Boxing is, perhaps, the most exciting combat sport in the world. And many fight fans see it as the purest form of fighting in which we saw many great rivalries. Some of the greatest ones are, of course, the iconic trilogies.

The trilogy fights are always exciting as there’s a huge drama story behind them. It all starts with a rematch in which a fighter avenges the earlier loss. And then the rubber match decides who’s a better fighter. Between, there are hours of trash talk, hatred, and a lot of waiting for them to finally meet for the third time.

In boxing history, there have been many trilogies and they are quite common compared to what people usually think. So, we have decided to bring you the Top 5 greatest boxing trilogies which you need to check out now.

5. Tony Zale s. Rocky Graziano

Zale vs. Graziano trilogy is one of the, if not the craziest one on our list. The two fought three times for the WBA Middleweight title, and all three fights were true boxing wars.

The two first met each other in 1946. Graziano came into the bout strong, beating the hell out of Zale in the opening rounds. Yet, Zale was able to readjust and KO Graziano in the sixth round.

The rematch took place just a year after in ’47 and the fought in what would be the “Fight of the Year” by The Ring Magazine. This time, Tony Zale started strong by landing hard shots and controlling the action. Graziano’s face was a mess after just a couple of rounds.

But as in the first fight, the fight turned around in the sixth round when Rocky managed to score a knockdown. Zale stood up but the Italian followed up with the barrage of punches to finish the job.

The two boxers faced each other for the third time in 1948 with Zale bouncing back from the loss by stopping Graziano in the third round.

4. Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield

Bowe vs. Holyfield is a true definition of how “styles make fights” in combat sports. Bowe was a methodical boxer who preferred to move on the outside and land from the distance. And Holyfield was a brawl fighter who liked trading punches in the pocket. Even though this is a basic explanation, this contrast in styles is what made their trilogy so exciting.

It all started in November 1992. At the time, Holyfield was a WBA, WBC, and IBF champ and we couldn’t imagine anybody beating him down. But, Bowe came into this fight 30 pounds heavier and he was able to pull an upset decision win.

Holyfield would go on to avenge this loss and get back his WBA and IBF titles in the rematch that took place in 1993. Boxing fans may also recall this fight for one of the funniest incidents ever when the Fan Man parachuted into the ring in the seventh round. It was the most bizarre thing to ever happen in all sports.

We have to point out that both of the fights were pure wars, with each fighter landing heavy shots. And the two-faced in a rubber match in 1995 to close the trilogy with yet another war. This time, Bowe managed to avenge the loss by scoring a KO in the eight-round.

3. Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward

Gatti vs. Ward trilogy is, by far, the most exciting one on our list and the reason why we love boxing so much. In all three fights, we saw both fighters throwing their defense out of the window and swinging for the KO. I mean, to say they have put on a show would be an understatement.

Further, we tend to forget it all happened over the span of 13 months. Ward was the one to win the first brutal war in 2002 in a Fight of The Year by The Ring Magazine. I mean, the damage Gatti was able to in the first fight and stay on the feet was amazing. But Gatti came back strong in the rematch to win a decision after another brutal war.

The third and final fight was actually the most famous one. We saw the non stop action and both fighters sucking up a lot of damage. The fight was going back and forth all the time, but in the end, Gatti took home another decision. And we don’t have to mention this fight also got a Fight of The Year award from the Ring Magazine.

If you haven’t seen this trilogy already, be sure to check it out..

2.Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales

Barrera vs. Morales is a great instance of what takes place when you put two cold-blooded Mexican boxers to fight each other. It’s weird to think we saw just one knockdown thinking about the amount of damage these two took in all three bouts.

It all started in February 2000. Morales came into the bout as the WBC champ while Barrera was the WBO titleholder. The two started trading heavy shots right from the opening bell. The intense action was going back and forth with each boxer having their moments. But it was Morales who took home the decision after ten amazing rounds.

In the rematch, we saw the same brutal war with Barrera handing Morales his first loss in 42 fights by winning a decision. And the two faced each other for the third time in 2004 to settle the bills and gave us another thrilling battle.

Of course, the fight went on above the expectations and many fans believed this one to be the best of the trilogy. I mean, it was a pure scrap with both fighters trading punch for punch. In the end, Barrera came out as a winner of the trilogy as the judges gave him a close decision win.

It’s really hard to put into words how good this trilogy was. I mean, the first and the third fight received Fight of The Year awards from the Ring Magazine. And we believe the second fight could easily receive the same award as well.

1.Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier

We bet most of you have already known Ali vs. Frazier would take the number one spot on our list. I mean, how not? It is by far the most anticipated and talked trilogy in the history of boxing. We dare to go even further saying in all combat sports.

Promoted as the “Fight of the Century” the first fight took place in 1971 in Madison Square Garden. At the time, both fighters were undefeated, and Ali was on a mission to regain the titles he never lost. But by everyone’s shock, Frazier managed to beat Ali in a 15 round decision.

Ali would come back stronger in the rematch and regain his throne in 1974. And everything was set for the famous “Thrilla in Manilla” trilogy fight. The hype behind this event was massive and trash talk as good as it gets. At the time, Ali was already out of his prime, and he came into the fight as a heavy underdog.

But as a true champ, he put on a once in a lifetime performance to win another decision and secure a place among the gods. It was truly one of the greatest moments in sports history.