George Kambosos Jnr shocked the world over the weekend when he beat Teofimo Lopez, becoming the unified champion, claiming the WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC franchise lightweight championship.
Our newest boxing superstar made the decision early on in his career to base himself in the United States, bucking the trend to build a profile in his home country first, like many others on this list.
We have ranked the top 18 biggest fights featuring Australian boxers and we have had to make some very difficult and potentially controversial decisions!
18. Jeff Horn vs Michael Zerafa II
Michael Zerafa stopped the Jeff Horn train in its tracks in August of 2019 when he beat the former WBO Welterweight champion via TKO in 9th (of 10) round.
The rematch took place just 10 weeks later in Brisbane in one of the most memorable fights in Australian boxing history.
Horn started the fight very aggressively and had Zerafa on the back foot immediately and in a very close bout, Horn got the nod from the majority of the judges.
17. Daniel Geale vs Anthony Mundine II
Daniel Geale suffered the first loss of his boxing career at the hands of Anthony Mundine in 2009 and he spent the next several years chasing a rematch with ‘The Man’.
Mundine eventually agreed to a rematch with Geale and the fight was arguably the most anticipated held in Australia since Mundine squared off with Danny Green in 2006.
Mundine talked his usual big-game in the lead-up, but it was Geale that controlled the fight from the outset and was able to avenge what was at the time the only loss of his career.
16. Danny Green vs Markus Beyer
Danny Green and Markus Beyer first did battle in 2003 when Green was disqualified for an intentional headbutt in highly controversial circumstances while being ahead on points .
The rematch between the pair 18 months later for the WBC Super-Middleweight Title was greatly anticipated and, in a very entertaining bout, it was Beyer that took the decision despite a strong comeback from Green in the final round.
15. Daniel Geale vs Miguel Cotto
Miguel Cotto is one of the biggest names in boxing and he has been in the rings with the likes of Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
Geale challenged Cotto for the WBC, The Ring and Lineal Middleweight Titles at the Barclays Centre in New York in 2015 in what was another massive opportunity for the Australian, but it is fair to say that he was a touch outclassed.
14. Danny Green vs Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr. was well into his 40s by the time he fought Danny Green, but he is still one of the biggest names to ever fight on Australian soil.
This was easily the highlight of Green’s career as he was able to dominate the fight from the outset and he claimed a TKO victory just over two minutes in!
13. Anthony Mundine vs Sven Ottke
Anthony Mundine made the jump from rugby league to boxing in 2000 and he started his career with ten straight victories before he travelled to Germany for a clash with IBF Super-Middleweight Champion Sven Ottke.
Mundine was ahead on points heading into the tenth round, but he was knocked out by a vicious right hand from the German.
Ottke is far from the biggest name on this list, but he finished his career with 34 wins from as many fights and this truly was an impressive performance from Mundine.
12. Daniel Geale vs Felix Sturm
Daniel Geale won his first World Title when he beat Sebastian Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight Title in 2011 and he had the chance to unify that belt with the WBA Middleweight Title when he took on Felix Sturm in 2012.
Geale produced arguably the best performance of his career to win the bout by split decision, but his time as the unified champion did not last long as he was stripped of the WBA title due to his keenness to fight Mundine.
11. Lionel Rose vs Fighting Harada
This is one of the most historic moments in Australian sporting history.
Lionel Rose took on Fighting Harada for the World Bantamweight Title in 1968 and his decision victory gave him the honour of becoming the first Indigenous Australian to be a boxing World Champion.
This fight transformed Rose into one of the biggest names in Australian sport as well as a true icon among the Indigenous Australian community.
10. Anthony Mundine vs Danny Green – 2006 Edition
Nobody cares about their rematch at the Adelaide Oval in early 2017, but the first fight between Anthony Mundine and Danny Green was a very big deal.
The fight remains the biggest Pay Per View event in the history of Australian television and was the bout that proved once and for all that Mundine was capable of backing up his big mouth.
The other fight in 2017 was mostly remembered for some bloke streaming it on his phone from his TV on Facebook Live.
Both Mundine and Green renewed their rivalry in the jungle on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
9. Kostya Tszyu vs Sharmba Mitchell
Kostya Tszyu is the most successful Australian boxer in history and it was his victory over Sharmba Mitchell in 2001 that set him on the path to becoming the Undisputed Champion of the World.
Mitchell was no slouch, but Tszyu dominated the fight from the outset and ensured that he would continue to receive opportunities against some of the biggest names in world boxing.
8. Jeff Fenech vs Azumah Nelson
Jeff Fenech had the opportunity to become a four-division World Champion when he met Azumah Nelson on the undercard of a bout between Mike Tyson and Razor Ruddock at Ceasar’s Palace.
Just about everybody in attendance as well as the global media scored the fight for Fenech, but he had his dreams crushed when the fight was controversially judged as a draw.
The dodgy finish soured what had been an outstanding fight and a massive moment for an Australian boxer on the world stage.
7. Daniel Geale vs Gennady Golovkin
Gennady Golovkin is considered one of the best boxers in the world and he did battle with Daniel Geale in a huge fight at Madison Square Garden in 2014.
Golovkin was far too strong for Geale and claimed a TKO victory in the third round.
But this fight played a key role in establishing Geale as a household name among boxing fans and helped him develop a reputation as a fighter that would give his all in any circumstances.
6. Alex Leapai vs Wladimir Klitschko
There is something special about the World Heavyweight Championship and it was a huge moment for Australian boxing when Alex Leapai had the chance to fight Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO & The Ring Heavyweight Titles.
This was billed as similar battle to that between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed in the original Rocky film, but Leapai did not get his fairytale ending as Klitschko claimed a TKO victory in the fifth round.
5. Jeff Horn v Terrance Crawford
Defending his WBO welterweight championship belt in Vegas, the Hornet came down back to earth after he was beaten by a dominant Terrace Crawford.
Horn was dominated by the American from start to finish and Horn found himself unsteady after coping some big hits in the eighth round.
The referee called off the fight with two minutes and 33 seconds left in the ninth round, which gave Crawford the title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSsnrIvfd2Q
4. Kostya Tszyu vs Zab Judah
This was the fight that saw Kostya Tszyu lay claim to the title of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world as well as the Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World.
Judah had never lost a fight ahead of his bout with Tszyu and went into this clash as a clear favourite, but Tszyu claimed a second round TKO victory in arguably the best performance ever by an Australian boxer.
3. George Kambosos Jnr v Teofimo Lopez
Teofimo Lopez was treating George Kambosos Jnr as nothing but a speed bump in his quest to remain champion for a long stretch and it was this attitude and mentality that ultimately lost him the fight at Madison Square Garden.
The talk from his corner in between rounds was disrespectful, unhelpful and down right arrogant and Lopez was simply out boxed through long stretches of the fight.
He further embarrassed himself after the fight when he claimed to have won the fight and that ‘everybody knows that”.
No.
No they didn’t.
https://twitter.com/BoxingWorldUk/status/1464914826182987786?s=20
2. Jeff Horn vs Manny Pacquiao
This fight had it all.
The local boy at a packed out Suncorp Stadium in the ultimate David v Goliath battle.
The mostly unknown Jeff Horn got up and won with a controversial judgement in the ultimate story of the underdog.
Jeff Horn was champion of the world and had arrived.
1. Kostya Tszyu vs Ricky Hatton
This was the final fight of Kostya Tszyu’s career and he went out in one of the biggest bouts possible for an Australian boxer.
Tszyu went into the fight as a clear favourite and there was very little between the pair for the majority of the bout, but Hatton took control in the final stages of the fight and Tszyu did not emerge from his corner ahead of the final round.
This was a true passing of the torch moment as Tszyu handed the title of the best welterweight in the world to Hatton, who went on to fight both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.