The ones that got away by Ronnie McCluskey Feb 9th 2005

You know what I'm talking about. The big fights that should have happened, but for one reason or another, didn't. I'm sure we all have examples of this. In recent memory, Audley Harrison looked like he was going to shut big mouth Herbie Hide up, and who can forget Scott Harrison aimlessly calling for a semi-retired Naz to meet him in the ring? Here's the shortlist folks, feel free to add to it, in the 'Comments' section... Chris Eubank vs. James Toney During the early nineties, few fighters talked as much as Ann Arbor's James 'Lights Out' Toney. Everyone else in the division were bums according to him, he'd wipe the floor with any and all of them. For one reason or another, the focal point of Toney's abuse was often us Brits. And one in particular. The lisping, part-time philanthropist Chris Eubank. Toney openly denounced Eubank as a chump, and actually went on Jonathan 'Wossy' Ross' show to tell the whole of the country! The brash American said he'd knock Eubank and Benn out in the same night. Some comments were actually made about one-arm being tied behind his back when he was doing so! Either way, the boxing media ate it up, and we hoped that our Chris, who matched Toney for self-belief, would shut him up. Finally, we were rooting for 'Simply The Best', but for one reason or another, it didn't happen. I myself feel this was because Eubank ducked Toney. James was the IBF middleweight champion, a pound-for-pound star, and Eubank had opportunities to meet him at both 160 and 168, particularly around 1993. If this fight had come off, it would have been a classic. Toney, the consummate counter-puncher with the powerful right hand, against the slick, defensive Eubank. If it's worth anything, I think Toney would have won, though it wouldn't have been as easy as he suggested. Chris was tricky and awkward - a tough opponent for anyone, on his day. Naseem Hamed (prime) vs. Marco Antonio Barrera When the pair eventually met, the Mexican superstar boxed his way to a unanimous points win. However, by this time, Naz had lost a lot of the desire and hunger that had fuelled his rise to the top, years earlier. That's not to knock Barrera's performance, but let's be honest, a fight between the two at super-bantamweight or even bantam would have been a lot more competitive. Around the time Hamed was blasting his way through guys like Juan Polo Perez, Barrera's name cropped up - at that time he was unbeaten and the WBO super-bantamweight boss. Naz would grin at reporters, after blasting some top European fighter, and say the Barrera fight would soon happen, and that he wanted those elusive big fights. They came of course, albeit against shopworn fighters like Tom 'Boom Boom' Johnson, in '97. A fight between the cocky Sheffield bomber and the aggressive Barrera around '95 would have set the boxing world alight. For my money, Naz wins. He was faster than Marco, and at that time had the elusiveness and focus to avoid many of the Mexican's counters. Tough fight though. Herol Graham vs. Nigel Benn/Chris Eubank/Michael Watson Graham was the overlooked one of these great British middleweights. Benn and Eubank went on to become big names in the US and won world titles. Watson tragically slipped into a coma after a pulsating scrap with Chris Eubank in their 1991 rematch. Despite this terrible tragedy, Watson is now often hailed as the best of the "Brit Bunch", a true world-class fighter. Herol Graham, the slick Brendan Ingle switch-hitter, was never given the credit he so desperately craved - and deserved. Admittedly, Graham did fight some good names during his career (McCallum, Jackson, Kalumbay) but none which would've gievn him the recognition and reward as the aforementioned trio. Around 1989, when Graham was British middleweight champion, things looked good for him. Watson had just triumphed over rival, and KO-king Nigel Benn for the Commonwealth title, and Eubank was starting to turn heads. Unfortunately, the three went on without him, and left Graham to fight big name world champions like Julian Jackson, who spectacularly knocked out Herol out in four rounds. Damn shame. Graham would have given Eubank all he could handle over twelve rounds, possibly losing a controversial decision. Benn would have been a tough one, Graham was always chinny. As for Watson, I'd rather sit on the fence over that one! Lennox Lewis vs. Riddick Bowe Alas, a heavyweight scrap for the ages, was, well, scrapped. In 1992, a four-man tournament was set up to determine the new heavyweight kingpin, in light of Mike Tyson's rape conviction. Bowe, who had lost to Lewis in the amateurs, would square off against undisputed champ Evander 'Real Deal' Holyfield, and Lewis would face Tyson victim Donovan 'Razor' Ruddock, with the winners to meet. Bowe came through an absolute war with Holyfield, in Las Vegas (a fight which was awarded Ring magazine's Fight of the Year award) and with surprising ease Lennox crushed a wobbly Ruddock inside two rounds, in England. T he boxing world waited with heightened expectancy for a repeat of the Bowe-Lewis Olympic final of 1988, but it never came. Bowe failed to honour his agreement with the WBC and they subsequently stripped him of their championship. Bowe deposited the belt in a dustbin, and said exactly what he thought of the situation. "I, the undisputed, undefeated, universally accepted heavyweight champion of the world reject, renounce, repudiate and totally dismiss the unfair, immoral, unethical and downright silly actions of the WBC and their president Jose Suliman. Boxing titles are won and lost in the ring. In order to be a champion you must fight a champion and beat a champion. I did that, and now the ugly head of corrupt politics from an organisation who has become hated and disrespected around the world is threatening and challenging my right to be called the world champion. They are wrong and I will not be intimidated by them. I am the heavyweight champion of the world and today I withdraw my recognition of the WBC." My parentheses? Bowe made a check his ass couldn't cash, and ducked Lewis like the plague. He knew he was next in line for a beatdown, and couldn't handle that. Shame on you Riddick. There you have it. There are tons more, but these are the ones I would have most liked to happen.

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