Revenge or Redemption: Exploring Trends in Boxing Rematches

Image: Revenge or Redemption: Exploring Trends in Boxing Rematches

By Alden Chodash: Perhaps before the 12th round of Srisaket Sor Rungvisai’s thrilling title defense against Juan Francisco Estrada concluded, boxing fans were thinking rematch. In this case, 12 rounds was not enough to determine who was the better man, despite the judges awarding Sor Rungvisai the majority decision win. More so, 12 rounds was not enough to fully satiate boxing fans around the world, many of which calling this fight an early candidate for “Fight of the Year”.

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When the best fought the best

frazier-quarry5544By Robert “Big Moe” Elmore: The best fighting the best seems to have many different perceptions. When I hear sports writers who have been around the sport for a long time and fans say “the best fought the best back in the day”, it challenged me to dig deeper. When the subject comes up about the “the best”, ninety percent of the time they refer to (in the lower weight classes) Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard and Wilfred Benitez.

For the heavyweights it’s Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Larry Holmes (Holmes would come a little later). And because they fought each other, this qualifies them as the best. Side Note: Benitez and Hagler never fought and Norton and Frazier never fought. But you get the gist.

First, if one where to look at these big fights chronologically, one would see that these mega fights didn’t happen like some sports journalists would have one to believe. Second, these guys were the gate keepers to one’s below them (in stature) to superstardom.

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Fight of the year 1975 (40 years ago) – Part 2

ali44334By Gav Duthie: “It’ll be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manilla.” In 1975 Muhammad Ali 48-2 (35) was back on top of the world after dethroning (in his words) “A big ugly monster that nobody else could beat” in reference to George Foreman. At 32 years of age Ali was the undisputed champion and heavyweight king almost exactly 10 years after he shocked the world beating Sonny Liston.

The only thing left to supplement his legacy was the rubber matches against the only two men to have beaten him in Ken Norton and his bitter rival ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier 32-2 (27).

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Joe Frazier: American Spirit

Image: Joe Frazier: American SpiritBy Geraci: Much of what has been written and said about Joe Frazier in the hours and days following his death has focused on his negative view of Muhammad Ali and his role in the greatest sports rivalry of our time: The trilogy between him and Ali. While many of those pieces accurately highlight Frazier’s importance to boxing and the trilogy’s impact on race relations in American society, what most pieces have failed to touch upon, is what Frazier symbolized for many of us.

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