Marciano epitomized “blood and guts” during his rematch with the great Ezzard Charles.
Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling June 22, 1938 (KO 1)
The title wasn’t on the line in their first fight, when a young Louis was taken to school by the former champ from Germany, but it was in the rematch. America held its collective breath as the Brown Bomber, by then the defending champ, sought revenge in front of more than 70,000 fans at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich in Europe cast an ominous and foreboding shadow over the U.S., while the Nazi leader’s designation of Schmeling as an Aryan figurehead added to Louis’ motivation and his role – backed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt – as an American hero.
he was revered as the toughest son of a gun in boxing. His two bouts with Charles proved it. The first fight was a grueling 15-round battle that took a toll on both heavyweights. The rematch, which took place at Yankee Stadium before 34,000 fans just three months later, wasn’t as competitive early on as Marciano bossed the aging former champ around the ring. However, the fight took a turn in favor of Charles when Marciano suffered a vertical cut on his nose in Round 6. The cut worsened in Round 7, and began to look like Marciano’s nose would split in half if the bout continued, but the champ was given one more round by referee Al Beri, because, hey, he’s Rocky! Marciano did what great fighters (and great punchers) do in Round 8 – he closed the show. The bout, The Ring’s Fight of the Year, was broadcast on radio, TV and in closed-circuit theaters. Both fighters took home significant shares from the gate as well as the TV money. Ingemar Johansson vs. Floyd Patterson June 20, 1960 (L-KO 5) Patterson was absolutely crushed by the hard-punching Johansson in their
first fight, downed seven times in three rounds. However, the popular New Yorker struck first in the rematch, which took place in front of more than 30,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in NYC, and Patterson made history as the first former heavyweight champion to regain the title. The bout, which was The Ring’s choice for Fight of the Year, was a profile in modern boxing economics. The bulk of revenue came not so much from the gate (which grossed a respectable $824,814), but rather radio and TV (both domestic and foreign), and from movie and closed-circuit theater rights. The gross closed-circuit revenue totalled more than $2.2 million.
The bout lasted less than a round but grossed a little over $1 million. However, this fight wasn’t about money. Louis’ victory came to symbolize courage and hope in the face of tyranny and the coming World War. Joe Louis vs. Jersey Joe Walcott June 25, 1948 (KO 11) Louis’ last hurrah. After being thoroughly outboxed, dropped twice and embarrassed en route to an undeserved 15-round split decision in their first meeting, Louis set out to redeem himself in front of 42,000-plus at Yankee Stadium. The aging American hero suffered an early flash knockdown and was once again troubled by the challenger’s unorthodox ring brilliance, but Louis kept the pressure on until he caught Walcott in the 11th, ending the fight in his brutal inimitable fashion. It was Louis’ 25th and final title defense. Rocky Marciano vs. Ezzard Charles September 17, 1954 (KO 8) Marciano is remembered for retiring undefeated and dying in a tragic airplane crash, but during his reign
Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston May 25, 1965 (KO 1)
This is the one rematch on this list that wasn’t a big event yielding substantial ticket receipts, which isn’t to say that it wasn’t anticipated. However, for a number of reasons – Liston’s reputed mob ties, Ali’s involvement with the Nation of Islam, death threats, rumors of fight fixing, etc. – the rematch of the 1964 Upset of the Year couldn’t find a major city or venue in the U.S. to host it. The bout took place in an auditorium
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