Top Boxing Matches of the Past Decade
Boxing is one of the oldest sports in the world. The first boxing fights were held in the 18th century. Since then, there have been many legendary boxers including Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, and Floyd Mayweather.
Broadcasters, the boxing media, fighters, matchmakers, managers, promoters, and trainers are committed to making the sport better. Boxing has evolved since 2000. The following are seven top boxing matches of the past decade.
1. Mayweather vs Pacquiao (2015)
Mayweather is one of the best heavyweight boxers now. Many boxing fans anticipated his fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015. Most punters predicted that Mayweather would win after twelve rounds. The two boxers fought for the Unified Welterweight Championship in MGM Grand, Las Vegas and the bout was labeled “The Fight of the Century.”
Floyd’s defensive strategy angered many people. But, the fight grossed more than $600 million. Top celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Leonardo DeCaprio, and Robert De Niro attended the event.
2. Alvarez vs Golovkin II (2018)
Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin’s bout featured in the 2018 Ring Magazine as the “Fight of the Year.” It was their second rematch. The match took place at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Both boxers landed heavy punches throughout the bout. Surprisingly, none of them got knocked out before the twelfth round. Alvarez defeated Golovkin by unanimous decision.
3. Haye vs Chisora (2012)
Haye and Chisora’s match was one of the most exciting boxing fights in Britain in 2012. Boleyn Ground, London hosted the match. It had an attendance of about 30,000 fans. Most of them expected a brawl and the boxers didn’t disappoint them. Haye frustrated Chisora in the first rounds. He provoked him to land a left hook after the third round’s bell rang. Haye came out swinging and knocked Chisora down several times. He had a TKO stoppage win in the fifth round.
4. Bradley vs Provodnikov (2013)
The match took place at Home Depot Centre in Carson in 2013. The Boxing Writers Association of America and Ring Magazine labeled it as the “Fight of the Year.” Bradley and Provodnikov fought for the WBO Welterweight Championship. Bradley shocked many spectators when he the bought by unanimous decision despite Provodnikov knocking him down in the twelfth and second rounds.
5. Kessler vs Froch (2010)
Carl Froch, the WBC Super-Middleweight champion met with Mikkel Kessler at the MCH Messecenter Stadium in Denmark. Kessler threw most punches in the first rounds and won the match by unanimous decision.
6. Vargas vs Salido (2016)
Francisco Vargas defended his WBC Super Featherweight belt at Carson, California in 2016 against Orlando Salido. Thousands of tickets sold out before the bout as the two fighters were popular for their action-packed matches. They landed 2,123 punches in twelve rounds. But, the fight ended as a draw.
7. Crawford vs Gamboa (2014)
Terrence Crawford defended his WBO Lightweight belt in 2014 at the CenturyLink Centre, Nebraska. He faced Yuriorkis Gamboa, a former Unified Featherweight champion and a Cuban Olympic gold medalist. Gamboa was busy in the first rounds but Crawford increasedhis hand speed as the match continued. Crawford has a TKO victory after the ninth round. Heknocked Gamboa four times in the match.
Four major bodies including the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Organization (WBO), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) sanction professional boxing. Unlike amateur boxing, prizefighting has twelve rounds. Sanctioning bodies endorse high-profile matches and they award championship belts.
