Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk Retouching History

This year’s boxing showdown between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, which Usyk won, could kick off a potential historical rivalry like a few the world has seen.

History was rewritten that night in Saudi Arabia as Anthony Joshua’s training for the heavyweight showdown, which was his best preparation for a bout since he turned professional years ago, counted for nothing.

He lost in his attempt to recapture the heavyweight belts he relinquished to the same fighter a year earlier.

From the information that filtered in from the camps of both fighters penultimate that evening’s showdown, which was christened “The Rage On The Red See,” it was clear that both fighters had prepared the way neither of them had ever prepared ahead of a bout before.

The bout eventually turned out to be a good one, though not a super bout like most boxing fans would have expected. Nonetheless, it lived up to the expectation of fans. Usyk eventually won on a split decision.

People who feel there wouldn’t be another meeting between the two might not be waiting for too long as there could be a third and even fourth meeting between them.

The angle I am looking at is that of being a potential rivalry that could still see one or two other meetings between the two, considering the frenzy and big purse this rivalry could still generate in years to come.

After all, that’s what the promoters, the regulators, the rights owners, and the fans want.

The potential is there for everyone to see; I do not think anyone can doubt that.

The long-term ring personalities of the two pugilists have already been reshaped. The definition of heavyweight boxing has come to stay in a positive dimension, depending on both fighters’ velocity and attitude to business; though many fans and pundits might call that night in Jeddah a drab night, I was personally satisfied with both men.

That night created a possible new rivalry for the future heavyweight brands in terms of purses, glitz, and media razmataz.

Now, by personal speculation, let’s look at the top three rivalries in boxing history (In my opinion) and see why this particular fight is a potential spectacle at the level of long-term rivalry.



*Jake “The Bronx Bull” LaMotta vs. Sugar Ray Robinson, 14th February 1951.

World Middleweight Championship Bout.

VENUE: Chicago Stadium, the USA.



The most recognizable rivalry in boxing history, both men met six times, and all their meetings were blockbusters, with this one not an exception.
It was the sixth and final meeting between both men.

The fight, which was scheduled to last for 15 rounds and following the bloodied faces at the end of the bout, the bout later became known as the “Saint Valentine’s Day massacre,” the boxing version of the killing spree allegedly carried out by Al Capone’s men on 14th February 1929 on some mafia rivals in Chicago.

In a pre-match conference, LaMotta boasted that even if he were beaten, his back would never touch the ground, and that was precisely what happened.

In his absorbing style, LaMotta received all the beatings in the world, but his back never touched the ground, and the few punches he unleashed were ultimately deadly and, at a time, unsettled Robinson.

With all of Robinson’s mighty blows, LaMotta refused to go down.

Robinson eventually won by a technical knockout in the 13th round when the referee had to stop the fight.

Pundits of the game have consistently described Robinson as being the most “oiled” boxing machine” the ring has ever seen and the “Best Pound for Pound” boxer in the last 100 years, but he always had issues beating LaMotta, who, on his side, was the perfect human version of a raging Bull.

In the most famous rivalry in boxing history, Robinson won their meeting 5-1 against LaMotta. But some pundits believed it could have been even as some of the meetings ended in highly controversial circumstances.

In Robinson’s five victories, the six-foot boxer appealed to an invariable recipe: the fast one-two, and at times backing up hitting non-stop, while LaMotta behaved as the fighting animal he had the nickname for, never letting his guard down.

As I posited earlier, LaMotta defeated Robinson once. At the same time, Robinson won five times. Still, the most iconic moment in this period remains the victory for LaMotta, which was a unanimous decision to win over Robinson on 5th February 1943.

However, the final bout between the two was the mother of all bouts attacks on “Valentine’s day of 1951”, which Robinson dominated and won, and LaMotta refused to fall.

*Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali vs. “Smoking” Joe Frazier, 1st October 1975.

World Heavyweight Title Fight.

VENUE: Araneta Coliseum, Manila, The Philippines.

These men had what could even today still be described as the most famous trilogy in heavyweight boxing history.

In the 1970s, Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier bout used to be a sellout regardless of where the bout was staged.

The first of their meetings was on the 8th March 1971, tagged “Fight of the Century,” at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

At the time of the first of their three meetings, the fight was widely regarded as the biggest boxing match in history and the single most publicized sporting event.

It was the first time two undefeated boxers who held or had held the world Heavyweight title fought each other for the heavyweight title.

Joe Frazier had won the bout in 15 rounds by unanimous decision.

Ali won their second meeting tagged “Super Fight II” in a highly controversial unanimous decision on 28 January 1974 at the same venue. Still, their best was yet to come, their final meeting on 1st October 1975 at the capital city of the Philippines, Manila. It was christened “The Thrilla In Manila.”

Many to date regard that bout as the best in heavyweight boxing history and one of the best in the entire history of the sport.

The bout was held at the Araneta Coliseum in the little town of Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

For this very bout, the venue was temporarily renamed the “Philippine Coliseum.”

Ali eventually won the grueling contest on technical knockout after the 14th round as Frazier’s corner asked the referee to stop the bout.

Years later, Ali, in his autobiography “The Greatest,” said he wouldn’t have got up from his ring corner for the final round because he had told his corner he was completely tired out and wouldn’t be able to carry on. Frazier’s corner didn’t know Ali was preparing to surrender. While Frazier was rearing to go because he believed he would win, his corner chief, Eddie Futch, urged the referee to stop the fight and persuaded Frazier to give up.

The contest’s name was coined from Ali’s rhyming response to Frazier, who said he would be a gorilla when he met Ali in Manila.

Ali responded that the fight would be “a thrilla, chilla, and killa when I meet the gorilla in Manila.”

The fight was watched by a record television audience of an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide, including 100 million viewers watching the fight on closed-circuit theatre television and 500,000 pay-per-view buys.




*Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield vs. Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe. 13th November 1992


World Heavyweight Title Fight.


VENUE: Thomas and Mark Center, Paradise, Nevada, USA.


For all those boxing fans around the world like me who were either not born or not quite old enough to remember the great rivalry between Ali and Frazier, the rivalry between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield was a kind of consolation.

The 1990s were a decade for delicious heavyweight contests, and the battles between Bowe and Holyfield set the rhythm.

On October 25, 1990, world number one contender Holyfield fought James “Buster” Douglas in the first defense of the title Douglas won eight months earlier by upsetting “Iron” Mike Tyson in Tokyo.

Holyfield defeated an out-of-shape Douglas by knocking him out in the third round and had made three defenses of his title entering this fight with Bowe.

The first was against George Foreman, the former champion attempting a comeback and becoming the oldest heavyweight champion ever.

After winning a unanimous decision, Holyfield signed to fight Tyson on November 8, 1991, but Tyson pulled out with an injury. Instead, Holyfield took on journeyman Bert Cooper and suffered his first career knockdown, nearly falling to defeat before rallying to knock out the lightly regarded contender in a fight the WBC refused to sanction as a title fight.

The Tyson fight was scuttled after Tyson was convicted of rape and incarcerated in early 1992.

Holyfield had moved up from cruiserweight, where he was perhaps the greatest of all time.

He dropped the belts he won from Douglas to Bowe in their first meeting in November 1992.

Bowe tossed a third of his title in the garbage rather than defend it against Lennox Lewis. Holyfield won back the two remaining belts by majority decision in November 1993. Bowe won their third fight by Round 8 TKO in 1995.

The first two bouts were classics, with the first among the ten greatest heavyweight championship fights ever.

Bowe was never more well-conditioned or better prepared for a fight than he was that night.

The ferocious Holyfield showed the heart of a pit bull and took the fight to the bigger man. Nearly every second of every round was fiercely contested.

Many pundits have given their last meeting as the best in their series, but I will go for the first, considering the high-level technical exchanges and how both men came for each other.

Bowe eventually won the contest on a 12th-round unanimous decision over Holyfield. But their series was a delight to behold.

Their meetings will continue to be remembered by history students as one of the greatest rivalries in the sport.



There are other magnificent rivalries in boxing history; as a matter of fact, they are too numerous to mention.

The likes of Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns vs. “Marvelous” Marvin Haggler, Ken Norton vs. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier, Fernando Vargas vs. Oscar De La Hoya, Stanley Ketchel vs. Billy Papke, Cocoa Kid vs. Holman Williams, Henry Armstrong vs. Baby Arizmendi, Barney Ross vs. Jimmy McLarnin, Ted “Kid” Lewis vs. Jack Britton all formed great rivalries and so many others as well.

While some of these rivals met just once, others met severally, and these meetings have defined the sport.

Looking at all these meetings and several others unmentioned, I strongly believe Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will meet again. If it happens, it will possibly end up being a blockbuster.