Oldskool Boxing

🇺🇸 Daniel Jacobs vs Peter Quillin 🇺🇸
5 December 2015
WBA Middleweight Title
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Two Brooklyn middleweights, both with serious reputations, and a fight many expected to be one of the toughest of Daniel Jacobs’ career. Quillin entered unbeaten at 32-0-1 and had previously held the WBO middleweight title

🇺🇸 Peter Quillin vs Andy Lee 🇮🇪
11 April 2015
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

This turned into a proper battle of momentum. Quillin started brilliantly, dropping Lee in the first and again in the third, and for a while it looked as though his power might overwhelm the Irishman.

Lee did what he had made a habit of doing throughout his career — stayed dangerous even when things were going badly. In the seventh he put Quillin down and dragged himself right back into the fight.

After 12 rounds the judges couldn't separate them: 113–112 Lee, 113–112 Quillin and 113–113 — split draw.

Cory Spinks vs Zab Judah I
10 Apr 2004
Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Undisputed Welterweight Championship — WBA, WBC & IBF

This was a much better fight than the scorecards might suggest. Spinks' movement and slick southpaw boxing frustrated Judah for long periods, but both men hit the canvas late.

Cory Spinks vs Zab Judah II 🇺🇸🇺🇸
5 February 2005
Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Undisputed Welterweight Championship — WBA, WBC & IBF

Ten months after losing their first fight, Zab Judah travelled into Cory Spinks' hometown looking for revenge. More than 20,000 packed the Savvis Center, with Nelly accompanying Spinks to the ring for one of the biggest boxing nights St. Louis had seen in decades.

🇯🇲 Ovill McKenzie vs Enzo Maccarinelli 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 9 Nov 2012
Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Title
Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, UK

The stoppage was heavily criticised. Referee Ian John-Lewis jumped in while Maccarinelli was backed to the ropes, but Enzo still had his guard up, was firing back and appeared completely alert. ITV reported boos from the crowd and disappointment from fellow fighters, while McKenzie himself admitted afterwards that he thought it had been stopped prematurely and offered Enzo a rematch.

Maccarinelli vs McKenzie II
17 August 2013
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales

Commonwealth light-heavyweight title
The rematch was about setting the record straight after the controversial ending to their first fight. This time there could be no argument.

It developed into a tough, competitive fight, but Maccarinelli gradually took control before stopping McKenzie with just 16 seconds left in the 11th round to win the Commonwealth title.

🇬🇧 Amir Khan vs Phil Lo Greco 🇨🇦 21 Apr 2018
Echo Arena, Liverpool, UK

Lo Greco made the mistake of taking the trash talk far too personally, bringing Khan’s wife and private family problems into it. Khan immediately threw a glass of water in his face and both teams rushed in.

Three months later, Khan made an even quicker statement in the ring, stopping Lo Greco in just 39 seconds on his return after nearly two years away.

David Haye turned up at Vitali Klitschko’s post-fight press conference looking to talk himself into a fight with the WBC champion.

Instead, he literally talked his way into a fight with Dereck Chisora...there and then.

🇬🇧 Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson 🇺🇸 22 Jan 2002
Hudson Theatre, New York City

The fight was originally scheduled for 6 April at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Then Tyson charged across the stage, Lewis fought back and the press conference descended into chaos.

Nevada refused Tyson a licence, forcing the biggest heavyweight fight in years out of Las Vegas. It was delayed for two months and eventually moved to Memphis, where Lewis would settle the score properly.

🇬🇧 Julius Francis (23-24-1, 12 KOs) vs 🇬🇧 “Roadman” (0-0, 0 KOs) 11 June 2022
Unofficial Heavyweight Contest
BOXPARK Wembley, London, England

You don’t play boxing, and this is the perfect example why.

Francis was 57 years old, clearly overweight and had not boxed professionally for 16 years. In his prime, he won the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles and famously faced Mike Tyson.

Here, he was simply working security when a man became aggressive and came towards him. One short right hand later, the argument was over.

We all criticise fighters from the comfort of our sofas, but this is a reminder that even the boxers we dismiss on television would knock out 99% of ordinary people without breaking a sweat.

The recovery position at the end 😂