The Best Fights for Counted Punches

1. Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier 3 (1975) "The Thrilla in Manila" - The fight is famous for good reason. Here we have two aging all-time greats both showing that their hearts were equal to their skills. Frazier bangs away relentlessly to the body, landing a heavyweight record of 100 hard, clean body shots. Ali peppers Frazier with 96 right hands, also a heavyweight record. When the fight finally ends with Ali winning before the 15th round, Ali has accumulated 222 punches and Frazier 179. Their total of 401 makes it the highest amount of landed punches I've seen in a fight. Avg Punches Per Rd: 28.6

2. Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe 1 (1992) - This classic battle of unbeaten, prime heavyweights pitted a skilled and courageous champion against a highly motivated challenger at his absolute physical peak. Holyfield's title defense against Riddick Bowe proved to be 12 rounds of back-and-forth action. On this night, the younger and stronger Bowe had more in the tank as he outlanded Holyfield 193 to 155. Bowe's combination of 67 right hands and 26 upper cuts proved damaging as Holyfield lost a Unanimous decision and his championship. Their total of 348 landed punches lands them in 2nd place all-time. Avg Punches Per Rd: 29.0

3. Joe Frazier vs. Oscar Bonavena 1 (1966) - This war of heavyweight contenders established both of these fighters as premiere warriors of the '60s and '70s. Bonavena dropped Frazier twice during this action-packed brawl. However, Frazier's determination and high activity level prevailed on the judges' scorecards. After 10 rounds, Frazier had landed 183 punches to Bonavena's 156. Their total of 339 places them third all-time. Avg Punches Per Rd: 33.9

4. Larry Holmes vs. Mike Weaver 1 (1979) - The young champion Holmes was faced with an unexpectedly ferocious challenge from fringe contender Mike Weaver in 1979. Holmes was at his physical peak for this fight, even if he may have taken Weaver a bit lightly in training. Weaver, an impressive physical specimen, gave a good account of himself before crumbling in the 12th round. When it was over, Holmes had landed 168 punches to Weaver's 139, for a total of 307. Avg Punches Per Rd: 25.6

5. Ike Ibeabuchi vs. David Tua (1997) - Sadly enough, this may have been the last epic heavyweight fight. Here we had two undefeated, skilled fighters standing toe-to-toe trying to prove themselves better than the other. Ibeabuchi used a variety of punches in landing 178 shots, while Tua scored with the harder power shots to total 128. When the smoke cleared, Ibeabuchi won a unanimous decision and these fighters had landed 306 total punches. Avg Punches Per Rd: 25.5