THE RISE AND RISE OF BOXING PURSES

1908 $30,000

Tommy Burns v Jack Johnson (below)

THIS fight in Sydney was the first time a black man (Johnson) fought for the world heavyweight title. The bout was stopped after 14 rounds, with Johnson declared the champion.

1971 $2.5m

Joe Frazier v Muhammad Ali

THE first fight of an epic trilogy between Ali and Frazier saw Ali suffer the first defeat of his professional career after 15 rounds in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

1980 $7.5m

Sugar Ray Leonard v Roberto Duran

LEONARD lost his WBC welterweight championship to Duran in Montreal by unanimous decision. Leonard never recovered after a Duran left hook in the second round knocked him into the ropes.

1980 $18m

Roberto Duran v Sugar Ray Leonard

LEONARD won the title back off Duran in New Orleans. It came after Duran sensationally quit at the end of the eighth round by saying to the referee ‘ No mas’ — no more in Spanish.

1996 $25m

Frank Bruno v Mike Tyson (below)

TYSON won the WBC heavyweight championship from Englishman Bruno in Las Vegas after the fight was stopped in the third round following a brutal 13-punch combination.

2007 $52m

Oscar De La Hoya v Floyd Mayweather

THIS light-middleweight fight in Las Vegas saw Mayweather win the WBC title by split decision after 12 tense rounds. De La Hoya was 10lb heavier than Mayweather on fight night and only fought twice more.

2015 $180m

Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao

AFTER unbelievable levels of hype in the build-up, Mayweather won a cagey and unexciting affair by unanimous decision.

1910 $120,000

Jack Johnson v James J Jeffries

FORMER world heavyweight champion Jeffries came out of retirement to fight Johnson in Nevada. Jeffries’ corner threw in the towel in the 15th round of the original ‘fight of the century’.

1921 $300,000

Jack Dempsey v Georges Carpentier

WORLD heavyweight champion Dempsey knocked out world light-heavyweight champion Carpentier in Jersey City. This was the first boxing match to be transmitted on the radio.

1927 $990,000

Gene Tunney v Jack Dempsey

TUNNEY retained his world heavyweight crown in a rematch with Dempsey known as the ‘long count fight’. Tunney went down, the count was delayed, and he ended up emerging victorious.

1974 $5.4m

George Foreman v Muhammad Ali (below)

The Rumble in the Jungle is arguably the most famous boxing match of all time and it saw Ali knock down undefeated world champion Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa.

1997 $33m

Evander Holyfield v Mike Tyson

THIS rematch for the WBA heavyweight championship saw Tyson disqualified and subsequently lose his boxing license for shockingly biting off part of Holyfield’s ear.

2013 $80m

Floyd Mayweather v Canelo Alvarez

ANOTHER light-middleweight fight in Las Vegas and another Mayweather victory after 12 rounds. Mayweather looked untroubled for the duration of the fight and easily inflicted a first career defeat on his Mexican opponent.

2017 $275m

Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor

MMA’S McGregor tried his hand at boxing, but was predictably outclassed by the peerless Mayweather — who took his record to 50 wins and no losses.