# The 21 Greatest Boxing Matches of the 1980s

> Four kings, two heavyweight eras and a handful of featherweight wars still rewatched on grainy tape. Some ended in seconds; others went 15 brutal rounds.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-21-greatest-boxing-matches-of-the-1980s*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Hagler vs. Hearns** — score 1000/1000
   The 1985 'War' in Las Vegas, eight minutes of nonstop violence that Marvin Hagler ended in the third round.
2. **Hagler vs. Durán** — score 619/1000
   The 1983 middleweight title fight where Roberto Durán pushed Marvin Hagler the full 15 rounds.
3. **Chávez vs. Rosario** — score 567/1000
   The 1987 lightweight title fight where Julio César Chávez systematically broke down Edwin Rosario.
4. **Holmes vs. Ali** — score 468/1000
   The sad 1980 'Last Hurrah', in which Larry Holmes dominated his former idol Muhammad Ali until the corner stopped it.
5. **Leonard vs. Durán II** — score 468/1000
   The November 1980 'No Más' rematch in New Orleans, where Durán stunningly quit in the eighth round.
6. **Holmes vs. Cooney** — score 468/1000
   The racially charged 1982 heavyweight title fight in which Larry Holmes stopped Gerry Cooney in the 13th.
7. **Leonard vs. Hearns** — score 419/1000
   The 1981 'Showdown' welterweight unification, where a trailing Sugar Ray Leonard stopped Thomas Hearns in the 14th.
8. **Leonard vs. Hagler** — score 419/1000
   The 1987 'Super Fight', Leonard's comeback split-decision win over Marvin Hagler, still argued about today.
9. **Durán vs. Leonard I** — score 419/1000
   The June 1980 'Brawl in Montreal', in which Roberto Durán outworked Leonard to take the WBC welterweight title.
10. **Camacho vs. Rosario** — score 419/1000
   The 1986 Puerto Rican grudge match in which Héctor Camacho survived Edwin Rosario's power for a split decision.
11. **Hearns vs. Durán** — score 363/1000
   The 1984 fight in which Thomas Hearns flattened Roberto Durán with a single right hand in round two.
12. **Tyson vs. Holmes** — score 299/1000
   The 1988 bout where Mike Tyson handed Larry Holmes the only knockout loss of his career.
13. **Holyfield vs. Qawi** — score 299/1000
   The 1986 15-round cruiserweight war in Atlanta where Evander Holyfield won his first world title from Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
14. **Tyson vs. Berbick** — score 299/1000
   The 1986 fight in which 20-year-old Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight champion.
15. **Spinks vs. Holmes** — score 226/1000
   The 1985 upset where light-heavyweight king Michael Spinks ended Larry Holmes's 48-0 run and heavyweight reign.
16. **Pryor vs. Argüello** — score 226/1000
   The 1982 'Battle of the Champions' in Miami, where Aaron Pryor stopped Alexis Argüello in the 14th round.
17. **Sánchez vs. Gómez** — score 226/1000
   The 1981 featherweight clash where Salvador Sánchez stopped the unbeaten Puerto Rican Wilfredo Gómez in eight.
18. **Tyson vs. Spinks** — score 226/1000
   The 1988 heavyweight showdown that Mike Tyson finished in 91 seconds to cement his status as the undisputed champion.
19. **Leonard vs. Hearns II** — score 226/1000
   The 1989 rematch in which Hearns twice dropped Leonard but had to settle for a disputed draw.
20. **Hearns vs. Cuevas** — score 226/1000
   The 1980 night Thomas Hearns destroyed Pipino Cuevas in two rounds to win the WBA welterweight title.
21. **Gómez vs. Pintor** — score 140/1000
   The 1982 super-bantamweight battle where Wilfredo Gómez stopped Lupe Pintor in the 14th round in New Orleans.

Tags: 80s, classics, boxing, fights