This is My List of Madison Square Garden’s 5 Biggest Fights.
- Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier. March 8, 1971. ‘The Fight of the Century’ between two undefeated Heavyweight Champions, was a moment in boxing history that can never be matched. New York City was in the eyes of the whole civilized world that early March, Monday evening in 1971, when Joe Frazier fought the fight of his life in defeated Ali via a 15 round decision. To me, it’s the greatest fight in boxing history, and the greatest bout Madison Square Garden ever hosted.
- Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 2. January 28, 1974. Joe Frazier was brutally knocked out in 2 rounds on January 22, 1973 by George Foreman, and went on a quest to regain the title for the rest of his career. Ali also lost to Ken Norton on March 31, 1973, so both men were seeking redemption. After Ali defeated Norton in their rematch on September 10, 1973, he signed to fight a rematch with Joe Frazier the following January. ‘Super-Fight 2’ as it was billed, was a good fight won by a great fighter in Ali, who outboxed Frazier, and earned a shot at the champion George Foreman that fall.
- Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield. March 13, 1999. This battle between reigning heavyweight champs, was fueled by controversy, when Evander Holyfield promised a 3rd round knockout, a prophecy he had heard from God. His actual reasoning was the fact that he didn’t like Lewis calling him a hypocrite, after having fathered a baby from a woman other than from his wife. The professing Christian Holyfield didn’t like it, and concocted this stupid idea that God had promised him a 3rd round KO. The fight itself was one-sided, with Lewis dominating the entire way, and losing maybe 2 rounds at the most. The knockout never came for Holyfield, but he received a gift from the judges, who ridiculously scored the rout a draw. I remember it as a night of foolishness, followed by robbery from the crooked judges who scored it from ringside.
- Muhammad Ali vs. Earnie Shavers. September 29, 1977. In what would be the last great performance of his career, Muhammad Ali faced down a fierce challenge from the hard-punching Shavers, who Ali said “He hit me so hard, my ancestors in Africa felt it.” The live bout on NBC TV was historic because the scores were shown between rounds to the audience viewing at home. Ali showed his tremendous chin, and wore down the courageous Shavers, who despite the decision loss, gained the respect of boxing falls all over the world.
- Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Louis. October 26, 1951. In one of the saddest moments in boxing history, a come-backing Joe Louis, mostly fighting to pay off the IRS who hounded him mercilessly, agreed to fight the promising Rocky Marciano, the heir apparent to the heavyweight crown. While Louis fought well at times by using his left jab, eventually the powerful Marciano hurt him and dropped him in the 7th round. The end came in the 8th when a series of hard shots put Louis through the ropes and out for good, marking the end to one of the greatest careers in boxing history. The sad thing is, it should have never taken place in the first place.
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