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Mayweather-Pacquiao, Lewis-Tyson and other fights that happened too late

Spoiler alert - Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul isn't one of them...

It's official - Amir Khan and Kell Brook will collide on February 19 at the AO Arena in Manchester.
No titles are on the line, just bragging rights in a fight that seems to be a farewell showdown for both former world champions.

There was a time when this was the biggest fight to make in British boxing. Seven years on, with world title defeats on their record, KOs to middleweight greats and their careers coming to a close, we will finally get to see them collide on Sky Sports pay-per-view.

They aren't the first and certainly won't be the last to put an end to a rivalry past their primes - and they aren't the first, as Planet Sport will show you below.

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao

Billed as the 'Fight of the Century', this long-awaited and much-anticipated contest which earned both pugilists upwards of nine figures underlined Floyd Mayweather's status as the finest boxer of his generation.

Manny Pacquiao was inhibited by a shoulder injury and claimed he won afterwards but scorecards of 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 reflected his rival's dominance, with Mayweather controlling proceedings with a ramrod jab and straight right.

In truth, this event was something of a let down for many observers and, while Pacquiao courted a rematch in the years that followed, Mayweather went in a different direction.

Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson

Lennox Lewis beat Mike Tyson with an eighth-round knockout in 2002. Victory at the Pyramid Stadium in Memphis saw Lewis retain his status as the undisputed WBC, IBF, IBO heavyweight champion.

The fight had originally been scheduled for Las Vegas, but Nevada refused Tyson a license after he sparked a brawl at a New York press conference to publicise the event, biting Lewis' leg amid the scuffle.
Once the real fight got underway, Tyson started well and had the better of the opening round, getting in a powerful left hook to the jaw which left the Briton struggling.
But the tide turned in the second round and Lewis inflicted a cut above his opponent's right eye in the third, during which the American headbutted his opponent.
Tyson went down in the fourth round but it was ruled a slip and Lewis was penalised for a push. Lewis eventually ended the bout in the eighth round with a heavy right-hander.

The bout was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history at the time, bringing in $106.9million. Though Lewis retained his titles, within a month he would lose his IBF crown after declining to face mandatory challenger Chris Byrd.

Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr

The career of perhaps Britain's finest fighter came to a fitting conclusion at the Garden when Joe Calzaghe retired undefeated after a convincing victory over the once-great Roy Jones Jr, giving him a record of 46-0.

Calzaghe entered the fight having previously overcome American legend Bernard Hopkins via split-decision. The Welshman - who had moved up to light heavyweight after conquering the super middleweight division - was facing a Jones who had tasted two defeats to Antonio Tarver and a knockout loss against Glen Johnson.

Recovering from a first-round knockdown, Calzaghe controlled each of the following 11. He then made the sadly all-too-rare decision to retire while near the peak of his powers, something many regret Jones Jr did not also choose to do.

James DeGale vs Chris Eubank Jr

Chris Eubank Jr revived his career with a victory that saw James DeGale announce his retirement in the aftermath of the 2017 fight.

It was a fight that fans had craved following their bad blood over the years and DeGale chose to fight Eubank and vacate his IBF title - a belt he had won for the second time after avenging his defeat to Caleb Truax.
Eubank, 29 at the time, won their grudge super middleweight match-up at London's O2 Arena, knocking DeGale down twice to secure the finest win of his career and put himself back into contention for a world title challenge.
Truth be told, DeGale's shoulder injuries over the years had caught up with him and he was a shadow of himself. However, it's hard to say no when ITV Box Office come calling with big paychecks.

Muhammad Ali vs Larry Holmes

One of the worst spectacles ever witnessed inside the squared circle, even Larry Holmes looked uncomfortable in there with an old and slow Muhammad Ali.

After defeating Leon Spinks to regain his WBA title, Ali ended a two-year exile to face Holmes in 1980, a fight that happened a couple of years too late. A unification with Holmes straight after the win against Spinks would have been better than this horrible showing.
Holmes would win inside 10 rounds, but it's a fight that is remembered for all the wrong reasons. Mike Tyson would KO Holmes in 1988, and tributed his fourth-round stoppage to "The Greatest."

Read more: Is Johnny Fisher Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn's new heavyweight draw?

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