Ranking the Most Memorable Boxing Fights Held Outside the United States

It the 1970s, Muhammad Ali solidified his status as the most famous athlete in the world by staging two of the biggest heavyweight prizefights in history in Africa and the South Pacific.

At the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle," Ali went to Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo—and took the heavyweight title from George Foreman. A year later, Ali defended it against his greatest rival, Joe Frazier, in the "Thrilla in Manila" in the Philippines.

Boxing is an international sport with ancient origins. Yet, in the gloved era, various cities in the United States, such as New York and Las Vegas, have hosted a very high percentage of the biggest fights.

While it is more common to see big international stars travel to the United States, significant fights have regularly occurred away from U.S. soil.     

10. Carlos Monzon TKO 12 Nino Benvenuti, 11-7-1970 in Bologna, Italy

Carlos Monzon of Argentina ruled the middleweight division in the 1970s, establishing himself as one of the top 160-pound fighters in history. He's universally regarded as among the top five middleweights ever. 

His dominant run started when he traveled to Italy and captured the undisputed title from Nino Benvenuti. Benvenuti is a Hall of Famer and the greatest boxer in Italian history. In 1967 and 1968, he had won two out of three from the great Emile Griffith, swapping the belts back and forth. 

By 1970, Benvenuti was a dominant champion. Monzon was still relatively unknown, and few people saw it coming when he brutalized the champion to take the belt. 

The overhand right that Monzon dropped on Benvenuti in Round 12 to end the fight nearly knocked his head off. Benvenuti bravely made it back to his feet, but his legs were turned to rubber and his cornermen were rushing into the ring to save him from further abuse. 

9. Julio Cesar Chavez TKO 5 Greg Haugen, 2-20-1993 in Mexico City

Greg Haugen was a titleholder in the 1980s and early 1990s, holding the IBF lightweight belt and the WBO light welterweight belt. His biggest win would have to be his split-decision victory over Hector Camacho, the first loss of Macho Camacho's career. 

But Haugen was a couple of levels below a legend like Julio Cesar Chavez, and if this had been just another of JC Superstar's many Vegas defenses, we'd remember it now mostly as a footnote.

But instead the fight served as Chavez's triumphant homecoming, as he returned to Mexico City to defend his WBC light welterweight belt. The Mexican boxing fans are famous for the intense passion they bring to the sport, and Chavez was their greatest hero.

More than 130,000 of them crammed into the historic Aztec Stadium. I don't think any fighter in history has ever been showered with such an outpouring of support.

The fight was predictably one-sided. Chavez came forward at the bell, pounding the body. He dropped Haugen less than a minute into the fight.

Haugen attempted to fight gamely but was far overmatched.  

8. Randy Turpin UD Sugar Ray Robinson, 7-10-1951 in London

In one of the greatest upsets in boxing history, "The Leamington Licker" Randy Turpin captured the middleweight title from Sugar Ray Robinson in London on July 10, 1951. Robinson is the greatest boxer of all time, and in July, 1951, he was still very much at the height of his powers. 

At the time Turpin beat him, Robinson had not lost in more than 90 fights, a streak that stretched back to his one and only loss against Jake LaMotta in 1943. During that time, he had won first the welterweight title and then the middleweight belt. 

Turpin had never even fought outside of the United Kingdom. His amazing upset of Robinson made him an instant hero in England. However, three months later, Robinson knocked him out in a rematch. 

Still, the magnitude of the upset has made Turpin an enduring icon to British boxing fans. Only three men beat Robinson prior to his first retirement in 1952, when he had more than 130 wins.

One of those men was the great LaMotta. Another was light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, who only won because Robinson collapsed from heat stroke when he was far ahead on the cards. 

The third man was Turpin. 

7. Nigel Benn KO 10 Gerald McClellan, 2-25-1995 in London

This fight started out as a classic, back-and-forth battle between two great champions. It ended as one of boxing's most high-profile tragedies. 

Gerald McClellan was a prodigy of the great Emanuel Steward. He was a classic power puncher of the variety Steward specialized in. By the mid-1990s, he was one of the most feared punchers in the sport. 

In 1991, he had captured the WBC middleweight belt by knocking out John "The Beast" Mugabi. In 1993, he added the WBO belt when he dispatched Julian Jackson in five rounds. 

In 1995, McClellen moved up to super middleweight and traveled to England to challenge Nigel Benn. McClellen nearly ended the fight in Round 1, knocking Benn completely out of the ring. He almost finished him off again in Round 8. 

But Benn continued to fight his way back into things and landed brutal, flush punches throughout the fight. In Round 10 he hit McClellen with a shot that forced the American to take a knee. McClellen beat the count and continued fighting but took a second knee after a few seconds and was counted out. 

McClellen made it back to his corner but collapsed there and lost consciousness. He ended up in a coma for 11 days and suffered permanent, disabling brain damage. 

6. Muhammad Ali TKO 5 Henry Cooper, 6-18-1963 in London

One of the most beloved figures in British boxing history, Henry Cooper was an undersized heavyweight with a big left hook. Known to the fans as "Our 'Enry," Cooper's hook was nicknamed "'Enry's 'Ammer."

In June, 1963, 'Enry's 'Ammer nearly changed the course of boxing history, when he connected with it against the rising star Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay) in London's Wembley Stadium at the very end of the fourth round. Ali beat the count but was out on his feet as his corner helped him back to his stool. 

Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, would later admit to intentionally cutting Ali's glove in the corner to buy precious extra seconds while he taped it back up. The extra bit of time paid off, as Ali had time to fully recuperate. 

After coming so close to disaster, Ali turned on the aggression in Round 5 and stopped Cooper. Still, if the big hook had been landed just a few seconds earlier, Ali's rocket-like ascent to the top would have been at least very much delayed.  

5. Chris Eubank TKO 9 Nigel Benn, 11-18-1990 in Birmingham, England

Two of the most outspoken fighters of the 1990s, super middleweights Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn came together to provide one of the most entertaining rivalries of the decade and perhaps the best in British history. The two cut professional wrestling-style promotions and seemed to have genuine animosity for each other. 

But when they finally faced off in 1990, they more than lived up to the hype. In one of the best fights of the past 25 years, the two traded brutal punishment in a blood-and-guts war of attrition. 

Eubanks bit his tongue when Benn connected a brutal uppercut in Round 5 and was swallowing blood for the rest of the fight. Benn was fighting with one eye swollen shut by the middle of the fight. 

The ninth and decisive round might have been the very best of the bout. Benn dropped Eubank before Eubank came back and trapped him in the corner, pounding him and forcing referee Richard Steele to stop the fight with five seconds left in the round. 

4. Roberto Duran UD Sugar Ray Leonard, 6-20-1980 in Montreal

Known as "The Brawl in Montreal," this great fight kicked off the epic four-way rivalry between Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns.

At the time, Duran had just spent the previous decade dominating the lightweight division and establishing himself as the greatest 135-pounder in history. Leonard was the undefeated welterweight champion and the sport's golden boy.

The young Leonard let his sense of machismo get the better of him and opted to engage in the brawling, tight-quarters fight Duran specialized in. It made for an incredibly entertaining bout, and Leonard proved he was as tough as they come.

But Duran was the clear-cut winner, making him a two-division world champion. In the rematch, five months later, Leonard would play the slick boxer, frustrating Duran and prompting him to quit out of frustration and disgust in Round 8.   

3. James "Buster" Douglas KO 10 Mike Tyson, 2-11-1990 in Tokyo

Buster Douglas' KO of Mike Tyson in Tokyo is one of the biggest upsets in boxing history and sent shock waves around the world. Tyson was a video game hero. His aura of invisibility was monumental. 

I was on field maneuvers in Germany in the army when this fight took place. It spread by word of mouth quickly. For two or three days, the standard greeting among the troops was "Yo! Tyson lost!"

Tyson has spoken frankly since then about the way his life was unravelling at that point, most notably discussing it in his one-man show. But Douglas should get some credit for coming to Japan fully prepared to put in his best effort, something he did not always do. 

To me, Douglas was a talented guy who rarely lived up to his true potential. Tyson was an all-time great who came tumbling down to earth in a hurry. Their trajectories somehow ended up matching perfectly to create one of boxing's unforgettable nights. 

2. Muhammad Ali KO 8 George Foreman, 10-30-1974 in the Congo

The 1974 title-winning victory of Muhammad Ali over George Foreman has been brilliantly portrayed in the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings, an Oscar-winning, must-see film for any boxing fan. The recently released I Am Ali is the first Ali documentary I've seen since that is in the same league. 

The fight represented Don King's debut as a world-class boxing promoter, and he built a huge, cultural festival around the fight, featuring musical legends such as James Brown. The fight was coined "The Rumble in the Jungle." 

Ali was 10 years removed from winning the title against Sonny Liston. Foreman was viewed as an unstoppable monster, having destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in three rounds apiece. 

For most of the fight, it appeared that Ali would be just one more victim. But instead, he employed his now legendary "rope-a-dope" strategy. Hanging on the ropes, he expertly covered up, slipping and tilting his body to minimize the damage from Foreman's shots. 

When Foreman landed heavily, Ali demoralized him by leaning close and whispering defiantly, refusing to show any sign of pain. 

In Round 8, the tide turned, and Ali poured on his offense, dropping an exhausted Foreman for the count and becoming the first two-time heavyweight champion since Floyd Patterson. 

1. Muhammad Ali TKO 14 Joe Frazier, 10-01-1975 in Manila

The third meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier is arguably the greatest prizefight of all time. It is certainly the greatest fight within the last 40 years.

In another recent article, I referred to it as a kind of Platonic ideal for a heavyweight prizefight. It had every ingredient necessary to create pugilistic drama. 

Frazier and Ali combined to throw the most total punches in heavyweight-title history. Both men weathered brutal exchanges and epic swings in momentum.

Two legendary champions who were already extremely familiar with each other battled to the brink of utter physical collapse. The fight finally ended when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, made him retire in his corner after his eyes had swollen completely shut.

The exotic location of the Philippines has always played a role in the fight's mystique as well, contributing the impossible-to-forget title "The Thrilla in Manila."