Top ten trilogies in boxing history

When you have a good fight in boxing without a conclusive ending, naturally, people want to see a rematch. However, if things aren’t sorted out in the second fight, then the people will call for a trilogy. 

In this piece, we’ll be looking at ten of the greatest trilogies over the course of boxing history – including superstars such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Evander Holyfield. 

For reference, we will only be looking at trilogies for this list. While Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez had an excellent series of bouts, as did Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta, they (respectively) had a quadrilogy and a hexology.

10. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin

Canelo vs Golovkin could have been boxing’s greatest ever trilogy, had things outside of the ring panned out differently. The first fight was marred by an outrageous judges’ decision (need anyone be reminded of Adelaide Byrd’s 118-110 card in favour of Canelo) and the third featured an old, disinterested version of GGG. 

However, the second fight made up for all of this by being one of the greatest fights of its generation. With genuine animosity between the two fighters, neither took a step back as they mauled each other for 12 fascinating rounds. 

Canelo ultimately won this rivalry, with two wins and one draw – but a different set of judges may have seen it very differently. 

9. Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder

Again, the trilogy between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder is imperfect for several reasons, but it is easily the strongest trilogy of the last ten years. 

The first fight was a nail-biting encounter that ultimately saw Fury robbed of a world title win just three fights into his comeback. He righted this wrong in the second fight, where he destroyed Wilder both physically and mentally over seven rounds. 

While many questioned the need for a third fight, they shut everyone up by putting on one of the most brutal slugfests in recent memory. Both men touched the canvas multiple times, but ultimately Fury put his long-time rival to bed in the 11th with an enormous right hook. 

8. Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton

One of the more controversial trilogies on this list – you could make an argument that Ken Norton won all three of his fights against Muhammad Ali. 

It was interesting to see Ali, who normally made his opponents look silly, struggle so manfully against someone on three different occasions. Norton was the naturally stronger man and had been painstakingly coached by Eddie Futch – Futch was determined to find a way to defeat Ali. 

Norton famously broke Ali’s jaw in their fight and won a split decision. The second bout saw Ali walk away with a razor-thin decision, while the third was ruled a draw – Norton believed himself to be ‘robbed’ in the aftermath. Ali, meanwhile, was uncharacteristically sheepish in post-fight interviews. 

7. Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran

Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran are two of the greatest fighters ever – as such, magic was expected when they shared the ring for the first time. 

They met expectations – their initial clash is one of boxing’s most fascinating fights ever. Duran won, but did not take the rematch seriously and was forced to quit by a far more mobile Leonard. This incident lives in infamy as the ‘No mas’ fight. 

Sadly, the third fight between the two was something of a damp squib, as neither brought the fire or ferocity of their first bout and there was no major controversy to speak of. Leonard’s second win over Duran marked the last time he would claim victory in a professional boxing capacity. 

6. Manny Pacquiao vs Erik Morales

Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales were always guaranteed to produce fireworks – but few could have predicted exactly how this story would pan out. 

Each fight in this trilogy was at least fairly one sided, with each of the two taking their turn at domination. Morales outfought Pacquiao in the first fight, with Pac-Man returning the favour a year later with an emphatic stoppage. 

Pacquiao would put the trilogy and the rivalry to bed in the third fight, overwhelming Morales and knocking him out in round three. 

5. Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson

In 1959, Ingemar Johansson scored one of boxing’s great upset victories when he floored Floyd Patterson six times to win the heavyweight world titles – but their story was far from over. 

‘Ingo’ became an overnight celebrity, while Patterson was lambasted by the American press for his failure to hold onto the gold. Despite this, Patterson destroyed Johansson in the rematch, knocking him out and leaving him in a convulsing heap. 

The third fight was expected to be a formality, but Johansson again showed off his excellent timing to drop Patterson early on. However, he was not properly conditioned for the fight – despite his best efforts, Patterson stopped Johansson in the sixth round to win the fight and the feud. 

4. Marco Antonio Barrera vs Erik Morales

Erik Morales appears for the second time on our list against another all-time great – that should tell you everything you need to know about El Terrible. 

Each of the three fights provided plenty of hard hitting action, with the first arguably being the pick of the bunch. Morales won the first fight, with Barrera getting the nod in two and three. 

Even after the final bell rang following the conclusion of their third fight, tensions were still high as Barrera taunted Morales following his second victory over his rival. 

3. Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe

Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe gave us a very eclectic trilogy – the only consistency was that each of the three fights were highly entertaining. 

The first saw a masterful display from Bowe as he overcame a lionhearted effort from Holyfield, while ‘Big Daddy’ looked noticeably off the pace in the second fight – the sequel also involved the infamous ‘fan man’ incident in which a spectator crashed into the ring while riding a giant fan (don’t ask). 

The third was a gruelling encounter – Holyfield was suffering from Hepatitis A at the time. He managed to score a knockdown over Bowe, but was knocked down himself and stopped in round eight. 

2. Arturo Gatti vs Mickey Ward

Many observers would describe the ninth round of Arturo Gatti vs Mickey Ward as the best round in boxing history. This would be a fair assessment – but almost every round the pair shared in the ring provided ample excitement. 

While this trilogy was arguably the most exciting to watch on the list, it is kept out of the top spot by its somewhat one-sided nature. Ward may have won the first fight, but was battered in the second and the third – only his indomitable will kept him alive. 

Nevertheless, the pure entertainment value in each of these three fights is off the scale. If you ever wish to introduce boxing to a friend, the trilogy between Gatti and Ward is the perfect place for them to start. 

1. Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier

Once again, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier take the top spot on one of our lists. Both fighters are truly synonymous with boxing, as is their storied rivalry. 

The first and third fights in their trilogy are two of the greatest fights in boxing history. The second was less exciting, as Ali was allowed to clinch far too often, but is still worth tracking down and watching. 

The genuine animosity between the two helped build this into the best trilogy in boxing history. Never before and perhaps never again will we see two of the sport’s top stars ever create magic like this.