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Corey Erdman takes a look at ten of the greatest rematches in boxing history.

One of the wonderful things about the sport of boxing is that it has the ability to create, and recreate magic. Want to see the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies go at it again? Better hope they're both still around next October. Think Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts could best Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints if given a second try? They may never get one.

Granted, "boxing" doesn't make its own decisions either—promoters, managers, sanctioning bodies, venues, television networks and fighters do—which means there are plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. In the age of rematch clauses, we've seen our fair share of utterly forgettable rematches thanks to either contractual obligation, or greed, designed to fool the casual fan, with a wink and a nod to those in the know. But for every Chad Dawson-Antonio Tarver II, there are wisely chosen second attempts at closely contested bouts, designed to determine a conclusive winner.

On Saturday, lineal lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KO) will wage war with Juan Diaz (37-3-0, 17 KO) for a second time, following their 2009 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.

In all, twenty second meetings have been given Fight of the Year honors, with another hopeful just days away.

Let's take a look at 10 of the top rematches in the history of the "sweet science."

Battling Nelson-Ad Wolgast II (February 23, 1910)

As previously outlined by our very own Andrew Fruman, this bout is lauded by historians as one of the most savage of all-time. The referee for the night, Eddie Smith, summed up the action in a post-fight interview with the New York Times: "Both men fought the same, but one had youth, the power to come back, vigor, life and all that goes with it, while the thirteen years of fighting through which Nelson had gone had sapped his strength and left him without the same snap, dash and stamina."

Nelson was battered for the majority of the bout, save for a sudden burst of offense in the 22nd round, dropping Wolgast after a staggering right cross. After three rounds in retreat and several swigs of whiskey from his cornermen, Wolgast "sobered" up and whipped his foe for the next 15 rounds, until a booming right hand enticed Smith to call the fight off.

Gene Tunney-Jack Dempsey II (September 22, 1927)

Known as "The Long Count Fight" in boxing annals, the world heavyweight title fight, which was the most attended prize fight in history at the time, was far more than a controversial knockdown in the seventh round.

"The technical story of the battle can be briefly told. Dempsey, pawing, sniffing, advanced on Tunney from the outset, beckoning him to close quarters, and Tunney danced away, hitting as he danced, and sapping the strength of his foe from the start," said Washington Post scribe Shirley Povich after the bout.

Tunney put on a masterful boxing performance, while Dempsey's courage and vulnerability in the final stage of his career was shocking for audiences to see after years of utter dominance over the division.

After the loss, the "Manassa Mauler" retired, but returned to work the corner of Tunney's next opponent, Tom Heeney. The champion would then retire undefeated as a heavyweight after knocking Heeney out.

Ceferino Garcia-Henry Armstrong II (March 1, 1940)

Prior to the bout, Garcia boldly predicted to numerous sportswriters that he would knock Armstrong out, despite losing a close decision to him in their first meeting. And, had Armstrong been less gallant, his prognostication would have came to fruition, as he was offered $75,000 to take a dive in round four.

Whether he knew of the proposed deal or not, Garcia came to fight, and gave "Hammerin' Hank" hell for ten rounds. The lone judge was also the referee, George Blake, who was also officiating his final contest. Whatever deduction you would like to make about Blake's ability to accurately judge a bout while in the ring at an advanced age, the result was a draw.

However, the fight is remembered less for its disputed decision, and more for the masterful and brutal display of infighting that has seldom been rivaled since.

Tony Zale-Rocky Graziano II (July 16, 1947)

Two consecutive times, Zale and Graziano produced in-ring drama that could only be matched by predetermined cinema.

After succumbing to Zale's ferocious power in their first meeting, it was Graziano who turned the tables in the follow-up, knocking his opponent out in the sixth—the very same round during which he had tasted defeat previously.

The younger Graziano uncorked a reported 30 blows on his wilting foe before the helpless Zale was saved by the referee.

Willie Pep-Sandy Saddler II (February 11, 1949)

In speaking with ESPN, boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar proclaimed Pep's victory over Saddler in their second bout the culmination of the "greatest comeback from injury in the history of sport," outside of Ben Hogan, who won the 1950 US Open of golf following a death-defying car accident in February of 1949.

Pep himself lived through a horrific plane crash which rendered him in a body cast, yet returned to the ring just five months later in 1947. The Hall of Famer was never quite as nimble as he once was, which was evident in his first bout against Saddler, where he was knocked out in the fourth round.

Saddler, who is one of the sport's all-time greatest punchers, had Pep dazed on several occasions, including the 15th round, but was not able to earn the decision. He would get his revenge however, defeating Pep another two times in the years following. But the battle still isn't over. More than half a century after they last fought, boxing fans still debate over which man is the greatest featherweight of all-time.

Jake LaMotta- Laurent Dauthuille II (September 13, 1950)

LaMotta's reputation as perhaps the most resilient fighter of all-time was born in this fight. "The Raging Bull" was dominated by Dauthuille for all but the final 13 seconds of the bout. The Frenchman Dauthuille, who had defeated LaMotta in front of an adoring crowd in Montreal, QC a year prior, pursued the normally aggressive champion all night.

As the 15th round neared its conclusion, LaMotta was still sagging on the ropes, looking ripe for a knockout, before suddenly spinning Daughtuille and unleashing blows. The champion maintained pressure, before blasting the challenger with a looping left hook, nearly sending him through the ropes at an official time of 2:47.

Rocky Marciano-Ezzard Charles II (September 17, 1954)

Exactly three months earlier, on June 17 of 1954, Marciano and Charles engaged in an ebb and flow battle for 15 rounds. In the process, Charles became the first and only man to go the distance with the "Brockton Blockbuster" during his title reign. Marciano won the bout, however there was enough to prove, and enough public demand for the rematch that it was scheduled in the same venue, Yankee Stadium in New York, NY, for September.

Marciano won all but one round on each judge's scorecard, but endured a vicious cut in the sixth round when Charles missed with an uppercut and slashed him with his elbow. With blood pouring down his face, the champion decked his aging foe twice in the eighth for the victory.

Sugar Ray Robinson-Carmen Basilio II (March 25, 1958)

Robinson-Basilio I and II were so good that they have become modern day hyperbole in boxing circles. "It was looking like Robinson-Basilio early on."

Never have middleweights fought with as much skill and grit as did the two Hall of Famers in their pair of bouts, particularly in the second go-round. While Basilio earned a split decision in the first bout, was his courageous effort in a loss, and the gruesomely beautiful image of him bobbing around the ring with one eye completely swollen shut that has become his legacy.

"It restored to boxing some old values. Men like Robinson and Basilio do not fight just for a purse. Not when they must go from the ring to a bed of exhaustion and pain, like Robinson, or a hospital, like Basilio. There is honor and bravery in it," said Martin Kane in the April 7, 1958 edition of Sports Illustrated.

The early rounds were close, but after Angelo Dundee wisely decided not to slice Basilio's eyelid open in the sixth round, his condition continued to worsen, negating his ability to land from long range. Robinson still endured an immense amount of punishment himself, mainly due to harsh liver shots, and even lost on the referee's scorecard.

Matthew Saad Muhammad-Yaqui Lopez II (July 13, 1980)

Matthew Saad Muhammad's may never have been able to beat Dwight Muhammad Qawi, however it can be argued that Qawi was able to get the best of him thanks to Yaqui Lopez.

Two power punchers stood toe-to-toe for 14 spellbinding rounds in McAfee, NJ., despite a giant 20 foot ring. During the eighth round, Muhammad absorbed 25 consecutive punches, as counted by the Associated Press. Amazingly, the WBA light heavyweight champion remained on his feet, and despite a grotesque visage, was leading on scorecards at the end of the bout as well. Late in the 14th stanza, Muhammad dropped Lopez for a fourth time in the round—all four times with right hands—before the previously apathetic referee Waldemar Schmidt called a halt to the bout.

Bobby Chacon-Cornelius Boza-Edwards II (May 15, 1983)

The quintessential comeback fight fittingly nearly didn't happen at all. As of the Thursday before the Sunday bout, both combatants were under the impression that the event would be called off. However, this was one of the rare occasions when Don King actually lost a lawsuit, unsuccessfully claiming that he had a contract with Chacon to fight Hector Camacho the following month. The WBC was outlandishly on board with the claim and was somehow going to refuse a bout between its super featherweight champion (Chacon) and number one challenger (Boza-Edwards).

Chacon stated that he was ready to eat pizza, drink beer and sit on his couch as of Friday But by the time the action unfolded on network television Sunday, it's unlikely that anyone watching was anywhere but on the edge of the cushioned seat.

By the time the third round was finished, fans had seen Boza-Edwards knocked down twice, and Chacon floored once. More troubling than the knockdown though, the cut-friendly champion was being carved up by the Ugandan's piston-like punches.

With three cuts on his face and a very clearly broken nose, Chacon managed to overcome a deficit on the scorecard, and the threat of ring doctor Edwin Homanski stopping the bout at any time to earn a decision victory.

Corey Erdman is a host and producer at SIRIUS 98, and a freelance boxing writer formerly of The Sporting News' The Rumble. Follow him on Twitter: Corey_Erdman@Twitter