Settling on just a handful of great fights from the entire history of the sport is never easy, and finding the context and rationale is perhaps the hardest part. Define ‘great’ or ‘greatest’ or ‘best’.
Our list is not just based on how ‘big’ the fight was or how ‘great’ it eventually turned out to be. It is something of a mix. A pugilistic odyssey which is as much personal as it is definitive.
So here goes…
Often two fighters are tied to each other in boxing history - it’s difficult to mention one without the other. X vs Y is as powerful as either fighter in isolation.
Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn absolutely fit that narrative, and they faced each other twice in a glorious era for British boxing in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The build-up and hype before their first meeting in Birmingham in November 1990 was off the charts. Benn was the deadly ‘Dark Destroyer’ who had wrecked just about everything put in front of him en route to a 27-1 pro record. Eubank meanwhile was the cerebral, poetry-spouting enigma with a 24-0 ledger. It was the perfect clash of egos, and fireworks would be the result.
This was the scenario in early October 1993 when WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis defended his title against Frank Bruno at Cardiff Arms Park in the Welsh capital.
Lewis had ascended to the WBC throne when Riddick Bowe famously threw the belt into a trash can rather than fight the British star. This was his second defence of the belt.
Despite his undoubted brilliance, Lewis still struggled for acceptance in Britain. He had moved to Canada at the age of 12 and wore a maple leaf when he fought at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and then again when he claimed gold in Seoul in 1988.
Bruno meanwhile was a British hero - much loved and craving the world title had searched so long for. It was the first time two British fighters had met with a world heavyweight title on the line in the modern era, but it almost didn’t feel like that. It felt like Lewis was the away fighter.
Most of Bruno’s defeats during a distinguished career played out in the same way (we are discounting the pair at the devastating hands of Mike Tyson). He was very much in control, until he wasn’t.
When Frank had lost to Tim Witherspoon at Wembley in his first world title challenge in 1987, he appeared to be in control until late in the fight, when things went south very quickly and irrevocably. This wasn’t quite as stark, but it had those vibes.
With a raucous crowd roaring on every punch, Bruno more than held his own in the early going, sending the 25,000 fans in attendance wild when he smacked Lennox with a beautiful right in the third. Lewis would later claim the blow did not hurt him.
Frank continued to give Lennox all he could handle to the halfway point of the bout - and two judges had it level at that stage with the other - somehow - scoring Bruno ahead by four rounds.
While Bruno may have been having visions of finally donning that elusive belt at this stage, in reality his hopes were about to be shattered. As soon as Lewis really opened up, things escalated very very fast.
Bruno’s key mistake here may have been thinking he had Lewis in trouble with a furious flurry of punches early in the seventh. Lewis would later say he was not hurt, but merely lost his footing. Frank smelled blood, but within a few seconds it would be his own.
The meeting of Cooper and Bugner was a seminal moment in British heavyweight history - a passing of the torch. It was the end of one man’s career, and it would colour every second of the other’s.
While Cooper’s narrow points defeat on a huge night at Wembley’s Empire Pool on March 16, 1971 was the final fight of his glittering career, for Bugner it turned out to be equally important. The Hungarian refugee was never forgiven for denying Cooper a winning farewell, and he later became so disillusioned with life in the UK that he eventually moved away to Australia.
Cooper, like Frank Bruno after him, was a national hero and a national treasure. He was also the reigning Sports Personality Of The Year. Bugner, like Lennox Lewis after him, was seen as the outsider.
It seems amazing now but the big showdown between the pair in the capital was not even televised live in the UK. No PPV or live streams back in the day. Just a packed crowd in the arena and people at home listening on transistor radios.
There were British, Commonwealth and European titles on the line - but in reality way more than that. The gravity of the outcome that night would only become truly clear as the years passed.
If you think scoring controversies are a big deal right now - and you’d be right - imagine the furore after this one some 51 years on. The result continues to divide opinion.
Cooper was undoubtedly the more aggressive fighter but Bugner - an underrated heavy from a skill perspective - was technically excellent and his left jab was a productive scoring shot.
The bout went the full 15 rounds (this was way before the switch down to 12 for title fights) and it was inevitable when the final bell sounded that there would be controversy.
Only referee Harry Gibbs would score the bout - no ringside judges for this one - and his card would split national opinion. The blue touchpaper was lit when he raised Bugner’s arm following the final round.
Gibbs’ scorecard had the two fighters dead level after 14 rounds, and the fact he handed Bugner the 15th and final session also gave Joe the win. Cooper though felt hard done by and even commentator Harry Carpenter issued one famous rhetorical question to his national audience:
“How in the world can you take away the man’s three titles like that?”
The difference between the two men according to Gibbs was tiny - just one quarter of a point with the final verdict 73¾ to 73½. The ramifications though would be enormous for decades afterwards.
Okay this is where the personal really comes in. This might not have had huge build-up and crossover appeal, but it remains one of THE great fights in recent British boxing history.
If you haven’t seen it, then 20 minutes to acquaint yourself on YouTube would be time eminently well spent. It is epic in its breathless violence and raw pugilistic beauty.
The bout took place in Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh in October 2003, in front of a frenzied sellout crowd.
Scottish star Arthur, the bright young thing of British boxing back then, was undefeated and expected to stay that way. Gomez, the ‘Manchester Mexican’ who had been born in Ireland, had a huge personality and a venomous left hook. But after many battles both in and out of the ring he appeared to be the fall guy and on the downside of his career.
This was classic England vs Scotland with a little bit of Ireland and Mexico thrown in. It did not disappoint. The British featherweight title was on the line, but in reality the belt became almost meaningless in comparison to the memories the two men left in the ring that famous night.
Arthur perhaps made the mistake of standing toe to toe with Gomez and not trying to use his terrific boxing ability to win the fight from the outside. The result was raw and spellbinding action for five incredible rounds.
Neither man would take a step back as both stood in the pocket and blitzed each other with a never-ending flow of power shots which seemed likely to close the show at any time.
Gomez in particular could not seem to miss with that deadly left hook and he had Arthur in trouble within 20 seconds of the opening bell. This was just the start, and the first was all Gomez as he battered a bewildered Arthur repeatedly with that left hook.
Round two saw Arthur do what he needed to do - and it worked as he boxed superbly at range to school Gomez to deafening cheers from the home crowd. Round three promised more of the same but for some reason Alex decided to ditch the gameplan.
The result was a resumption of that toe-to-toe fury from Round 1, and this type of fight favoured Gomez and that left hook. He landed heavy blow after heavy blow and a bleeding Arthur somehow survived to hear the bell.
Round 4 was epic stuff with first Arthur and then Gomez holding sway with blistering attacks. Alex was buckled and on wobbly legs yet again by the time the bell sounded.
The fifth would be Arthur’s last stand as he again refused to give an inch, instead trying to wage war with the brutal Gomez. He did have Michael in trouble with a terrific body shot, but within seconds the Manchester man responded with a powerful flurry of his own. This culminated in yet another left hook, which this time landed Arthur on his back.
Not only was Arthur swiftly up to his knees, but he was smiling at the TV cameras. In reality it was bravado and once the action resumed he was easy meat for the marauding Gomez, who rained down punches to leave referee John Coyle with no option but to stop the bout.
If you ask any boxing fan now about either man, they will likely start their response by talking about this fight. A hidden gem to the larger British population, but an all-time classic for diehard aficionados.