Great Quotes Made and Not Made!

When Joe ‘The Brown Bomber’ won the world heavyweight title, stopping champion James Braddock in June of 1937, he said, “Until I beat Max Schmeling, I’m not the champion!” He was talking about the KO defeat in 1936. He got his revenge in 1939 at Madison Square Garden, knocking Schmeling out in the first round.

When ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, 27-0, lost to Roberto ‘Hands of Stone’ Duran, 71-1, in June of 1980 against the Durans, he got a rematch. He boxed Duran so badly that Duran retired from the chair in November.

In April 1987, Leonard defeated Marvin Hagler for his middleweight title. Hagler retired and moved to Italy, not wanting a repeat.

In April 2002, Lightweight champion Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather received a unanimous decision against Jose Luis Castillo. Eight months later, he gave him a rematch, and easily defeated him.

In June 2012, Manny ‘Pac Man’ Pacquiao was knocked out by Tim Bradley, Jr., but in April 2014, he defeated Bradley in a rematch.

In November 2016, Andre “SOG” Ward won a unanimous decision over Sergey Kovalev in a light heavyweight title fight and gave him a quick rematch, stopping Kovalev, and retired from boxing.

Heavyweight champion Rock Marciano earned a close, if uncontested, decision over Roland LaStarza in March of 1950 before winning the title. After stopping ‘Jersey’ Joe Walcott for the title again in his next fight, he stopped LaStarza.

In November 1986, Super Featherweight champion Alfredo Escalera won a split decision over Tyrone Everett of Philadelphia in Philadelphia. He never received a rematch, and the Pennsylvania judge who voted for Escalara never served another show.

Historian Jim Jacobs told me that the worst decision he ever saw was in June 1963, when former light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson was robbed by Willie Pastrano by split decision and never got a rematch.

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali lost to Ken Norton and Smokin’ Joe Frazier in their first fights but defeated them twice in rematches.

In June of 1983, Heavyweight champion Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes, 42-0, won a unanimous decision against ‘Terrible’ Tim Witherspoon, 15-0, and was denied a rematch.

What fight did you want to see in a rematch that never happened?