Sometimes, when a sport has garnered so much attention in such a short period of time, fans can find themselves suffering a kind of tunnel vision; a happy byproduct of being so thoroughly entertained in one area that all other considerations are rendered moot.
But that isn’t always a fortunate thing.
For a great many MMA fans, the notion of watching boxing seems stale and one-dimensional; like watching a game of checkers when one could be watching chess.
But that is honestly the worst kind of parallel when considering the world of professional boxing, yet it is also aptly describes the attitude many MMA fans have about the sweet science.
As a fan of both sports, I find myself amazed at how many incredible, jaw-dropping bouts in the world of boxing go unnoticed and unappreciated by the same MMA fans who are calling out for the kind of wars that helped pull the sport out of near extinction and into the mainstream.
For those fans, it is all about Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley or Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva.
It’s not hard to understand the loyalty MMA fans have for their sport because boxing fans are the same way, but at a certain point, a fight becomes so great that it honestly surpasses such limitations, existing in a wholly different realm—that area where great fights can only be measured by other great fights, be they in MMA, boxing or wherever.
And that is what this piece is all about.
Here is a list of 10 fantastic fights from the world of boxing, each due the full attention of any serious fan of great fights, no matter which sport they come from.