Vasil Lomachenko’s WBO super-featherweight world title defence against Guillermo Rigondeaux on December 12 has a touch of greatness etched over it.
The bout at Madison Square Gardens, New York, pits two of the most decorated amateurs ever to lace up a pair of glove – Rigondeaux a gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens games, whilst Lomachenko earned double-gold at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London games respectively.
In recognition of this bout, we rank the greatest fights between Olympic gold medallists.
5) Wladimir Klitschko vs Alexander Povetkin (October 2013)
In 2013, Wladimir Klitschko travelled away from home to fight the undefeated Alexander Povetkin in Russia.
The bout will be remembered for the masterclass displayed by Klitschko, whose superior jab kept the on-rushing Povetkin at bay throughout the whole contest.
A left-hook from ‘Dr Steelhammer’ dropped the home fighter to the floor for the first time in his career in the second round, whilst a brutal seventh stanza resulted in Povetkin hitting the canvas three more times.
Klitschko would eventually win on points 119-104 on all three judges’ scorecards.
4) Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks (February 1978)
Spinks, who won light-heavyweight gold at the Montreal Games in 1976, shocked the world in defeating Ali via a split-decision verdict.
It was only Spinks’ eighth professional contest, yet he became the new WBC and WBA heavyweight champion.
Ali was the odds-on favourite to retain his titles at the Superdome in New Orleans, but the youth and endeavour of the 24-year-old challenger resulted in one of the biggest heavyweight shocks ever seen in a boxing ring.
The pair met in a rematch seven months later, with a much sharper Ali out-boxing the youngster to win via unanimous decision. In the process, he became the first man to be crowned world heavyweight champion three times.
3)Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqcFZqtra3o
Anthony Joshua’s fight against Wladimir Klitschko was viewed by many as a changing of the guard.
In front of an expectant 90,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium, it was ‘AJ’ who started off aggressively, sending the former lineal champion to the canvas in the fifth-round.
Despite having youth on his side though, it was Joshua who seemed to be feeling the pace of the contest and was dropped heavily for the first time as a professional in the sixth. Klitschko then dominated the following rounds as the Brit seemed to be on the brink of suffering an upset loss.
However, the 27-year-old managed to gather his second wind and unloaded a barrage of vicious combinations, including a spiteful uppercut, to end the contest in the 11th-round.
2) Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman (October 1974)
Foreman took on Ali in the legendary Rumble in the Jungle, staged in Kinshasa, Zaire.
The contest is famed for Ali’s rope-a-dope tactics, as he bravely absorbed blow after blow from the WBC and WBA titleholder without throwing a great deal back. However, the plan worked.
In allowing the 1968 Olympic heavyweight champion to punch himself out. Having sapped the energy of the champion, he recorded a stunning knockout in the final seconds of the eighth round.
It was a famous victory for Ali – he gambled with his tactics but hit the jackpot, taking both belts to reign supreme in the division again.
1) Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III (October 1975)
Having won the second rubber in an understated contest in 1974, Ali – now the heavyweight champion – met Frazier for a third and final time in a fight forever known as the Thrilla in Manila.
Fought in the heat of a Philippines morning, Ali started off aggressively and dominated the early sessions.
However, Frazier came back into the contest as the fight wore on, rocking Ali in the sixth before toe-to-toe action ensued in rounds seven and eight.
Exhaustion affected both men, hardly surprising given the stifling conditions, and it was Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, who eventually pulled his charge out before the start of the 15th, handing an exhausted Ali victory.
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