Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather and the Top 20 Super-Fights of All Time

Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the super-fight that the entire boxing world has been clamoring for.

Pacquiao recently set up the date for his next bout, but the opponent has not been decided.

While there is a sliver of hope that Mayweather will be that man, chances are, we'll have to wait longer for this super-fight to happen, if it ever even reaches that point.

Which fights between two stars turned out to be the best matches in boxing history?

20. Rocky Marciano vs. Archie Moore

Date: September 21, 1955

In Rocky Marciano's final fight before retirement, the legendary Archie Moore gave him all he could handle.

Marciano went down in the second round, but battled back after that taking Moore down five times and finally knocking him out in the ninth round.

19. Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton

Date: September 28, 1973

Muhammad Ali met Ken Norton in the ring in San Diego with the NABF Heavyweight Title on the line.

This fight will be best known for two things: Norton broke Ali's jaw and he won by split decision after 15 grueling rounds.

That would be Ali's second career loss.

18. Jack Johnson vs. Stanley Ketchel

Date: October 16, 1909

Both Jack Johnson and Stanley Ketchel are two of the greatest boxers ever.

Ketchel, known for his great chin and hard, hammering fists, went down in rounds two and three.

When the 12th round came, the judges were nearly split on the winner of the bout. Johnson went down early in the 12th, but came back quickly and caught Ketchel's head with a right cross that took him down for good.

17. Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Firpo

Date: September 14, 1923

Jack Dempsey was defending his title against Luis Angel Firpo in New York at the Polo Grounds.

Dempsey actually knocked Firpo to the canvas seven times—there were no rules for going to the neutral corner after a knockdown—in the first round.

However, Firpo knocked Dempsey clean out of the ring.

After 11 total knock downs from the two fighters, Dempsey won by a knockout in the second round.

16. George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle

Date: January 24, 1976

This bout featured two heavy hitters between George Foreman and Ron Lyle.

By the middle rounds, the fight turned into an all out slugfest.

Both fighters hit the deck twice in this fight and they traded heavy blows throughout.

However, Lyle was tired by the fifth round from exerting so much energy into pummeling Foreman.

Foreman appeared to be nearly out of the fight, but he delivered a furious combination of punches that sent Lyle down for good.

15. Rocky Marciano vs. Ezzard Charles

Date: June 17, 1954

Ezzard "Cincinnati Cobra" Charles is considered to be one of the greatest light heavyweights of all-time.

People who say Rocky Marciano didn't have great competition must have forgotten about Charles.

Behind his masterful jab, Charles went the distance with Marciano—the only man to ever go all 15 rounds against the Heavyweight Champion—but fell short on points.

14. Muhammed Ali vs. George Foreman

Date: October 30, 1970

Taking place in Zaire, "The Rumble in the Jungle" is one of the most famous fights in the history of boxing.

Muhammad Ali was an underdog going up against the monstrous George Foreman. It was speed versus power.

Ali came out peppering Foreman with strikes, but decided to change tactics in the second round. He employed his famous rope-a-dope strategy in this bout. He leaned on the ropes and conserved his energy while taking a pounding, and finally came alive in the eighth round when Foreman was exhausted.

Ali attacked Foreman with a fierce combination in the final round and Foreman went down and did not beat the count.

13. Lou Ambers vs. Henry Armstrong

Date: August 17, 1938

Lou Ambers and Henry Armstrong met at Madison Square Garden in a major title fight.

Ambers was knocked down twice in the middle rounds, but came back strong in the later rounds as he attempted to mount a furious comeback.

He inevitably fell short after losing a controversial split decision.

12. Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe

Date: November 13, 1992

This was the first of yet another exciting trilogy.

The two fought a memorable fight, but it was the 10th round that really stood out above the rest. The two completely forgot about defense and started slugging each other in an all out war.

Holyfield tried to trade blows with Bowe and ending up really paying for it in the 11th round when Bowe knocked him down.

Bowe walked away with the unanimous decision.

11. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran

Date: 20, 1980

Better known as "The Brawl in Montreal," this was the first of an exciting trilogy between the two.

Duran suffocated Leonard through most of the fight, bullying him against the ropes.

Leonard eventually found some breathing space and began to counter Duran, but it would not be enough.

Leonard lost by unanimous decision in the 15th and final round of the fight.

10. Rocky Marciano vs. Joe Walcott

Date: September 23, 1952

Rocky "The Brockton Blockbuster" Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott set the young gun up against the aging, but still peak veteran.

Marciano went down quickly in the first round, but he battled back all the way until the 13th round.

Marciano was down on all the judges' scorecards up until that point, but he finished the fight off in emphatic fashion. He caught Walcott's jaw with a right cross that needed no count to determine the outcome.

The Brockton Blockbuster was finally heavyweight champion of the world.

9. Aaron Pryor vs. Alexis Arguello

Date: November 12, 1982

Aaron Pryor won by TKO in round 14 out of 15

Alexis Arguello, hailing from Nicaragua, was one of the greatest lightweights in boxing.

Facing off against Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor in their first meeting, the two waged a toe-to-toe battle at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

Arguello suffered a cut in the middle of the fight and eventually lost by TKO in the 14th round. In the end, he couldn't handle the flurry of punches thrown by Pryor.

8. Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy Hearns

Date: April 15, 1985

While the fight only lasted three rounds, this fight had the most exciting eight minute span in any fight in boxing history.

The opening round is arguably one of, if not the greatest single round in the history of the sport. Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns battered each other for three straight minutes and that set the tone for the next two rounds.

Hagler caught Hearns with a flurry in the third and Hearns went down, ending the fight.

This fight was dubbed "The War," and you couldn't choose a more appropriate name.

7. Larry Holmes vs. Ken Norton

Date: June 9, 1978

Ken Norton had his first title defense against Larry Holmes with the WBC Heavyweight title on the line.

Norton, while still in his prime, was nearing the end of his career. Holmes, on the other hand, was just hitting his prime. This set up a spectacular matchup between the two.

Holmes' left triceps muscle was actually torn, limiting one of his most effective weapons: the jab. Even so, Holmes easily won the first half of the fight.

However, Norton battled back in the second half and brought the decision to a close draw entering the 15th round.

The final round between the two is one of the greatest finishes of all time. Holmes simply gave more and he walked away with a split decision that came down to a single point.

6. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler

Date: April 6, 1987

Dubbed "The Super Fight," Sugar Ray Leonard met up against Marvin Hagler

Leonard took the early rounds when Hagler opted to fight in an orthodox stance, but the tide turned back Hagler's way after he went back to southpaw.

Halfway through the bout, Leonard started to tire and Hagler capitalized.

In the final rounds, the two traded furious flurries until the final bell.

The outcome came down to the judges' scorecards and it ended with a controversial split decision in favor of Leonard.

5. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I

Date: March 8, 1971

This fight started the great trilogy between the two and is perhaps better known as no more than "The Fight."

Muhammad Ali started the match strong, taking an early lead. However, Joe Frazier began to overtake Ali after several rounds and the two traded blows until late in the fight.

The match was near even after 11 rounds, but Frazier took over after that and held the lead in a grueling finish.

Frazier won by unanimous decision, giving Ali his first professional loss.

4. Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor

Date: March 17, 1990

Both Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor entered this highly anticipated bout with undefeated records and the Light Welterweight title on the line.

Taylor was ahead on two scorecards entering the 12th and final round, but an uppercut followed by a cross by Chavez sent Taylor to the ground.

After the count reached five, Taylor got up but the referee waved the fight off with only two seconds remaining.

It was a controversial ending to say the least.

Not only was the fight considered to be fight of the year, it was also widely considered to be fight of the decade.

3. Arturo Gatti vs. Mickey Ward I

Date: May 18, 2002

The first of three matches between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward is the best of the group.

Gatti and Ward were unrelenting in their attacks, punishing one another for all 10 rounds.

However, Ward's savage blow to Gatti's body dropped him to the ground, giving Ward the final edge in the cards.

Ward walked away with a majority decision victory after 10 brutal rounds of action.

2. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns

Date: September 16, 1981

This fight was known simply as "The Showdown."

The stakes were high with the unification of the World Welterweight Championship on the line. Sugar Ray Leonard held the WBC title and Tommy Hearns held the WBA title.

Leonard and Hearns traded leads throughout the fight, with each throwing a flurry of punches in an unrelenting battle.

Finally, in the 13th round, Leonard went berserk and knocked Hearns through the ropes. Leonard would finish Hearns off in the 14th when the fight was called by the referee.

If Hearns managed to hold on until the very last bell, he would have walked away a winner as he was leading on the scoring cards through the first 13 rounds.

1. Muhammed Ali vs. Joe Frazier III

Date: October 1, 1975

This fight was a thrilling and fitting end to one of the greatest trilogies in boxing, and one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.

Perhaps better known as the "Thrilla in Manilla," the fight took place in the Philippines and the blistering heat only raised the stakes for the two fighters.

Ali took the first bout between the two, but Frazier came back and claimed the second fight. This last battle was not only for bragging rights, but to determine their place in the history of the sport.

This was a battle of attrition from the very start with the two sides going at it for 14 rounds. Had Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, not thrown in the towel, these two would have fought each other until one went down for good.