Primo Carnera (right) suffered his share of losses to much smaller men. (Photo via www.boxingforum.com)

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When David Haye climbs into the ring later today to take on WBA heavyweight titlist Nikolai Valuev, he'll be looking to make history as best I can tell.

Should Haye win the fight, he will have set a record for overcoming the largest official weight difference in notable heavyweight boxing history. Just a quick scan of some famous fights and other notable bouts shows that Haye's 98-pound disadvantage tomorrow would top the record that Ruslan Chagaev set when he beat Valuev in 2007.

Now, I might be wrong, but I'm fairly sure I'm not. If David Haye can beat Valuev tomorrow, he will have made some form of history, no matter how frivolous it really is in the grand scheme of things.

One note of course: Valuev isn't just heavy, he's seven feet tall. Some of the guys on this chart were giants for their time, such as Primo Carnera (6'5 1/2"), but the height differential tomorrow is quite enormous, too. Jack Sharkey, who beat Carnera while giving up 59 pounds, was about 6'0". Max Baer was 6'2 1/2", and Joe Louis was 6'2". They gave up very little height to Carnera. Jack Dempsey's very famous win over Jess Willard was similar -- Willard was a massive 6'6 1/2", while Dempsey was also quite a big man at 6'1".

Haye, at about 6'3", gives up a lot more height than those guys did. Valuev has often beern compared to some of these guys, relative to the eras. Like Carnera, many have seen him as a lumbering lummox with no appreciable skill, but I'd actually say he's a far better boxer than Carnera was.

Here are some of the notable fights Haye over Valuev would top. (Notes: The biggest weight differential loss of Carnera's career was actually 68 pounds to Larry Gains in 1932, and I included Holmes-Butterbean mostly for fun.)

Arguably the most controversial win in the career of Oscar de la Hoya came on April 12, 1997, when the undefeated, barely 24-year old "Golden Boy" squared off with future Hall of Famer Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker, the former lightweight champ and junior welterweight titlist who by then was WBC welterweight titleholder.

Whitaker came into the fight with a 40-1-1 record, the loss and draw both dubious at the very least. Many felt he he deserved a perfect record, and still many believed so after his fight with Oscar.

Oscar was 23-0 at the time, a budding phenomenon five years past his stirring rise to fame as a gold medalist at the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. He already had several wins over good to very good fighters, but Whitaker promised to be his toughest test ever, and after titles at 130, 135 and 140, he was moving up in weight yet again. How much was too much, too soon?

But was Whitaker still truly great? His defensive mastery had slowed a bit by 1997, as he was 33 years old and time, clearly, was starting to take a toll.

Still, Pernell was regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, and Oscar, at least in his own mind, was coming not just to take Whitaker's welterweight title, but that mythical crown as well.

Let's take a look back at one of the more controversially-scored fights of the 1990s, and maybe the most controversial fight of Oscar de la Hoya's entire career. It's been over 12 years, but this one still gets some motors running when the topic comes up.

"Pound for Pound" - WBC Welterweight Title Fight
PERNELL WHITAKER
(40-1-1, 17 KO, WBC Titleholder)
versus
OSCAR DE LA HOYA
(23-0, 20 KO)
April 12, 1997 | Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
Referee: Mills Lane | Judges: Chuck Giampa, Dalby Shirley and Jerry Roth

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"Sam Langford was the toughest little son of a bitch that ever lived." -- Jack Johnson

"The hell I feared no man. There was one man I wouldn’t fight because I knew he would flatten me. I was afraid of Sam Langford." -- Jack Dempsey

In the annals of boxing history, you have fighters whose iconic names live on forever, gathering acclaim over the decades. Johnson and Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, and so on and so forth.

But then you have the other names. The men whose due was not given them in their own time, whose legend grows first with research, then in an almost mythical nature. Sam Langford is one of those.

Langford (181-34-38, 128 KO) stood no more than 5 feet, 7 inches. He fought lightweights, and made his way all the way up to the heavyweight ranks. Abe Attell once named Langford the greatest middleweight to ever live, and while a debatable point, it can easily be argued that Langford was, in fact, that level of fighter.

His punching power is legendary. Of that power, Harry Wills once remarked, "When Sam hit you in the body, you’d kind of look around half expecting to see his glove sticking out of your back. When he hit you on the chin, you didn’t think at all until they brought you back to life. When he knocked me out in New Orleans, I thought I’d been killed."

Keep in mind, Wills was a 6'2", legitimate heavyweight, and an all-time great at that.

Clay Moyle's book, Sam Langford: Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion, collects all of the greatest stories of Langford's globetrotting, take-any-fight career, one that to this day is sadly underrated. It's a fascinating study of a man and his desire to defy not only odds, but the sheer fear of him that existed in so many of his contemporaries. His chase of Jack Johnson is gripping, even when you know that Jack never wanted to get back in the ring with him after one meeting left him discouraged.

How could a man so small in stature have been so devastating? The legendary Ring Magazine editor Nat Fleischer ranked Langford as the seventh-best puncher of all-time. Often he only got fights because he promised to take it easy on opponents. Had he lived in even a slightly different time, Langford could have been world champion at 135, 147, 160, 175 and heavyweight. Really think about that -- it was a different world in so many ways.

Moyle's story of Langford's career is incredibly detailed, painstakingly researched, and leaves nothing out. Langford's story is remarkable enough, but Moyle brings it to life in such a way that I found myself emotionally invested in the career of a man whose last fight came in 1926, three years before my grandfather was born.

If you don't know the story of Sam Langford yet, or even if you do, I couldn't recommend the book more highly. It can be purchased at SamLangford.com.

The 1981 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year between then-welterweight and junior middleweight world champion Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas "Hitman" Hearns demanded a rematch as soon as it ended.

It took eight years, two Leonard retirements, and some bumps in the road for Hearns for one to come about.

After Leonard stopped Hearns in a dramatic 14th round in '81, he retired in '82 due to a detached retina, made an aborted comeback in '84, and then came back again in '87, beating Marvin Hagler for the middleweight championship and then moving up to a 168-pound catchweight to beat a drained Donny Lalonde, winning Lalonde's 175-pound title and the WBC's vacant super middleweight title in one fell swoop.

Hearns was stunned in the 1988 Upset of the Year against Iran Barkley, and had also done battle with Hagler, losing the classic three-round war of 1985.

It took a lot of money ($13 million to Leonard, $11 million to Hearns, as was reported at the time) and a lot of criticism for this fight to come about. Many felt that Leonard only took the rematch because he deemed Hearns a shot fighter and a non-threat to him, but Leonard himself said publicly that he felt Hearns' obsession with getting revenge for the 1981 loss would make him dangerous enough.

The rematch came. Hearns was now 30 years old, Leonard 33. They fought for a super middleweight title, with Hearns weighing in at 162. The official scores were 113-112 Leonard, 113-112 Hearns, and 112-112, a draw. To this day, many feel Hearns deserved the win. Let's take a look back at this still-debated fight between these two legends, with a round-by-round breakdown of the action.

"The War" - WBC & WBO Super Middleweight Title Unification - Rematch
SUGAR RAY LEONARD (35-1, 25 KO, WBC Titleholder)
versus
THOMAS HEARNS (46-3, 38 KO, WBO Titleholder)
June 12, 1989 | Caesars Palace - Las Vegas, NV

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I wound up having a lot of fun doing the first Classic Round-by-Round (Castillo-Mayweather I) about a week and a half ago, and I'm hoping to make it a regular feature, especially when you have what promises to be a slow period for news like the one we're in right now. I also want to do fights people want to discuss and would welcome everyone else's scoring when the posts are up and all that, so I thought I'd take a few fights I was considering and see what comes out on top, so indulge me, and if you feel really strongly about any one fight, say so.

The most debated fight in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s undefeated career is unquestionably his first bout with Jose Luis Castillo on April 20, 2002. Mayweather was 27-0 and moving up to 135 pounds for the first time, where Castillo (45-4-1, 41 KO at the time) held the WBC's title. Their rematch a few months later would decide the Ring Magazine lightweight championship, crowning Mayweather as the division's first Ring champion since Pernell Whitaker moved up to 140 pounds in 1992.

When Mayweather goes on and on about his flawless pro record, a lot of detractors point to this very fight as a gift from the judges. To this day, Floyd haters and Floyd admirers alike call this his toughest fight ever, and to most people, it's the only one you can even argue that he just might have lost.

This is also one of the most controversial fights of the decade, famous for a mid-fight Larry Merchant rant against Vic Drakulich and the fact that it seemed then and now that the vast majority of the public scored this fight for Castillo. I dare not to offer any "definitive" opinion, just one of a million.

I've had several people ask me if doing a round-by-round for classic fights ever crossed my mind, and it has. I figure now's as good a time as any to start.

Round 1

Larry Merchant praises Mayweather's wins over Genaro Hernandez and Diego Corrales before the bell, and wonders if Castillo's nine-pound advantage in the ring will be a factor.

Mayweather dominates the opening minute with speed, Castillo landing nothing of note. Floyd moves all over the ring fluidly, taking Castillo on a tour of their work space for the night. Floyd sneaks in a few shots in the second minute, nothing notable, but Castillo does very little and almost refuses to be the aggressor.

Castillo swings a big left uppercut a couple times, looking to counter with it, but can't find it. Easy round to score for Mayweather. Castillo's nose is bloodied at the end of round one.

Mayweather 10-9

Round 2

Mayweather's corner: Roger, Rafael Garcia, and Leonard Ellerbe. All these years later, still the same.

Floyd swings a left hook, Castillo goes down, but it's ruled a slip. Big clash of heads with 1:54 remaining in the round, both men hurt by it, slight cut on Mayweather. Floyd still moving, still waiting for JLC to set him up with counter opportunities, and finding himself waiting longer than any counter-puncher really wants to. At some point, somebody's gotta do something, and a guy like Floyd hates to lead the dance more than just about anything.

Quick right hand by Mayweather as Castillo slowly lunges at him. Nearly happens again in the exact same spot of the ring. It's a curious first two rounds for Jose Luis Castillo, who is being dominated at this point.

Mayweather 10-9

Round 3

George Foreman agrees with the Mayweather corner: Keep jabbing, stay away from the ropes. So within moments, Mayweather gets himself on the ropes, but he slips away without taking a shot. Floyd jabbing to the body. Castillo missing just about everything. Mayweather continues slipping and jabbing, Castillo keeps trying to find a chance to get Floyd pinned somewhere and do some work. Castillo with a left to the body, and then a right to the head. Castillo misses a roundhouse right near the bell. Could be scored a Floyd round, but he landed nothing of significance whatsoever. Castillo landed the two best punches of the round.

I rarely score even rounds, but this was one.

Even 10-10

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Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao put on one of the decade's best fights in 2004. HBO is currently replaying the fight online. (Photo via www.reviewjournal.com)

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In anticipation of the September 19 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez, HBO is playing Marquez's epic first fight against Manny Pacquiao from 2004. For those that have never seen it, it's a genuine classic, one of the decade's best and most memorable fights. The resolve, skill and heart that Marquez showed in this fight is on another level.

Click here to watch the fight on HBO.com (QuickTime format, there's also a Windows Media option)

Another good reason to watch this fight right now: If you're having trouble getting yourself hyped for Mayweather-Marquez, I think watching some of Marquez's greatest fights is a good way to get in the mood. It's the warrior spirit and guile of Marquez that will make this fight memorable if anything does.

Marquez might well go down hard and swinging on September 19, but this fight proves one thing for sure. He's a hard man to keep down.

This is one of the few times I'll say something really positive about this fight's promotion. Actually, HBO has done fine, putting a "24/7" in place and now doing stuff like this. They're trying here, but they're fighting an uphill battle and then some at this point.

When the third man in the ring does his job well, the spectator shouldn't even really know they're there - they should be making sure nothing dirty happens, and facilitating the flow of the fight.  Here are a few prime examples of where the referee wasn't doing their job. And please - feel free to add your own in the comments.  There are so many of these out there that I'm not mentioning that are poorly done for so many different reasons (e.g., every Laurence Cole fight, Joe Cortez not letting Ricky Hatton fight on the inside, etc.) that I can't possibly name all of them.  And I know there were a few old, old fights that I just don't know well with all kinds of horrible things happening, especially in the old Vegas fights where local politicians and mob bosses with no experience were often the referees.

Juan Martin Coggi vs. Eder Gonzales - This fight had one of the strangest sequences ever.  Coggi knocked down Gonzales and appeared to be cruising on his way to victory.  As Coggi backed Gonzzales into the ropes, Gonzales came back with a HUGE right hook over the top, knocking Coggi down like a tree.  Coggi didn't get up until about 15, and even then, he was bouncing off the ropes like a pinball.  Gonzales was then knocking the snot out of Coggi in the corner, when the referee inexplicably broke them up and didn't give Coggi a count.  At that point, Coggi still couldn't stand, but the referee didn't intervene.  The referee then hugs Coggi, as if the fight is over, and Gonzales starts celebrating that he just won the championship, but the fight isn't over!  Then Coggi's corner gets up on the ring apron, which should have been an automatic disqualification (notwithstanding the fact that Coggi had already been knocked out twice), the time stopped for about 30 seconds for Coggi to recover, and the fight continued.

Arthur Abraham vs. Edison Miranda I - Here's another example of home field advantage, and poor refereeing led to a rematch.  Edison Miranda was deducted a total of five points in this fight, two of them on ticky tacky calls, but that's not the big part.  In the fourth round, Miranda broke Abraham's jaw.  Abraham, tough guy that he is, fought on with the fairly gruesome injury, and continued to come forward.  In the fifth round, Miranda nailed Abraham with an unintentional headbutt.  It was a legitimate butt, but didn't really buzz Abraham.  Despite this, the referee Randy Neumann gave Abraham the full five minutes to recover, all the while letting both the doctors and his corner come up on the apron to treat Abraham's broken jaw.  At that point, there were really three legitimate options - Abraham DQ because his corner was on the apron during a round, doctor's stoppage because Abraham was unable to continue, or the doctor checks out the injury, lets Abraham continue and the fight moves on without serious recovery time.  Instead, none of those things happened, and Abraham was given lots of time to recover and the fight continued.  Abraham won by controversial decision, in part because of the deductions, but then cleared things up in a rematch, knocking out Miranda in 4.

Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor I - This was actually a well-refereed fight, but the ending is too controversial not to be mentioned here. Taylor was beating Chavez pretty soundly in the fight, although Chavez had been beating Taylor up to the body all night.  Taylor's corner gave him some all-time stupid advice before the 12th, telling him he needed the knockout.  Rather than playing safety first and cruising to a decision victory, Taylor came out, guns blazing, and got in a firefight.  In the last 30 seconds, knowing he needed a knockout, Chavez went whole hog, wailing with bombs and eventually backing Taylor into a corner, knocking him down with 16 seconds left to go.  Taylor got up by the count of 7, but didn't take a step forward or lift his gloves.  Referee Richard Steele looked in his eyes, and later said he saw a glassy look like Taylor didn't know where he was.  With 4 seconds left and Taylor otherwise ensured of a victory, Steele waved off the fight, giving Chavez the KO victory.  Taylor was never the same after that fight.  While he was the better fighter in the ring that night, he took a ton of damage, enough to effectively end his career as a top fighter.

Sven Ottke vs. Robin Reid - The referee probably snatched victory away from Reid this night, ensuring that Ottke could keep his VERY questionable undefeated record.  First, Reid very clearly knocked down Ottke with a hard right to the head.  The referee called it not a knockdown, and the fight continued. Then the referee kept warning Reid for leading with his head, when it was Ottke who was pulling Reid into headlocks.  Then, the referee actually deducted a point from Reid for - landing a punch!  He said the deduction was for a headbutt, but there was no butt, only two right hands that landed.  Reid ended up losing by two points.

Danny Williams vs. Konstantin Airich - This was just one of the strangest fights out there, period.  The referee deducted points when there was no foul.  The referee called no knockdown when there was a knockdown.  The referee called knockdowns when there was no knockdown.  The referee complained to the fighters that they were actually throwing too many punches.  One of the rounds got shortened by over a minute because the promoter rang the bell when his fighter was in trouble.  Despite the referee doing everything in his power to ensure an Airich victory, Williams was able to score the knockout.  Here's Scott's full post on this one, which goes into all the shenanigans in detail.

Lucian Bute vs. Librado Angrade I - A bad job refereeing, but in my opinion, the right call.  You already know this one, but here's the video:

Sergio Martinez vs. Kermit Cintron -This 'draw' was one of the worse robberies in history.  Martinez knocked down Cintron with a big right hand.  The referee counted to ten while Cintron was on the ground, but Cintron got up before the referee waved off the fight.  Still, the rules say that at the count of ten, the fight is over.  Cintron then proceeded to complain to the referee that he was knocked down by a headbutt (on replay, it was clearly a punch, and a very good one at that).  The fight continued, even though the referee made it to 10.  In the end, Martinez only made it out with a draw in a fight where he clearly won at least 8 rounds and scored a knockdown.  One of the only fights I can think of where the fighter was robbed by both the referee and the judges at the end of the fight.

Feel free to add some of your own in the comments, especially with respect to older fights.  It just seems like there's been a lot of very questionable refereeing lately, but I'm sure this is nothing new.