taking on the toughest opposition. I mean let's meet, once more, the fighters of the decade.

1910's-1920's

BoxRec Boxing Encyclopedia wrote that "Jack Dempsey changed the sport of boxing from a slow, defense-minded contest of single punches and frequent holding into an exciting, aggressive battle of furious combinations and blazing knockouts." But his life outside the ring gave him a bad press. Widely regarded by many as "a thug wallowing in immorality and brutality," fans loved to hate him. And yet when Gene Tunney dethroned him in 1926 after a 7-year reign, fans ironically began to admire him. Tunney was the epitome of an intelligent and scientific boxer, and they found him boring to watch. They missed Jack's "ultra-masculine charisma and slugger's brawn." In Dempsey's time, nobody packed the crowds in quite like he did.

Still, when the scribes minted the term "pound-for-pound" during this period, it was not because of Dempsey. It was because of Benny Leonard, who reigned as Lightweight Champion from May 1917 to January 1925. Boxing experts argued that Leonard at this time was the best, pound for pound. They also made mention of Harry Greb, a Middleweight Champion from 1923 to 1926. Greb has incredibly beaten heavier opponents in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He held the distinction of being the only fighter to ever beat Gene Tunney, the light heavyweight champion and conqueror of heavyweight king Jack Dempsey.

1930's

Henry Armstrong rocked the boxing world in 1937 and 1938, generating after-shocks that would continue to be felt until now. At a time when there were only 8 weight divisions, he won the featherweight, welterweight and lightweight titles in succession within a period of 10 months (from October 1937 to August 1938). Thus Armstrong would go down in boxing history as the only fighter ever to hold 3 world titles in 3 different divisions all at the same time.

Also at this time, Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis started a terrific run and would continue to dominate the opposition towards the latter part of the 40s. Earlier in the decade, Barney Ross stamped his class in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, besting Italian and fellow all-time great Tony Canzoneri, among others, twice.

1940's

World War 2 momentarily halted ring action except on very few occasions. Joe Louis kept his title despite being out of ring action due to his military service, and when he did return in 1946, he defended it 5 more times until Ezzard Charles defeated him in 1950.

At the lighter divisions, Featherweight Champion Willie Pep was making it hard for anyone not to notice him. He won 229 of his 241 fights, and showing, in the process, his opponents the finer points of defense in boxing.

Towards the late 1940's, the welterweight division had ran out of warm bodies that were capable of putting up a decent competition against a rising star named Sugar Ray Robinson.

1950's

Sugar Ray Robinson remained lord of welterweights and was, by now, the newest darling of boxing. He reminded boxing historians of Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Willie Pep and all the great boxers of the lighter weight divisions before him. The only difference with them, it seemed, was that he was better. When he annexed the middleweight crown early in the decade and outclassed the best middle-weights afterward, the term "pound-for-pound" champion that briefly emerged during Leonard's era was back, and it was firmly associated with Robinson. Fans found him so good that beating him-which the likes of Carmen Basilio and Gene Fullmer did when Robinson was apparently past his prime-meant earning for themselves an exalted place in the all-time greats list.

1960's

Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali on the same night he wrested the heavyweight crown from Sonny Liston in 1964. Producing spectacular wins inside the ring and creating political drama outside of it made Ali the most recognized-and probably adored -athlete in this era.

The lighter weight divisions also produced an exciting crop of fighters in Bantamweight Champion Edre Jofre (Brazil), his conqueror Fighting Harada of Japan, Junior Lightweight King Gabriel "Flash" Elorde (Philippines), and Lightweight Champion Carlos Ortiz (Puerto Rico).

1970's

In no time was there such a bumper harvest, so to speak, of talent in the heavyweight division as in this period. Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman were not only former Olympic stars, all of them were also undefeated challengers when they all won the heavyweight championship. Frazier grabbed the title vacated by Ali (who preferred to be in jail rather than in military service during the American-Vietnam war in the 60s and 70s). Frazier yielded it to Foreman via a second round KO loss. Ali recaptured his title from Foreman after besting the latter in 8 rounds.

Elsewhere, Argentina's Carlos Monzon rose to the Middleweight throne in 1970 and ran out of abled opponents in that division until he retired in 1977. Experts viewed him as the pound for pound champion in this era-that is, until Roberto Duran of Panama came along.

1980's

Like what Monzon did in the middleweight class, Duran thrashed all comers in the lightweight division. He eventually invaded the talent-laden welterweight and middleweight divisions. He won the welterweight championship from Sugar Ray Leonard in their first encounter (1980), only to relinquish it back to Leonard in their return bout. Leonard did not only bested Duran in their 3-bout match-up, he beat Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns and decisioned Middleweight all-time great Marvin Marvelous Hagler, among many other who's who in boxing.

1990's

Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones Junior dominated their respective divisions during this period. Although Chavez, Whitaker and De La Hoya crossed paths at some points in their careers, one would be off his peak in relation to the other. The outcomes of their personal match-ups could therefore hardly be a measure of who was superior to whom. Jones? He rocked (for a time, that is).

2000's

Jones and De La Hoya eventually shared the limelight with relative newcomers Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather. All of them would be accorded with the pound for pound title at certain points in their careers, with Mayweather considered as the best until he retired in 2007. Meanwhile, Filipino Manny Pacquiao scaled the higher weight divisions in blitzkrieg fashion. Starting as a flyweight champion in 1998, he won the bantamweight crown in 2001, the featherweight mythical crown in 2003, the super featherweight belt in March 2008, the lightweight championship in July 2008, the light welterweight trophy in May 2009, and the welterweight 6 months later. In December 2008, he faced De La Hoya also at 147 pounds and mauled him in 7 rounds. Experts conceded that the kind of ascent he did had never been done by any fighter before.

Meantime, Mayweather decided to rejoin the fray, celebrating his return to ring action with a convincing decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez in September 2009. A month later, Pacquiao himself solidified his unique status among the world's greatest boxers by becoming the only fighter to have won world titles in 7 weight divisions when he defeated Miguel Cotto for the latter's welterweight crown. The result of both bouts had left the boxing world itching to see if Mayweather could reclaim his pound for pound title from Pacquiao through a ring battle. And while the boxing world awaited, Pacquiao was not done with his belt-grabbing binge. Only last November 13, he beat Antonio Margarito to collect the WBC junior middleweight title.

Hermilando "Ingming" Duque Aberia is a sports fan and a literary enthusiast. He has written a book titled "Story Bigger Than Boxing". He has a master's degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management and is a practitioner in social development work. He can be contacted at Email: iaberia@yahoo.com or by phone at 639067443695.

Muhammad Ali - I Am the Greatest

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay in 1942, his career began to take off in 1960 when he won an Olympic gold medal in Rome and turned professional later that year, making his debut against Tunney Husaker. Four years later, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali and it was the same year he beat Sonny Liston in six rounds to win the heavyweight title for the first time, after which he famously stated, "I am the greatest".

In 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion after refusing to fight in the Vietnam War on religious grounds. He was banned from boxing for three years, returning to the ring and beating Jerry Quarry in the third round in 1970; the conviction would be overturned by the US Supreme Court just four years later.

In 1971, he lost for the first time as a professional after fifteen rounds against Joe Frazier, who he beat in a rematch in 1974 after twelve rounds. Later that year, in the famous Rumble in the Jungle, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Forman in the eighth round in Zaire to reclaim the world title.

He held the title for four years until up-and-coming boxer Leon Spinks defeated him after fifteen rounds in a split decision in Las Vegas. However, seven months later, on the 15th September 1978, the aging Ali regained the title in a rematch gaining a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds becoming the first fighter ever to win the world heavyweight boxing title for a third time.

After retiring in 1979, Muhammad Ali briefly returned to the ring losing to Larry Holmes in 1980 after attempting to regain the title for a fourth time, and then to Trevor Berbick a year later, after which he left the ring permanently with a record of fifty-six wins, five losses and thirty-seven knockouts.

For more history, visit The Primary Sourcebook. a collection of primary sources of history from all over the world. The Modern section covers modern world history from the industrial revolution through to the 20th century.

7 Classic Fights Between Undefeated Boxers

In the advent of the pay-per-view phenomena, many recent matches have turned out to be just a bunch of sleep-o-ramas where one can simply grab a pillow and not worry about missing anything. Is this what the sweet science of boxing has reverted to? Now let's try to freshen our memories. Here are seven previous classic mega-bouts between undefeated fighters, in chronological order, that provided enough electricity to light up the Las Vegas skyline:

1. Joe Frazier (26-0) vs. Muhammad Ali (31-0), Mar. 08, 1971

With The Greatest coming out of a three-year hiatus, "The Fight of The Century", the first in the Ali-Frazier Trilogy, was supposedly the vehicle for his reclaiming of the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles. However, a victorious Smokin' Joe was emphatic in handing Ali his first defeat instead. Frazier floored Ali in the 15th round enroute to a unanimous decision triumph.

2. George Foreman (37-0) vs. Joe Frazier (29-0), Jan. 22, 1973

In the 1973 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year, Frazier was floored 6 times, 3 times in the 1st round and another 3 times in the 2nd round, when the fight was stopped by the referee, giving the brutal TKO conquest to Foreman.

3. Wilfredo Gomez (21-0-1) vs. Carlos Zarate (52-0), Oct. 28, 1978

It was a battle of frighteningly powerful knockout artists, Gomez winning all 21 within the distance after a draw in his first bout while Zarate knocking out a tremendous 51 opponents in 52 fights. With the WBC super bantamweight title on the line, it was no surprise that it took only 5 rounds to determine the winner. Would it be youth or experience that will prevail? This time the younger fighter, "Bazooka" Gomez, won.

4. Sugar Ray Leonard (25-0) vs. Wilfred Benitez (38-0-1), Nov. 30, 1979

It was a hard-fought 2nd defense of the prodigy Benitez, who became the youngest world boxing champ at age 17, for the WBC welterweight crown which saw him hit the canvas on the 3rd canto and bleeding in the forehead with a cut. The referee Carlos Padilla stopped the bout seconds before the end of the 15th round for a TKO win, with Leonard leading on all score cards.

5. Michael Spinks (27-0) vs. Larry Holmes (48-0), Sep. 21, 1985

A historic bout, given that a Holmes victory would have matched Marciano's unblemished 49-0 record, while a Spinks win will make him the first ever light heavyweight champion to become heavyweight king. As fate would have it, Spinks snatched a piece of history away from Holmes with a unanimous decision victory, taking the IBF heavyweight title along with it.

6. Riddick Bowe (31-0) vs. Evander Holyfield (28-0), Nov. 13, 1992

Unanimous decision win in 12 rounds by Bowe, their first fight in a trilogy. Many were doubtful that Holyfield could take on the huge Bowe but Real Deal proved in this fight the true warrior that he is. Round 10 was named Round Of The Year by Ring Magazine as a tribute to the two men giving in a round where the favor shifted from one to the other in a see-saw battle for supremacy in the heavyweight division.

7. Felix Trinidad (38-0) vs. Fernando Vargas (20-0), Dec. 02, 2000

A total war in the truest sense, Trinidad scored a 12th round TKO victory for the WBC/ WBA/ IBO junior middleweight titles. The Aztec Warrior managed to floor Trinidad once in the 4th round, but Trinidad made Vargas kiss the canvas a total of 5 times (twice in the 1st round and 3 times in the 12th round) when the bout was stopped.

Enrico Monsanto is a freelance writer. He writes mainly about guitars, music and sport-related topics. Most of his work can be seen at his blog, http://monsaint.blogspot.com