Biggest fight to have never happened?

It hasnt been a great start to 2014 for the boxing. It looks like two of the most anticipated fights out there in Golovkin v Martinez and Stevenson v Kovalev will go by the wayside. And Mayweather looks like he is targetting a Maidana/Khan one-two. Not inspiring. Running with that theme, what is the biggest fight in history to have never happened? Its got to be Mayweather v Pacquaio right? Or are there any others that could come close?

Foreman-Tyson would have been huge...As would Holy-Tyson..In 1991
.

Wlad vs Vitali would have been pretty massive.

Really ??..Don't think so..

I was going to say Foreman-Tyson myself, Truss. Even with Foreman doing his own Bum of the Month circuit after coming out of retirement, Foreman-Cooney in early 1990 was still a big PPV fight and Foreman had become almost as much of a media personality as he was a sports star at that time. After Tyson lost to Douglas, King put the pair of them on the same bill at Caesars four months later in a bid to build the fight but, as Bobby Goodman's story said, Tyson apparently wanted no part of it.

King was planning to take the fight to China (think Foreman has confirmed that top Chinese brass had contacted him, too) and there were some ridiculous purse suggestions being thrown around. Obviously, if they could have won the Chinese public over with the hype as well, that's a hell of a lot of TV viewers.

Tyson-Holyfield in 1991 would have still been huge, but would it have been any bigger than they fights they eventually did have? The first one did 1.6 million PPV buys, the second one did 2 million and the pair of them earned a combined $100 million + for the fights. It would have been a better fight in 1991, but bigger? Maybe.

Back in 91 Tyson was still kid dynamite and Holy was unbeaten and undisputed heavy Mate..

Holy was 8-1 in the first Tyson fight..

91 was close to pickem

Would have been huge

Amazing to think that at one stage, Don King was talking about trying to make Chavez-Leonard (in 1988, after Chavez had done the WBA / WBC double at Lightweight by which time he'd become one of the biggest names around). Leonard had just beaten Lalonde while weighing 165 officially but had been wearing all his clobber on the scales and later claimed to have had stones and coins in his pockets just to add that little bit extra.

When Leonard talked about coming back down in weight there were whispers that he could perhaps go right back down to Welter and that Chavez could take a risk and move up. A crazy idea, really, but when you're the cash cow like Leonard was, crazy ideas become par for the course, I guess.

Thankfully Leonard poured cold water on that one when Merchant asked him about it in HBO's studio a few days after the Lalonde fight - Larry posed the Chavez question but Leonard quick as a flash just replied, "That's a joke. He's too small."

Nunn- Leonard was touted before Kalambay was squashed

SRR vs Burley.

Langford vs Johnson.

Just to prove to Rowley I pay attention in his history lessons!

RJJ vs Calzaghe would have been good if they had been at the same weights when Joe was green and RJJ good.

Froch vs Calzaghe could have been interesting but I do feel that Froch's career benefited from not getting that loss.

Yeh, for all the noise Froch made about that fight, I agree his career has probably developed better for it never happening.

Ignoring Floyd/Manny I'd go with Tyson/Holyfield 1991.

Would of been huge.

Lewis/Bowe
McGuigan/Nelson
Nelson/Maccaranelli

DAVE667 wrote:Lewis/Bowe
McGuigan/Nelson
Nelson/Maccaranelli

Not fair to put Nelson in with Maccarenelli. Azumah would have destroyed poor old Enzo.

88Chris05 wrote:Amazing to think that at one stage, Don King was talking about trying to make Chavez-Leonard (in 1988, after Chavez had done the WBA / WBC double at Lightweight by which time he'd become one of the biggest names around). Leonard had just beaten Lalonde while weighing 165 officially but had been wearing all his clobber on the scales and later claimed to have had stones and coins in his pockets just to add that little bit extra.

When Leonard talked about coming back down in weight there were whispers that he could perhaps go right back down to Welter and that Chavez could take a risk and move up. A crazy idea, really, but when you're the cash cow like Leonard was, crazy ideas become par for the course, I guess.

Thankfully Leonard poured cold water on that one when Merchant asked him about it in HBO's studio a few days after the Lalonde fight - Larry posed the Chavez question but Leonard quick as a flash just replied, "That's a joke. He's too small."

Leonard did say in his book that he was considering a fight with a young De La Hoya.

Holmes v Coetzee would have been a major fight after Coetzee had beaten Dokes in 1983. Holmes talked about it but it never happened.

Surprised TRUSS hasn't mentioned Spinks v Hagler? Pryor v Mancini would have been a big fight too.

Wouldn't have been as big but Marquez vs morales would've been good

Manny vs Floyd the obvious one as is Tyson/Holy shouts from 91.

Domestically id say Witter vs Hatton and Froch vs Calzaghe. Bad blood in both and would have obtained great numbers (in the UK).

Id also say a rematch between Vitali and Lewis. First fight was fantastic and a rematch would have been great.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Back in 91 Tyson was still kid dynamite and Holy was unbeaten and undisputed heavy Mate..

Holy was 8-1 in the first Tyson fight..

91 was close to pickem

Would have been huge

Not so, actually. Holyfield wasn't a draw at that point - his entire reign had been overshadowed by Tyson.

Floyd vs Pacquiao is number one by a country mile.

I'd like to have seen Nigel Benn/Roy Jones...though Jones was probably not operating at the same weight at the same time....plus John L Sullivan and Peter Jackson..

andygf wrote:I'd like to have seen Nigel Benn/Roy Jones...though Jones was probably not operating at the same weight at the same time....plus John L Sullivan and Peter Jackson..

He was and it was almost made. King had options on Benn after McClellan but he also wanted them on Jones - who refused to play ball. Benn was shot at that point and Jones would have made a mess of him I'm afraid.

Holy was undisputed heavy champ and it was a superfight..

So shush

Dempsey Wills would have been huge. Even Rickard admitted it would have been a million dollar gate.

Dempsey like Tyson was hugely marketable..I imagine If he fought the milkman it would sell big..

Called the X factor

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Holy was undisputed heavy champ and it was a superfight..

So shush

I'm well aware of that but Holyfield wasn't a draw. His reign had largely been derided; the Holmes fight drew only 14 000. A big fight for sure but Tyson vs Foreman was bigger.

I was around at the time...Remember he fight with Douglas ..Buster got paid 25 million for Holy and it sold out the Mirage and was PPV..
Because Holy wasn't a big name..


But let's just pretend you're right because you'll start crying in a minute...Followed by articles from moronic so called experts that no S**t about Boxing..

Good night Hazzy wazzy.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:I was around at the time...Remember he fight with Douglas ..Buster got paid 25 million for Holy and it sold out the Mirage and was PPV..
Because Holy wasn't a big name..


But let's just pretend you're right because you'll start crying in a minute...Followed by articles from moronic so called experts that no S**t about Boxing..

Good night Hazzy wazzy.

Douglas was the draw (the man that toppled Tyson - hence the big purse). Holyfield got $8m (as the b-side).

Holyfield was viewed as nothing more than a caretaker until Tyson reclaimed the crown - especially after he laboured against Foreman, Cooper and Holmes.

Bless you but you bore me...

Let's just leave it...I was around in 91 end of.

As was I (only I paid attention).

never thought they were serious about it, but when Tyson vs Jones was mooted, that would have been up there in the biggest fights ever.

from a british view point, Oscar vs Hatton would surely have been the largest audience to ever watch a British fighter outside of the heavyweight division. nearly happend, easy money for both. But Oscar lost the motivation

Cotto/Hatton was mooted at one point but Miguel struggled to make LWW so he moved up and the fight went out the window.

Big British fights...
Bruno/Mason
Hatton/Witter
Khan/Thaxton/Murray
Bradley Pryce/Amir Khan (I jest...Khan would never have taken that fight)
Nelson/Thompson II

First post long time reader guys, I think Bowe v Lewis was a big one. Everyone picks Lewis because of what he achieved under Manny and also because of the fact he beat Bowe to win the Gold in 88.

I really believe that was a 50/50 fight and I think it could of been a series of fights, similar to Bowe and Evander.

Have a feeling Lewis was never a 'series' kind of guy. Once he had a guy beat he moved on.

Welcome, btw....

Thanks been a long time reader since bbc days. I know all the characters in here lol. Ive been a boxing fan since early mid 90s, Watching Benn and Eubank etc made me become more hardcore.

Some of yous will probably ridicule me for this, but Mayweather is my favourite boxer. He might not be in the most exciting fights but the man is a boxing genuis. He makes great fighters look ordinary. It takes a special talent to do that.

Dont worry though am not a nut hugger and I appreciate everyones opinion, apart from D4, he was deluded and a super WUM lol

Top tip - try to avoid using 'lol'

Don't worry, am sure you n Truss will strike up a quick friendship.....!

AdamT wrote:Thanks been a long time reader since bbc days. I know all the characters in here lol. Ive been a boxing fan since early mid 90s, Watching Benn and Eubank etc made me become more hardcore.

Some of yous will probably ridicule me for this, but Mayweather is my favourite boxer. He might not be in the most exciting fights but the man is a boxing genuis. He makes great fighters look ordinary. It takes a special talent to do that.

Dont worry though am not a nut hugger and I appreciate everyones opinion, apart from D4, he was deluded and a super WUM lol

Wait til STRONGY and STEFFAN start posting.

I have read there posts numerous times. I know that Strongy's fav fighter is Mayweather!  

Steffan is also a big fan of Carl Froch!