Glenn McCrory counts down his top 10 boxing moments of the Noughties and reveals his number one.
Glenn McCrory picks his top 10 Moments of the Decade
With the decade at an end, skysports.com has assembled its Noughties' Hot 100 - a century of stand-out sporting moments.
It covers all sports, but seeing as we have so many experts to call on, we asked our commentators and columnists to come up with their very own Top Ten from their sport.
And they have picked out one Moment of the Decade, their own personal highlight and why, from the decade - just scroll down to the bottom and watch the video.
Here, boxing commentator Glenn McCrory gives his his selection, in no particular order...
The Mexican trilogy begins - 2000
Quite simply the best fight I have ever been ringside for. It took place on a Mexican holiday and the Mandalay Bay was all decked out and had a very Hispanic feel about it. It was the start of an intense rivalry and trilogy between these two but still stands as one of the greatest fights of all-time. It was just an absolute thriller, two guys that just went head-to-head for 12 brutal rounds. They were both technically superb fighters, but that went out of the window and in came the Mexican machismo; it was non-stop, they just punched, punched and punched to the very end. The decision went to Morales but Barrera won it, yet the next one Morales won but Barrera got it, so it probably evened out. It was just a fabulous night and a tremendous occasion even though it had none of the hullaballo of the next two. They were two different guys that pretty much divided a nation; Barrera came from the wealthy background, was well-educated and could've been a laywer, Morales the guy from the streets who had come from nothing. We went to interview him beforehand and it was the only time the day before a fight that I have been offered a beer, by a boxer or his team!
Ghost comes back from the dead - 2007
Kelly Pavlik is just my type of fighter. He gives everything he's got and although he might not be the most skilled boxer, he wins fights through sheer heart. In Atlantic City he was up against Jermain Taylor, arguably the better skilled, with an Olympic background, and who had beaten Bernard Hopkins twice. Pavlik was down in the second and in big, big trouble, but survived and then did what he does and just fought back before stopping Taylor in the seventh. We talk about Ricky Hatton having a huge following and affinity with the people but Pavlik is the closest you will get to that in America. He comes from the blue-collar town of Youngstown, Ohio, where life isn't that great but when he fights, everyone turns up to see him. There must have been 5,000 of them there that night, including their other favourite son, Ray 'Boom-Boom' Mancini, who I was lucky enough to talk to at ringside. I will never forget the choruses of "There's only one Kelly Pavlik" in the hotel bar that night (I think Ian Darke started them) and the passion his people had for him. The one thing you know about Pavlik is that when he fights, you're going to get a proper fight!
Ricky rules the world - 2005
Manchester's night and the night Ricky Hatton was finally let off the leash. He had been kind of rocking along being held back fighting at WBU level when all of a sudden he was let loose with a world-title shot; but it was a case of going from the sublime to the ridiculous. Kostya Tszyu was a man that had not only ruled the light-welterweight division but was also one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. When it was announced I thought 'Wow!', because although Tszyu had been out injured Ricky was going from fighting no-one to taking on close enough to the best. The atmosphere in the MEN Arena that night, was just unbelievable and although we went on to enjoy some great nights with Ricky, this was the best of the lot. Every fighter has his Everest moment and he rose to the occasion overcame an obstacle that we all thought was going to be so, so tough. It was a night that he was never going to lose and took the fight to Tszyu, surprised him, and was in his face all night until he could take no more. Ricky has never really fought that well again, but it was an uforgettable night when sheer will and sense of destiny prevailed.
Corrales and Castillo in a classic - 2005
Another fight, like the first Barrera-Morales that maybe didn't have the big pomp and build-up, but it was one we were all looking forward to between two good, honest pros and road warriors who had always plied their trade so well. Sometimes in boxing, it takes another guy to bring the very best out of you, like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and this is what happened with Corrales and Castillo. It was fought close in for practically the whole fight but both created openings and landed full-blooded shots all night. Then in the 10th, Corrales went down not once but twice, spat out the gumshield had a point taken off and we all thought that was it. But somehow he came roaring back, rose from the flames and produced a sensational stoppage - the guts he showed was one of the things that always attracted us to Corrales. It was a shame that Castillo messed up the weight and we never got a proper return, but maybe some things in life are so good, you only get to experience them once. It was a greater shame that two years later, to the very day, that tragedy robbed us of Diego Corrales. He was always super, super polite when we interviewed him and I guess he died as he fought - recklessly.
Williams stuns Tyson - 2004
What stands out about this fight is that it showed us all how good Danny Williams could actually be. You can talk about how good or how bad Mike Tyson was for as long as you like, but he was hurting Danny badly and when he needed to produce an act of defiance, he did just that. It was like the quiet schoolboy backed into a corner by the bully and pushed too far; he just snapped and exploded back with a barrage of punches. And for all the talk of Tyson, Williams would have stopped anyone that night, anyone. Danny has been one of Britain's leading heavyweights over the decade but was also one of our most frustrating fighters; there have been so many times we wanted to see him do just this and were left disappointed by his response. There was no doubting Danny's talent, but sometimes his temparement let him down but he should always be remembered who brought about the end of Mike Tyson.
Calzaghe puts on a masterclass - 2006
A great fight and a great performance, one of the best I have seen from a Brit. I very rarely have a bet, but Lacy came over 3-1 to favourite and I went against popular opinion and backed Joe. Lacy was unbeaten but hadn't really done anything other than beat Robin Reid, who had had to train around his swimming pool, yet everybody seemed to be hailing him as the second coming of Sonnie Listion. But he had not fought anyone of Calzaghe's calibre or quality and I knew Joe would be too good. What we all realised that night was how good a fighter Joe Calzaghe was; he showed us so much more than just fast hands. I am close with their family, had been to Sardinia with them and was sat alongside his dad Enzo at ringside that night, which I will never going to forget. Joe dominated the centre of the ring and as fitness was never, ever an issue just battered Lacy for 12 rounds. Punch-perfect!
Barrera takes Hamed to school - 2001
Again I was sat at ringside for another massive night in Vegas, where the young Prince was up against one of the kings of boxing, a grizzled Mexican warrior. I did think going into it that over-confidence was starting to creep in with Naz and he had lambasted me in a press conference for daring to give my honest opinion about his good mate Ryan Rhodes. The cracks were starting to appear and he tried to get under Barrera's skin, which was sheer stupidity; anyone that knows anything about Mexican boxing knows the only way to intimidate them is earn their respect by shaking hands and then going to war. Hamed had tried to mess him around with the gloves and took 12 people into the ring, but when the bell went they had to climb out - and he was left with Barrera with a point to prove. Nas did take some great shots that night and showed a good chin, but was also at his elusive and cocky best, leering and sneering at a legend of the sport. The defining moment will always be in the 12th round when Barrera turned him round, got him in a headlock and rammed it into the turnbuckle. It cost him a point but didn't affect the outcome and in one moment, showed who was the daddy.
Gomez gets to Arthur - 2003
I was ringside with Ian Darke in Edinburgh for one of the rare domestic fights where there was real bad blood. Alex Arthur was being touted as the next best thing, had a great amateur background and was lined up to be the next British boxing sensation. Gomez, was said to be on the slide, but as we all know, is the sort of character that if he lives to be 100, will still relish upsetting the odds. There had been plenty of needle before the fight - Gomez had been ringside calling out Arthur at his fight with Willie Limond - and when the bell sounded, he charged out just like he has always done. Arthir got it all wrong, forgetting where his own strengths were and getting suckered into a slugfest, when he would have won had it been a boxing contest. Gomez hammered him with left hooks in the fourth and by then finished it off with a great shot in the fifth - though the fight had been won outside the ring as much as in it.
Pacquiao's punch perfect against Cotto - 2009
What a way to finish a brilliant decade of boxing - with one of the best performances we've seen form one of the best fighters we've seen and the new superstar to bring in the next decade. Manny Pacquiao has just constantly amazed me over the last two years and has now put himself in position to be the best in the world. I have been watching him for eight years when he was a wild-punching, easy-to-hit southpaw, winning but not always looking great, but now he is one of the best fighters we'll ever see. We thought he had taken too much on when he fought Oscar de la Hoya, we thought Ricky would be too strong for him, and although by now I have learned never to back against him or Freddie Roach, I did think that Cotto, at welterweight, might be a step too far. Plenty of us thought it would be the end of the line, but Pacquiao produced a brilliant, brlliant display of speed, power, precision and planning and completely took the fight out of Cotto. In the end it became quite cruel and the stoppage could've come a bit earlier, such was the way he got better and better. Every decade has it's stand-out performer, be it Sugar Ray Robinson, Kid Gavilan or Sugar Ray Leonard and Pacquiao proved he belongs up there with those great, great names.
Glenn McCrory's Moment of the Decade
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