Now we get back to all-time greats in bouts that made headlines worldwide for our next Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. The dice have randomly selected 1973 for our next fight, which means we are going to be reviewing perhaps the shortest fight on our list. You may be asking, how can a fight that lasted only five minutes, less than two rounds, and which was so staggeringly one-sided, possibly be a fight of the year?
Well, the answer to that is that we are discussing the 1973 "Sunshine Showdown" in Kingston, Jamaica, between undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion "Smokin'" Joe Frazier and undefeated wrecking machine Big George Foreman. The champ had held the title for five years, and was nearly two years removed from successfully defending it against the man who originally held it, Muhammad Ali. Everyone knew that Frazier and Foreman were two of the most dangerous heavyweights in history, and wondered how this fight would turn out.
What the world saw shocked the boxing world to its core, as the challenger totally dominated Frazier, literally knocking him from pillar to post with six knockdowns in less than five minutes to take the title, setting up another titanic matchup that would be the next year's fight of the year.
Run, don't walk, to your headphones to listen to Rob and Butch's analysis!
