On January 24, 1976, in what would be named ‘Fight of the Year’ by ‘The Ring’ magazine, George Foreman fought Ron Lyle for the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) Heavyweight Title, previously vacated by Ken Norton, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada. Fifteen months previously, Foreman had lost his unbeaten record when knocked out by Muhammad Ali in the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in Kinshasa, Zaire and, barring exhibition matches, was fighting for the first time since.

Towards the end of the opening round, Lyle caught Foreman flush on the jaw with a hard, overhand right that sent the former champion staggering across the ring; only the bell saved him from further punishment. However, in the second round, Foreman hurt Lyle with a left-right-left combination and had his opponent pinned in a corner when the bell sounded prematurely, after just two minutes, due to a timekeeping error.

Round three proved to be relatively uneventful, but round fourth was anything but. Lyle landed a straight right, followed by a series of hooks, which knocked Foreman off his feet. Following a mandatory eight-count, Lyle moved in, looking to win the fight, but left himself open to series of heavy blows, culminating in a right hook that sent him crashing to the canvas. The pair continued to slug away for the remainder of the round and, right on the bell, Lyle dropped Foreman again, with another right hook. In the fifth round, Lyle hurt Foreman with a left hook, but, despite looking dazed, Foreman survived. He eventually backed Lyle into a corner and unleashed a sustained barrage of blows, causing his opponent to wilt, face first, to the canvas where he was counted out.

Read about the fight here

On September 16, 1981, WBC welterweight champion ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard faced WBA welterweight champion Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns in a unification fight, billed as ‘The Showdown’, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. In a classic encounter between boxer and puncher, it was the puncher, Hearns, who held sway in the early rounds. His height and reach advantage caused Leonard problems, allowing him to land his jab and dictate the pace of the fight. However, in rounds six and seven, Leonard connected with a series of heavy shots to head and body that had Hearns reeling about the ring on more than one occasion.

Over the next three rounds, in a case of role reversal, Leonard continued his aggressive pursuit of Hearns, in search of a knockout punch. However, Hearns kept him at bay and, in so doing, regained his composure. By round eleven, Hearns was once again in control, but a timely intervention by trainer Angelo Dundee at the end of the twelfth reinvigorated Leonard. With renewed urgency, Leonard connected with a vicious right hand and followed up with a flurry of unanswered blows that twice sent Hearns tumbling through the ropes. Hearns answered the bell for the fourteenth round, but clearly had nothing left and, with Leonard landing more heavy, unanswered shots at will, the referee stepped in to stop the contest. No-one in Hearns’ corner questioned the stoppage.