When boxing gets it right, there are few sports to match it, and that’s evidenced by some of the colossal attendances in world title fights down the years.
On Saturday, Sept. 21, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will set a UK record for paid attendance as the latter defends his IBF heavyweight title against the former two-time unified champion at Wembley Stadium in London.
WATCH: Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois, live on DAZN
Joshua seeks to become just the fifth man in history to win three heavyweight championships. However, if Dubois springs the upset, then superstardom and boxing immortality will be his for the taking. A crowd of 96,000 is expected at the national soccer stadium, which is comparable to some of boxing history’s biggest crowds.
The Sporting News looks back at seven astonishing nights when huge crowds became very much a part of the action:
1. Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Greg Haugen
- Date: February 20, 1993
- Venue: Azteca Stadium, Mexico City
- Attendance: 132,274
Chavez defended his WBC super lightweight title against Haugen 31 years ago in a bout that still holds the record for the largest paid attendance for a championship fight.
During the buildup, Haugen stated that Chavez had only beaten “Tijuana taxi drivers” and that Mexicans couldn’t afford to fill Azteca Stadium. That didn’t go over well.
Members of the crowd through debris at Haugen and spat on him as he made his ring walk. When he climbed through the ropes things only got worse, with Chavez pulverizing the American for four rounds before knocking him out in the fifth.
MORE: SN’s Top 12 best heavyweight boxers
2. Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney
- Date: September 23, 1926
- Venue: Sesquicentennial Stadium, Philadelphia
- Attendance: 120,757
After knocking out Luis Firpo in September 1923, Dempsey took three years out of boxing during which time he spent a lot of money and did a lot of partying.
He returned against gifted stylist Gene Tunney in a heavyweight championship bout that was scheduled for 10 rounds. Dempsey attacked with abandon but was outmaneuvered and outpointed by the fleetfooted New Yorker who won the decision and the title.
A crowd of 104,943 came out for the rematch that would later become known as “The Battle of the Long Count”. Dempsey decked Tunney in round seven with a brutal combination but gave Tunney precious seconds to recover by not going to a neutral corner.
Tunney dropped Dempsey in the eighth, won every other round, and claimed another decision win.
3. Tyson Fury vs. Dillian White
- Date: April 23, 2022
- Venue: Wembley Stadium
- Attendance: 94,000
At the height of his popularity, Fury fulfilled a WBC mandatory obligation to fight countryman Dillian Whyte in front of a record UK crowd.
The fight was one-sided with “The Gypsy King” winning almost every round before knocking Whyte out cold with a brilliantly timed right uppercut in the sixth. Despite Fury’s dominance, this was a memorable homecoming for the Englishman who had blasted out American knockout artist Deontay Wilder to win the heavyweight championship and repeated the result in a direct rematch.
4. Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko
- Date: April 29, 2017
- Venue: Wembley Stadium
- Attendance: 90,000
Many felt the time was right for hot new heavyweight star Anthony Joshua to blast his way through aging former champ Wladimir Klitschko.
“AJ” got there in the end, but this was a true baptism by fire. Klitschko got off the canvas in round five to deck Joshua in the sixth, but the Ukrainian hero couldn’t find the finisher. Slowly, the Englishman began to re-establish command, and he closed out brilliantly with two knockdowns in round 11.
Joshua added the vacant WBA title to the IBF crown he was defending. The bout was named The Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.
5. Carl Froch vs. George Groves 2
- Date: May 31, 2014
- Venue: Wembley Stadium
- Attendance: 80,000
It became one of the most potent rivalries in British boxing history and ended with the ultimate mic-drop knockout.
Groves had fought brilliantly against Froch in their first encounter five months earlier but was the victim of an early stoppage when ahead on points. That only fueled the vitriol between the fighters, and the atmosphere was at a fever pitch by the time the opening bell rang for the rematch.
Froch had improved immeasurable since the first fight and boxed much more effectively. He was ahead going into the eighth round before setting up a head-bursting right hand to the jaw that knocked his rival out cold. “The Cobra” retained IBF and WBA super middleweight titles and retired from the sport a winner.
6. Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders
- Date: May 8, 2021
- Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Attendance: 73,126
Already a pound-for-pound great, Canelo staked his WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine super middleweight championships against WBO counterpart Billy Joe Saunders.
Canelo was quiet during the buildup and let Saunders throw all the insults. However, when the bell rang, the Mexican superstar did his talking in the ring. He stalked the Englishman relentlessly and eventually fractured his foe’s eye socked with a rocket right uppercut. Unable to continue, Saunders was pulled out of the fight at the end of round eight.
This fight broke the record for indoor attendance, which had been held by Ali vs. Spinks 2 for almost 43 years.
MORE: Who are the biggest punchers in heavyweight boxing history?
7. Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks 2
- Date: September 15, 1978
- Venue: New Orleans Superdome, Louisiana
- Attendance: 63,352
Spinks had shocked the world five months earlier by dethroning “The Greatest” in Las Vegas.
The rematch was a monster event with Ali attempting to become the first fighter in history to win a third heavyweight championship. He did just that, old-manning and outboxing Spinks for the duration of the 15-rounder before claiming a wide unanimous decision.
Ali regained the WBA and Ring Magazine titles in a bout that was dubbed “The Battle of New Orleans.” It was the final victory of his legendary career.