MANUAL

“SUGAR” RAY LEONARD VS ROBERTO DURÁN II (1980)

This match is technically two back-to-back fights.“It started well before the gloves were put on when Roberto Durán threw numerous insults towards ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, which got under his skin and in his head,” says the director of marketing for EverybodyFights, Ben Eld, who named this as one of his all-time favorite fights. “Usually a savvy and collected fighter, Leonard opted to abandon his game plan and stand toe-to-toe against Durán, which didn’t fare well.” The “Hands of Stone” bested Leonard and Durán took the Welterweight Championship. This fight is ironically dubbed “The Brawl in Montreal.”

DEONTAY WILDER VS TYSON FURY (2018)

“Deontay Wilder defended his heavyweight championship against Tyson Fury in an epic fight in late 2018,” says Eld of EverybodyFights. “Wilder, known for his absurd knockout power that goes viral on social media, takes on Fury, who is living a well-documented comeback story battling depression, alcohol use, and weight gain after winning a heavyweight title for himself. Both fighters own their own unique styles of fighting; Wilder poses possibly the most devastating right hand in the history of the sport, while Fury moves incredibly well for a fighter of his stature.

“Fury won many of the rounds by moving around, landing punches and avoiding Wilder’s wild right hand. In the ninth round, Wilder finally landed and dropped Fury with a short left hook. Fury was able to survive the round and got back to work in the tenth and eleventh rounds. In the twelfth round, however, Wilder landed a strong right-left combination which dropped Fury again. Everyone in the arena, including Wilder, thought the fight was over, but Fury got up yet again and began fighting until the end of the fight. While the fight ended in a draw, it brought endless drama, excitement, and courage, capturing the attention of sports fans worldwide.”