Boxing's 10 Most-Hyped Fights In History

With Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao due to contest boxing's richest-ever bout on May 2, we look at some of the most hotly anticipated fights in the sport's history.

Jack Johnson v James Jeffries, 1910

Jeffries came out of retirement as an alfalfa farmer to take part in what would be the first of several bouts dubbed "The Fight of the Century".

Johnson was the first black world heavyweight champion but, faced outright hostility and overt racism rather than adulation from white America.

Despite not having fought in six years and having to lose more than 100lbs before the bout, Jeffries was billed as the "great white hope" that would defeat Johnson.

In the event, Johnson won comfortably, knocking Jeffries down twice before his corner threw in the towel to avoid him suffering a knockout on his record.

Jeffries admitted after the fight that, even at his peak, he would not have beaten Johnson, saying: "I couldn't have hit him. No, I couldn't have reached him in 1,000 years."

Gene Tunney v Jack Dempsey, 1927

Tunney had soundly beaten Dempsey just a year earlier but the rematch at Chicago's Soldier Field attracted huge public interest and was said to have been simultaneously the first $1m and $2m gate in entertainment history.

Rumours of mob involvement swirled around the fight, with Al Capone reportedly betting $50,000 on Dempsey, who was the public favourite.

The fight took place under new 10-second count rules, before a crowd of just under 105,000.

While Tunney largely dominated the fight, he was knocked down by a flurry of punches in the seventh round, but had precious seconds to recover before the referee actually began the count because Dempsey had not yet gone to a neutral corner.

The incident meant the match would go on to become known as "The Long Count Fight", with Tunney regaining control and winning a unanimous decision.

Joe Louis v Max Schmeling, 1938

Schmeling was widely considered to be past his best when he knocked Louis out in the 12th round of the pair's first bout in 1936.

The racial and political aspect of the contest had increased significantly by the time of the rematch, in front of 70,000 fans including J Edgar Hoover and Clark Gable at New York's Yankee Stadium.

Schmeling was seen as representing Nazi Germany, despite having refused a "Dagger of Honour" award from Hitler, and the fight was perceived as symbolising the battle between facism and democracy.

Louis was later quoted as saying "the whole damned country was depending on me", but his first-round knockout of Schmeling helped secure his place as the US' first true black national hero.

Rocky Marciano v Joe Walcott, 1952

An ageing Louis had been among those beaten by Marciano on his way to the title bout against reigning champion Walcott.

Marciano's unbeaten record looked in peril when he was knocked down in the first round as Walcott accumulated a big points lead.

He was still behind on all scorecards when he caught Walcott with his trademark "Suzie Q" punch, leaving him on the canvas long after the referee had finished his count.

Marciano retired four years later with a perfect record of 49-0.

Sonny Liston v Floyd Patterson, 1962

Liston's mob links had prevented Patterson giving the number one contender a shot at his title for around two years and many experts predicted a Patterson win.

Indeed, it was feared by many that a win for Liston would damage the civil rights movement, with Patterson claiming John F Kennedy did not want him to take the fight.

But Liston made short work of the champion, securing what was then the third-fastest knockout in boxing history and prompting a rapid decline in public support for Patterson.

Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier, 1971

While the pair's epic third fight - the 1975 "Thriller In Manila" - is often hailed as the greatest of all time, their first fight was perhaps the most anticipated.

At the time, both unbeaten fighters had legitimate claims to the world heavyweight title, with Ali returning to boxing after his infamous ban for refusing induction to the armed forces in 1967.

Also billed as "The Fight of the Century", ringside seats at Madison Square Garden were so sought after that Frank Sinatra only managed to secure one by becoming Time magazine's official photographer for the night,

Largely living up the hype, the fight went the full 15 rounds, with Frazier winning a unanimous decision to deal Ali his first ever professional loss.

Ali v George Foreman, 1974

Held in a jungle clearing outside Kinshasha, Zaire, the hype ahead of this historic bout was only amplified by the delay prompted by an injury in training to Foreman's eye.

One of promoter Don King's first ventures, both fighters were offered a $5m purse and the bout was scheduled to start at 4am local time to accomodate the US television audience.

Stronger and seven years younger than his competitor, world champion Foreman had quickly demolished accomplished fighters including Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in previous bouts.

Some respected commentators feared Ali may be badly hurt during the fight, but the challenger used unconventional tactics to defeat Foreman, who he knocked out in ninth round.

Sugar Ray Leonard v Roberto Duran, 1980

Another bout dubbed "The Fight of the Century", the second meeting between the American and the Panamanian came less than five months since Duran had consigned Leonard to his first defeat.

Duran was widely reported to have been rushed into the rematch, and was not considered to be in peak physical condition in time, shedding several pounds in the days leading up to the fight in order to make the weight.

While Leonard had opted to trade blows with Duran in the first fight, playing into his opponents hands, he used his mobility to dominate the second bout.

In one of the most iconic moments the sport has seen, Duran quit in the closing seconds of the eighth round, memorably saying to the referee "No mas" (No more).

Evander Holyfield v Mike Tyson, 1997

After several failed attempts to arrange a fight between the pair, 25-1 outsider Holyfield unexpectedly beat Tyson after an 11th-round stoppage in their first fight.

Tyson was expected by many to assert his superiority in the rematch, but millions of viewers around the world watched as 'Iron' Mike was disqualified for twice biting Holyfield's ears.

Oscar De La Hoya v Floyd Mayweather, 2007

The $19m gate beat the previous record set in the Holyfield vs Tyson rematch, with a four-part HBO series produced to build hype ahead of the bout.

Mayweather won a controversial split-decision after 12 closely-fought rounds, with the fight generating $130m in revenue, making it the most lucrative in history.