When Joe ‘The Brown Bomber won the world heavyweight title, stopping champ James Braddock in June of 1937, he said, “Until I beat Max Schmeling, I am not the champion!” He was talking about his KO loss in 1936. He avenged it in 1939 at Madison Square Garden, knocking out Schmeling in the first round.
When ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, 27-0, lost to Roberto ‘Hands of Stone’ Duran, 71-1, in June of 1980 fighting Durans fight, he got a rematch. He boxed Duran so bad that Duran quit on the stool in November.
In April 1987, Leonard defeated Marvin Hagler for his middleweight title. Hagler retired and moved to Italy, not wanting a rematch.
In April 2002, Lightweight champion Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather got a gift decision over Jose Luis Castillo. Eight months later, he gave him a rematch, easily defeating him.
In June 2012, Manny ‘Pac Man’ Pacquiao was robbed by Tim Bradley, Jr., but in April 2014, he defeated Bradley in a rematch.
In November 2016, Andre “S.O.G.” Ward got a gift decision over Sergey Kovalev in a light heavyweight title fight and gave him an immediate rematch, stopping Kovalev, then retired from boxing.
Heavyweight champion Rock Marciano got a close, if not disputed, decision over Roland LaStarza in March of 1950 before winning the title. After stopping ‘Jersey’ Joe Walcott for the title and again in his next fight, he stopped LaStarza.
In November 1986, Super Featherweight champ Alfredo Escalera won the worst split decision over Tyrone Everett of Philadelphia in Philadelphia. He never received a rematch, and the Pennsylvania judge who voted for Escalara never worked another show.
Historian Jim Jacobs told me the worst decision he ever saw was in June 1963, when light heavyweight champ Harold Johnson was robbed by Willie Pastrano by split decision and never got a rematch.
Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali lost to Ken Norton and Smokin’ Joe Frazier in their first fights but defeated both twice in rematches.
In June of 1983, Heavyweight champ Larry ‘The Easton Assassin’ Holmes, 42-0, got a gift decision in a defense against ‘Terrible’ Tim Witherspoon, 15-0, and never gave him a rematch.
What fight have you wanted to see in a rematch that never happened?
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