Known as the most famous stadium in the world, Madison Square Garden is the Mecca of sports. Almost every great boxer has had a fight in this arena, from Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Robinson.
However, The Garden is not limited to boxing. Some of the most memorable UFC fights of the last decade have taken place at the venue. Then there are the WWE, the NBA, and music artists from all walks of life.
In this article, we will focus on legendary fights that took place in Madison Square Garden. Some of the fights took place long before you could stream fights online.
Also, you couldn’t bet on sports in the US. Now, you can not only stream sports, but you can also learn how to bet on sports in New York. It is important to note that you can bet on sports through a variety of options. Let us begin.
1: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier
Muhammad Ali made headlines in 1970 after announcing his retirement. Ali walked away from boxing due to the controversies that arose from his decision not to serve in Vietnam.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Ali to return to boxing after ruling that young Americans could avoid war on ethical grounds. “The Greatest” acquired the boxing license from him and agreed to fight Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden the same year (1971).
Ali came prepared to extend his perfect round to Frazier, then 27 years old. He fought hard. But Frazier fought even harder. At the end of the 15-round fight, the judges unanimously declared Frazier the winner.
Ali and Frazier would go on to fight in a trilogy in which Frazier won the second fight but lost the third encounter.
2: Connor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez
In 2016, Connor McGregor was at the top of his game. New York had just legalized mixed martial arts as a sport and the UFC wanted to show the world what MMA was all about.
Needless to say, Dana White booked the biggest fight of the year at the Garden. More than 20,000 people bought tickets to see the fight live, and millions more watched the game at home.
The fight between McGregor and Álvarez was special. It was a battle of champion against champion, with the winner having a chance at two titles. The Irishman dropped Álvarez four times on the canvas before winning handily.
3: Anthony Joshuas. Andy Ruiz
Before this fight happened in 2019, almost all bookmakers were betting on English to win. He was the heavyweight champion. Despite that, Ruiz knocked him down four times to take his IBF, WBA and WBO titles at Madison Square Garden.
Joshua seemed to be in control of the fight through the first three rounds. But after that, Ruiz did most of the hard work, hitting him left, right and center. Being an unexpected loss, Joshua sparked a rematch the same year and won.
Unfortunately, Joshua’s luck didn’t last long. The next time he faced a strong opponent in Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, he lost. He asked for a second fight and lost once again.
#4: Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis
When the first match between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder ended in a draw, many Britons remembered a similar match that took place in 1999. At Madison Square Garden, Briton Lennox Lewis had a match against American Evander Holyfield.
At stake were three belts, two in the hands of Holyfield (WBA and IBF) while Lewis held the WBC title. The referee for the match was Arthur Mercante Jr, a man whose father had officiated the fight between Ali and Frazier.
The two men fought hard. But for everyone who watched the fight at home, there was a clear winner: Lewis. Unfortunately, the judges had a different opinion. They ruled the match a tie, sparking a backlash that forced then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to call the ruling a “highway robbery.”
Fortunately for Lewis, he got his revenge eight months later. He fought Holyfield in a rematch where he was declared the winner. Interestingly, some critics argued that the American had done well enough to declare the fight a draw.
#5: Jake LaMotta vs. Sugar Ray Robinson
In 1942 in New York, boxing hall of famers Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson began a feud that would last nine years. The bout was a non-title middleweight bout that ended in a win for Sugar.
LaMotta booked a rematch the following year and won. This was the only fight Jake won. After that, Robinson dominated all other fights, including the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” of 1951.
Although both fighters are legends of the sport, Robinson had the more illustrious career. Of the 200 professional fights that he fought, he won 173 of them. He knocked out his opponents 108 times and never got knocked out. However, he once lost a fight due to heat exhaustion at Yankee Stadium.
#6: Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz
Both Masvidal and Diaz are the end of their careers. However, in 2019, both MMA champions were fighting for the BMF title. At the start of the match, it looked like anyone could have won.
Masvidal then hit Diaz hard enough to cause a cut that warranted a doctor stopping him. Masvidal was inevitably declared the winner. Interestingly, a rematch between the two MMA athletes has never been updated four years later.
#7: WrestleMania I and X
In 1994, WWE returned to Madison Square Garden in a match headlined by Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. WrestleMania did start at MSG after all.
During the first WrestleMania event in 1985, Hulk Hogan teamed with Mr. T to battle the duo of Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. Although this fight was epic, it was overshadowed by a litany of celebrities like Muhammad Ali and Cyndi Lauper who attended the event.
At WrestleMania X, the main event was free of celebrity shenanigans. Michaels faced Ramon to lift the unifying intercontinental championship belts that hung above the ring.
Ramón and Michaels fought for most of the night. But in the end, bad Ramon pushed Shawn off the ladder and lifted the belts.
