Category:

Our last look at "Iron."

2/9/2020

The last knockout of Mike Tyson's 20 year career. (Feb. 22, 2003)

By early 2003 I was done with Mike Tyson. Or at least I thought I was. It was obvious that the showdown with Lennox Lewis should have been his retirement fight. At the time I was a junior in high school, but a huge boxing fan. I had lost faith in Tyson after the beatdown he took from Lewis, but one punch would later restore it. No one knew at the time that on February 22, 2003, Mike Tyson would knock out his last opponent, and it would only take 49 seconds.

Let's rewind back to February 2003. When I heard that Tyson was fighting Clifford Etienne, I felt that Clifford would murder him. Yeah, Clifford was a bum I'd never heard of previously. But Tyson looked so bad against Lewis that I'd pick almost anyone to beat him by this point.

For the Tyson v. Lewis fight, I threw a big fight party. For the Tyson v. Clifford Etienne fight, the party this time was just me, my dad, and a beer. (His beer)

I remember Mystikal performed the entrance music for Mike. He did the song, Danger!! (Been So Long) I still remember that album. That song might have been his last big hit. Tyson came out to Ambition Az A Ridah, one of the best 2Pac songs of all time. It was always nice to see Tyson honor his slain friend that way.

Now for the fight. (If you can call it that).

Clifford initially was able to dodge Tyson's left hooks and uppercuts by bobbing and weaving in a crouch.

The fight was explosive as both men charged right into each other like rhinos. Clifford tossed a jab first. Tyson was headhunting, slinging hooks to the head after jabbing his way inside. Clifford was ducking low, bobbing and weaving under Mike’s vicious hooks. A young Tyson would have taken advantage of Clifford’s openings with an uppercut. By the time Tyson launched one, Clifford’s head was out of position.

Clifford grabbed onto Tyson and both guys went tumbling to the ground. Remember. We’re only 13 seconds into the fight here. This was happening fast.

Once the ref waved both men back into action, Tyson charged in with a wild left hook but Clifford ducked and went back to bobbing and weaving. Tyson, to his credit, threw to the body and even threw another uppercut to the crouching Etienne, but couldn’t land because Clifford kept moving his head and smothering the former heavyweight champion. Both men got entangled and were (again) separated by the referee.

Iron Mike Tyson smashed poor Clifford with his right hand, resulting in the last knockout of his career.

Tyson was famous for his combinations during his youth, and what followed next is a reason why.

Clifford managed to dodge another Tyson left hook, but was surprised when Tyson smashed him with a right hook on the chin. Down he went. This was a flash of the 19 year-old Tyson; the kid who threw “punches in bunches.” If one punch failed to land, there would always be a follow-up or two that would inevitably catch you flush.

Cliff fell under his own leg, which looked even more painful than the punch. Once on the ground, he removed his mouthpiece and got comfortable laying on the canvas as the referee counted him out.

I was shocked and started rejoicing. Iron Mike was back!!! This was the Mike Tyson I remembered from my childhood. Maybe Lennox Lewis was just too big and too good for Tyson? Maybe Lewis would retire? Maybe Tyson now had a good chance to win the title again? All these thoughts and possibilities flashed through my mind. I suddenly had hope for Tyson. Right in front of my eyes, the former "Kid Dynamite" had knocked out Clifford Etienne in 49 seconds. I was caught up in the moment.

Then my dad brought me back to reality. “He (Clifford) probably took a dive.”

Damn.

I hadn't thought of that. And during the replays you see how smoothly Cliff removed his mouthpiece and made no effort to get up. He was considered a nobody, likely hired to help Tyson get some of his hard-hitting reputation back. I realized my dad was probably right.

The post-fight interview went much longer than the fight itself. Tyson said he broke his back while riding a motorcycle. And he also talked about his new tattoo on his face. Even though he wasn't saying crazy things about kissing Razor Ruddock's big lips or eating Lennox Lewis' children, this interview was still quite bizarre.

Like my dad said, the knockout could be suspect. Considering the way Clifford was content to lay there during the ten-count, and the way he was so quick to embrace and whisper to Tyson when it was over....makes you scratch your head a bit.

Another thing. Tyson is the most explosive in the first few rounds. Why the hell did Clifford come right at Tyson at the start of the fight? That's suicide. A stupid strategy. By this point, Tyson had been defeated four times by three men, and they each finished him using similar tactics. Surely Clifford knew better.

Clifford was also noticeably taller than Mike. Why did he come right at Tyson and fight by ducking into his reach? That's another questionable strategy. If you come right at Tyson and duck into his range, it's only a matter of time before you get blasted out. Clifford should have used his height to his advantage. There is no way someone tall like Muhammad Ali would charge at Tyson and foolishly fight him this way.

But to be fair, Clifford did seem a bit dazed after the knockout. Today I feel the same as I did that night as a teenager - the punch was legit, but Clifford was content to lay there and get his money. He knew he had no chance. He and Tyson put on a nice little 49-second show, and they both got paid. That isn't fair to the people spending money on this farce. But that's the fight game.

Honestly, Tyson was long over by this point. You could argue that his decline began with Cus D'Amato died. Tyson began to ignore his skills after firing Kevin Rooney, often looking for quick knockouts with his right hand. Then came the prison sentence, a year suspension after biting Holyfield, and here we were after the Lewis loss.

Tyson only fought two more times, losing to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. Both fights took place when I was in college. I predicted Tyson would destroy the huge, lumbering McBride, but instead he quit in the sixth round and retired. He was actually winning the fight, en route to a split decision victory.

The last time Tyson's arm would be raised in victory.

Fighters like Joe Louis, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali just didn’t have it anymore when they retired. They were mere shadows of themselves. The 37 year-old Joe Louis that was knocked out by Rocky Marciano was still fundamentally sound. His jab still had some bite to it, and his left hook was still mean. In his fights with Ezzard Charles and Marciano, we saw flashes of the prime Brown Bomber, as he tried to unleash the devastating combinations or “Joe Louis Specials” that he once routinely destroyed guys with. He was arguably the best finisher of all time. Fast forward to October 1951; age had robbed him of those graceful reflexes. He was too old to fight off a younger, stronger heavyweight like Marciano.

Ali had deteriorated to an even worse state by the time he fought Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbrick in his last fights. His arch nemesis Joe Frazier didn’t do much better in his final fight either. Against Jumbo Cummings, Frazier did his best and fought to win. He fought with his usual aggression and tried to kill the guy. The crowd gasped each time Frazier slung his fierce left hook, but the smoke was gone.

In their last fights, Ali, Frazier and Louis fought to win, but their declining skills prevented it. Tyson, on the other hand, maintained the fast hands and brutal power of his youth, but mentally caved in. He said himself after the McBride fight, “I don’t have the fighting guts no more. I haven’t loved this since 1990.” It showed.

0 Comments

What If? David Tua Versus Primo Carnera

12/20/2019

0 Comments

Imagine the year is 1933 and you're a top-ranked heavyweight contender stepping into the ring with the heavyweight champion. As the announcer pumps up the crowd during the introductions, the heavyweight champion glares at you from across the ring. He is a huge man, standing at a tall 6'6 and ½ inches and a massive 250 pounds. His name is Primo Carnera, (88-14, 71 Knockouts) and he just recently killed a man named Ernie Schaaf in a previous fight. You're about to face one of the strongest men alive on the planet, even capable of murder in the ring.

Let's fast forward to the year 2000. You're a boxer and the only man standing between you and a potential crack at the heavyweight championship is a strong, stocky powerhouse of a heavyweight named David Tua. (52-5-2, 43 Knockouts)

Tua may be on the small side standing at 5'10 and wearing a "Kid N' Play" haircut, but it doesn't matter. You've seen what his devastating left hook can do. He basically hits you with the entire island of Samoa. Tua has his Polynesian dancers drumming and dancing as he makes his way to the ring. As he climbs through the ropes, he shoots you the meanest look you've ever seen in your life. He has knocked out his last ten opponents in a devastating fashion and looks to add you to his list. You visibly shudder at the thought.

David Tua is arguably the greatest heavyweight never to win the title. But he was blessed with pure dynamite in his fists and had one of the best chins of all time. His left hook was pure blunt force trauma.

Primo Carnera was also a warrior gifted with almost supernatural physical strength. He is one of the biggest heavyweight champions to ever fight in the ring. What would happen if these two mammoths clashed in the center of the ring? Who controls the action? Who goes down? Who has the better legacy? Let's discuss.

Standing at 6'6 and 250 pounds, the massive Primo Carnera would hold a significant size advantage over "The Throwin' Samoan."

The Ambling Alp

Known as the Ambling Alp (What kind of name is that?!?!) Primo was the biggest heavyweight champion in history until the arrival of the 7-foot tall Nikolai Valuev. Carnera was incredibly strong, even working as a strongman and professional wrestler at one point.

Primo naturally had an intimating presence because of his size, but his scary reputation increased when he fatally knocked out Ernie Schaaf in February 1933. In the 13th round, a jab from the giant sent Schaaf sprawling to the canvas, and he never entirely woke up. He briefly awoke paralyzed in the hospital, but lapsed back into a coma and passed away 4 days later. Here is a clip of the knockout.

Primo knocked out Jack Sharkey to win the heavyweight championship in 1933. In the 6th round, a vicious uppercut literally knocked Sharkey off his feet and took his title. What's ironic is that Sharkey had easily boxed his way to a decision over Primo in their previous encounter, but he was obviously intimated by Primo's “murderous” reputation in their title fight. The man was terrified.

Primo was not heavyweight champion for long. He was absolutely destroyed by Max Baer a year later, hitting the canvas 11 times. The referee mercifully stopped the massacre in the 11th round.

The following year, Primo was again humiliated...this time by a young up and coming Joe Louis. The Brown Bomber unloaded his dynamite and put Carnera on the floor three times. By the 6th round, it was over. This fight was the first major milestone in Louis' career. When he showed that he could knock out the massive Primo Carnera, people knew he had a future. Here is what Louis had to say about fighting Primo, brilliantly walking us through the fight.

Louis said here that “Carnera was nothing.” It's interesting that Louis was able to literally pick up the giant and not vice versa. This was an easy fight for Louis, and he makes it sound as if Primo wasn't as talented as people thought, which I'll get to in a second.

There are many rumors that Primo was controlled by the mob. I don't know the details of this, but if true, Louis' statements ring even more true. Primo was huge, but couldn't fight. His size and mob connections are what led to his success. But that's all a matter of opinion.

The Tuaman

That 19-second demolition you just witnessed is the entire David Tua-John Ruiz fight. Many of Tua's early fights went like this, and he was referred to by many as "The Samoan Mike Tyson." Like his hero Mike Tyson, David Tua often ended fights early in an explosive fashion.

After turning pro in 1992, David gained a reputation for being one of boxing's most feared sluggers. His trainers were Lou Duva, Ronnie Shields and Kevin Barry. Duva was friends with Rocky Marciano and said during one of Tua's post-fight interviews that he gave his pupil a “Rocky Marciano style.” That may have been Duva's intent, but in my opinion David combined Tyson's aggressive approach with Joe Frazier's explosive left hook and stamina. Throw in a granite chin, and the result is David Tua.

David had a reputation for destroying guys within the first round, but he was also dangerous because he could go the distance no problem. There were many fights where David was behind on the scorecards but his bomb of a left hook bailed him out at the last second. Well, I guess you could compare him to Marciano in that regard. Marciano and Tua both had fights where their one-punch power saved the day at the last second.

Tua also had a chin of absolute granite. He was rarely hurt or staggered. Those huge tree trunk legs kept him sturdy.

Tua's first loss came to Ike Ibeabuchi in one of the best fights of all time. The battle was close. I had it 6-4-2 for Ike Ibeabuchi. Tua had issues adjusting to Ike's jab during the first four rounds, and Ike fought like hell to survive the last round, outpointing Tua. If not for his late start, Tua would have won.

Despite losing, this was Tua's best performance. He threw devastating combinations of hooks and uppercuts, he threw dozens of punches to the head and body almost consistently. Both guys wanted the win badly, and wound up having the highest number of punches thrown in a heavyweight fight.

After his undefeated streak was broken by Ibeabuchi, Tua seemingly lost his spirit. His weight began to balloon the next year in a fight with Hasim Rahman. Tua began to get bigger and bigger with each fight, and now fought a bit more lazy, often looking to end things with his thunderous left hook. The combinations, the uppercuts, and the thudding body blows were suddenly gone. It was now all about the left hook. This lack of strategy and motivation gradually ruined David's career.

David Tua narrowly missing a massive left hook on Lennox Lewis in 2000.

A Clash Of Styles

Primo fought as an upright, outside boxer. He used his long 85-inch reach and jab to fight from the distance.

Tua, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He charged right at you and launched his thudding hooks and uppercuts in close range.

If we go by what Louis said, Primo had a “pretty decent jab” and pushed with his right. What we know is that when sluggers slipped under his guard and landed on Primo's chin, he went down in a heap.

Max Baer and Joe Louis are the hardest punchers Primo fought, and they both shattered him easily once they landed their first significant punch. Louis wisely concentrated on a body attack during the early rounds to "soften" Primo up. Once Primo was visibly getting fatigued and began to drop his guard to protect his ribs, that's when Louis got aggressive and went for the kill.

But Max Baer? He was a wild swinging madman. No finesse, no grace, no setup, just wild crazy random swings. If he could connect on Baer, I'm almost sure anyone could.

The difference between their victories against Primo is that Louis started setting Primo up as early as the first round, so it took less knockdowns to finish him later. Primo was broken down and ready to go by round 6. Baer hurt Primo earlier, but because he didn't "weaken" him the way Louis did, it took him a lot longer for Baer to finish the giant. (11 rounds).

Joe Louis struck Carnera so hard that blood squirted from his mouth and he went crashing to the floor.

Fighting big men wasn't necessarily a problem for Tua, but his kryptonite was a good jab, regardless of his opponent's size. Tua never learned how to sufficiently block or slip them. Hasim Rahman was far from a spectacular heavyweight, but because he had a decent jab, Tua had trouble adjusting to him in two fights.

Tua's defense was so bad that he made Hasim Rahman almost look as good as Joe Louis. Similarly, Chris Bryd had a field day humiliating Tua for 12 rounds. Bryd's awkward, pawing jab and slick mobility kept Tua befuddled and allowed Bryd to stay out of danger. Tua never learned how to sufficiently cut the ring either. If he had, then he would have mowed down Rahman and Bryd and pulverized them. But he had no idea how to close the gap if his opponent kept their jab in his face.

Tua might attack aggressively like a Frazier or Marciano, but he had no idea how to trap and corner guys the way they did.

During their heavyweight championship fight in November 2000, Lennox Lewis basically treated Tua like a sparring partner in one of his easiest title defenses.

But Primo Carnera was even bigger than Lennox Lewis, and we saw what happened when Tua fought Lewis. Does this mean Carnera would automatically beat Tua? Not necessarily.

Tua had knocked out guys as big as Lewis before, but none of them had Lewis' defense and skill. It was difficult getting around Lewis' reach, especially with him constantly shooting that jab.

Lewis also had his right hand prepared to surprise Tua with a straight right or uppercut. Once Tua felt the uppercut during the early rounds, he stopped attacking as much, knowing that this was the punch that awaited him if he got too close.

Tua also had a rib injury that was aggravated early in the fight when Lewis struck him with a body shot. Whether it was the uppercut or the body punch to the rib (or both) Tua mentally submitted and followed Lewis around for the remainder of the fight in a trance, hoping to smash him with an explosive left hook that never connected. He had no plan B.

During the last 2 seconds of the fight, David desperately threw a left hook so wide that he threw himself into the ring post.

Lewis and his trainer Emanuel Steward had Tua all figured out long before the fight. In addition to keeping Tua at bay with his telephone pole jab, Lewis held his right hand near his jaw, protecting it from Tua's only threatening punch – the left hook.

Despite being bigger than Lewis, Primo didn't jab nearly as much, nor was his right hand as vicious. I also don't think he'd employ any set strategy to keep Tua off of him. Because Primo lacked proper defense, it's more than possible that Tua would sneak through and blast his jaw the way Louis and Baer did.

Then again, Tua could be a lazy fighter at times. There were many fights he had against big guys with minimal talent similar to Carnera – David Izon, Oleg Maskaev, and Danell Nicholson immediately spring to mind. These guys were far from great fighters but they were having a fun time dismantling Tua until he suddenly landed that big left hook that put them to sleep.

Primo was so big that it was difficult for his opponents to get under his reach and attack him.

Legacy

Another reason why these two probably don't get the recognition they deserve is because their biggest victories in the ring are somewhat tainted. Primo's biggest win was over the much smaller and absolutely terrified Jack Sharkey.

As for David Tua, he knocked out four former heavyweight champions – Hasim Rahman, Michael Moorer, Oleg Maskaev, and John Ruiz. Ruiz was destroyed in 19 seconds and Moorer was blasted out in 30 seconds. But at the time Tua knocked out these men, none of them were the heavyweight champion.

Tua's biggest loss was to a peak Lennox Lewis, and his second biggest loss was to a young Chris Bryd.

Carnera's biggest losses were to Max Baer and Joe Louis. Primo's losses can be forgiven. Baer was one of the most dangerous punchers of all time. Joe Louis is arguably the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, so there isn't any shame in getting knocked out by those men.

Early on, Chris Byrd looked TERRIFIED of David Tua. But he soon realized he had nothing to worry about.

Lennox Lewis was too good for Tua, but Tua could have given himself a chance if he'd thrown more punches. In Lewis' next fight, Hasim Rahman destroyed him with one punch and took his championships. Tua is a much harder puncher than Rahman. The difference between the two is that Rahman actually threw punches in his title fight with Lewis, and Tua didn't.

Tua lost his fight against Bryd for similar reasons. He spent the whole fight looking to smash the elusive Bryd with his fierce left hook. Bryd has a great chin and could roll well with a punch if he saw it coming. Tua landed plenty of body punches throughout the fight, but by the time Bryd started to slow down because of it, it was round 11 and the fight was nearly over.

Lennox Lewis said it best. “It takes a whole arsenal to beat Lennox Lewis, not just a left hook and a haircut.” A cocky statement, but true.

If I had to rank Carnera and Tua, I'd rank Carnera ahead. For starters, Primo actually won the heavyweight title, something Tua never did. Even sadder for Tua is that there were four heavyweight titles during his era and he never picked up a single one, while many lesser fighters did.

Secondly, Primo's biggest losses were understandable. Tua, on the other hand, fell in love with his power and had no strategy against Lewis and Bryd aside from smashing them with a huge left hook to the chin.

Sugar Ray Robinson hanging out with Primo Carnera and Joe Louis.

Speed

As far as mobility goes, Primo moved a bit better than Jess Willard, but he was no gazelle. Still, Carnera wasn't necessarily slow, but you could see most of his punches coming. You could say maybe he was average at best.

Tua's hand speed wasn't on the Tyson or Ali level, but when he's in range that left hook could certainly catch you by surprise. Ask Darroll Wilson about that. He and Tua were scuffling up close, and Wilson all of a sudden went down. Tua had snuck a left hook to his chin. 1st round knockout.

People used to compare Tua's left hook to Joe Frazier's, but Joe's was clearly better. Joe could launch that punch from any angle, and you often couldn't see it coming.

Joe would “double” his hook, throwing one left hook to the body and then another one to the head. BANG! BANG! It was this combination that sent Muhammad Ali staggering into the ropes during round 11 of the fight of the century in 1971.

Sometimes Frazier threw the left hook after a jab in one motion, and sometimes he threw the left hook after a right hand set-up.

Tua was more predictable, often leaning a bit to his left just before launching the punch. Generally, you could see his hook coming if he were more than a foot and half away. But up close? You'd never see it coming.... and wake up in the locker room.

An older David Tua smashes an opponent with his left hook. Like George Foreman, Tua's power never faded.

The Fight

Here's what you've been waiting for. One guy (Tua) had awesome power, a concrete chin and no problem going the distance. The other (Carnera) was one of the biggest men to ever lace up the gloves and even killed a man in the ring. How does the fight go?

Well, it depends on Tua. The 1994-97 version of David Tua would attempt to smash Carnera immediately. It took Louis and Baer a few knockdowns to keep the giant down for good, but they succeeded. They also connected their blows rather easily.

If Louis said he had issues getting under Primo's guard during the first few rounds, so would Tua, who lacked Louis' defense and was even shorter. Louis broke Primo down with his jab and counters to the body, waiting for the perfect time to strike. That moment finally arrived in round 6.

The '90s version of Tua still had issues adjusting to jabs, but because Primo didn't throw that many and Tua kept attacking, he'd land that big left hook midway through the fight after struggling a few rounds to close the gap. A surprised and outgunned Carnera would be repeatedly put on the canvas.

If it's the overweight David Tua that lost to Lennox Lewis, Carnera may stay in the game a bit longer, but it'd be the same result – Carnera tries to survive, but the referee stops the fight after the big man takes one left hook too many.

David Tua Wins By Sensational Knockout in Round 5.

Agree? Disagree? Duke it out in the comments!

This would be the outcome of the fight. David Tua wins by 5th Round Knockout.

0 Comments

What If? Sonny Liston versus Evander Holyfield

12/16/2019

0 Comments

The most infamous photo of Sonny Liston (50-4, 39 KOs) is the one where he's laying flat on his back under a confident Muhammad Ali in 1965. Similarly, the most historic picture of Evander Holyfield (44-10-2, 29 KOs) is the photo of Mike Tyson making a bloody snack of his chocolate bunny ears.

As a result, history has unfairly overlooked how both men were among the best heavyweight champions of all time. First there was the burly, menacing Sonny Liston who wrote the book on how to terrify opponents before even getting into the ring. Years later, Evander Holyfield came along and clashed with many ring giants during his roller-coaster ride of a career. He used brilliant strategies and the Power of Jesus to win his battles.

There is a short list of heavyweights in history that would survive the power of Charles "Sonny" Liston. But is Evander Holyfield on that list? Is he the “real deal?” Let's discuss.

Sonny Liston's long 84-inch reach made it hard for opponents to avoid his punches.

The Big Bear

Sonny got by using pure power and intimidation. His scary glare terrified opponents, and was a major influence on George Foreman and Mike Tyson who came after him.

Interestingly, Sonny had the same strategy for most of his fights. If you watch many of his knockouts, it was his long bulldozing jab that often got guys in trouble first. Sonny had arguably the hardest jab in heavyweight history. After smashing you with his jab, Sonny would club you death with his left hook or uppercut. Or both. Either way, fight over.

Sonny might look like some crude monster, but he was technically smart. He realized the importance of the left jab. He used it to set up many of his spectacular finishes. That huge jab was capable of a knockout all by itself. Most observers feel that Larry Holmes had the best heavyweight jab. I don't disagree, but you could certainly argue that Sonny also had the best jab, just in a different way. Because of his long reach and Sonny's fearless lunging, it was a hard punch to avoid. And if he landed flush, it would be the beginning of the end.

It's amazing how short people's memories are. Sonny looked to be indestructible. Unbeatable. Invincible. Even while heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson was blatantly ducking Liston, everyone knew Sonny was the best heavyweight around.

But, while Mike Tyson retained his scary mystique after his shock loss to Buster Douglas, Sonny's fearsome reputation suffered after the Ali losses. People don't remember that Sonny won all but one of his fights following the Ali rivalry. It's a shame that he wasn't given a title shot against Joe Frazier during the late 1960's.

The Real Deal

As you can see above, Evander came to fight! He wasn't the hardest puncher, but he made up for it with mental toughness and buckets of heart.

Compared to Sonny Liston, Evander Holyfield was more well-round heavyweight. “The Real Deal” got by using his ring smarts and courage. Evander could fight by slugging, boxing or countering. Sometimes he did all of them within one fight. Evander was a hard fighter to train for because you could never predict how he would fight on any given night.

George Foreman is one of the few heavyweights to fight both Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield. According to Big George, there are a few similarities. One of them is that both recovered really fast when hurt. George said there were times when he had both men shook, but just that fast they were hitting him back.

George also said that their punching power was similar but Evander hurt more and this makes sense. Ali threw blows from a distance and danced away from you as he punched. Evander would come forward, dip for leverage and throw hooks and uppercuts while in close. Hooks and uppercuts are the knockout punches.

I'll go in detail on this later, but one of the reasons why Evander defeated Mike Tyson is simple... he outfought him. There was a brief moment in the first round of their 1996 fight when Evander surprised Tyson by landing a string of three consecutive hard left hooks to the body and head. BANG! BANG! BANG! Tyson stopped right in his tracks and sneered as if to say, “So this is what fighting this bastard is gonna be like?!”

Watch the interaction below...

Evander's strongest asset was probably his mental toughness. Like Ali, Frazier, Johnson and Marciano before him, Evander didn't believe he could lose. His faith in The Lord and courage held him together.

Rocky Marciano is often cited as the best-conditioned heavyweight champion of all time. He trained twice as hard as his opponents, which gave him an edge over them on fight night. By round 10, his opponents were often tired, but Marciano was only getting stronger.

The late trainer Lou Duva was great friends with Marciano, and when asked by Bert Sugar and ESPN's Brian Kenny if he knew anybody that trained as hard as Rocky, Lou quickly replied, “Holyfield. Evander worked and worked and worked and worked.” Duva trained Holyfield during his early years as a heavyweight.

Before we move on, let's take a look at Evander's cruiserweight career. In my opinion and the opinion of many other sports writers, Evander was the best cruiserweight of all time. His battles with Michael Dokes and Dwight Muhammad Qwai are exhausting, brilliant wars that you need to watch if you haven't seen them.

Evander cleaned out the entire cruiserweight division and became the undisputed crusierweight champion. Bored and undefeated, he moved up to the heavyweight ranks to challenge for the undisputed heavyweight championship, eventually winning it from Buster Douglas in 1990.

Sonny Liston crushing Floyd Patterson with an uppercut in 1962. It took less than a round for Sonny to win the title from Patterson.

Toughness

Evander would fight to the death if he had to. There was no quit in him, which is one of the reasons why he didn't retire until he was 51. The man loved to fight. Joe Frazier said in his autobiography that Evander was his favorite heavyweight of the modern era because he loved to break down much bigger men and had a natural love for fighting.

I can't say the same about Liston. He never came from behind to win a fight he was losing. He quit on his stool against Ali, and decided to lay there and get counted out in his rematch against The Greatest.

In his next to last fight, Sonny was suddenly knocked out by Leotis Martin. Because it's Liston, I question if it's a legit knockout or not. The punch definitely hurt him, but could he have got up? Maybe.

Then again, Liston was famously controlled by the mob. Maybe he was told to take dives against Ali and Martin? Whether he was legitimately knocked out by those guys or was instructed to lose by the mob, either way is bad for his legacy.

Evander initially went berserk when Tyson bit him, but watch his reaction once he regained his composure. He didn't resort to cheating or quitting. Despite the pain, he continued to fight Tyson during that wild third round.

How would Sonny Liston react if Mike Tyson bit him? Given his reactions to losing the first fight to Ali (quitting) and the rematch (again quitting) I think a terrified Sonny would want nothing more to do with Tyson.

"The Brown Bomber" Joe Louis holds the heavy bag for Sonny Liston.

Fighting Dirty

Both men had reputations for occasionally being dirty fighters, so it would not surprise me if anyone was blinded or headbutted in this fight.

Muhammad Ali was famously blinded during the 5th round against Liston in 1964. Now, being in the ring with Sonny is a scary enough thought, but to fight him without vision? Muhammad Ali was some man. He deserves all-time great status for this action alone.

You could argue that Ali being blinded was an innocent mistake. However, two previous fighters who were also fighting well against Sonny Liston (Zora Folley and Eddie Machen) both complained about something getting in their eyes. Unlike Ali, they couldn't turn things around and wound up losing.

Is it a coincidence that every guy who was on the verge of upsetting Liston suddenly got blinded during the fight? I seriously doubt it.

Evander had reputations for headbutting his opponents. In this writer's opinion, not all of them were on purpose.

If you closely watch “The Bite Fight” with Tyson, you'll see that Evander dips for leverage before unloading his punches. From his crouch, he'd spring upward and throw his blows with full force. Tyson fought like a bull, always charging forward. The result was a clashing of heads.

But this wasn't always the case. In their first fight in 1999, Holyfield deliberately charged into Lennox Lewis with his head. He also tackled him to the ground at one point.

On commentary, George Foreman called him out for these dirty tactics. Larry Merchant defended Holyfield's blatant cheating by saying, “He's a rough fighter because it's a rough game.”

Foreman's reply? “You'd never see Joe Louis resorting to all of this.”

Larry Merchant's comment was just another example of Holyfield unfairly getting away with these shenanigans because people liked him. I don't like that. Just because he is a Bible-toting man healed by the Power of Jesus doesn't mean we should ignore his wrongdoings.

Evander's 1997 rematch against Michael Moorer was the best performance of his career in my opinion.

Styles Make Fights

Stylistically, Evander should give a brawler like Liston some problems, though this doesn't automatically mean he'll win.

Evander fought like a modern Ezzard Charles – a clever counter-puncher who could go toe to toe when necessary. Evander often knocked guys down by striking when they were off balance as they missed a punch. He could pull this off with either hand.

This tactic is exactly how he won his first heavyweight championship from Buster Douglas. He used another counter-punch to floor Mike Tyson in their first battle. Tyson lunged in and was caught square with a left hook to the chin.

Sonny Liston often left himself open to counter attacks by lunging in with his fierce jab and left hook. The infamous "Phantom Punch" is a pure example of this, as Ali caught Sonny when he was off balance leaping in.

Holyfield should be favored on paper due to their distinctive styles, but Holyfield's biggest strength was also his biggest flaw - his heart. What happens if Sonny hits Evander after the bell? Evander would surely want payback and duke it out with the "big bear" in the next round and put himself in peril.

Holyfield has a granite chin. He withstood absolute bombs from Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Bert Cooper, Ray Mercer and others. With the exception of Bowe, none of these men knocked him out, and the Bowe loss had more to due with Holyfield being sick and weak due to Hepatitis A. You could argue that Evander was at his best against the sluggers.

But in a fierce shoot-out war, Liston would inevitably win. He was just too powerful.

Could Evander get around that heavy Sonny Liston jab? I would say yes. Holyfield didn't have the gazelle speed of Muhammad Ali, but his mobility was enough to keep him out of danger. Lennox Lewis had a long 84-inch reach and telephone pole jab just like Liston. In their rematch, Holyfield neutralized his jab by jabbing him in the body. Lewis didn't like that and opted to slug it out. I'm sure Liston would do the same, so the Liston jab wouldn't be a factor for long.

What about Sonny's left hook? During clinches, Holyfield leaned his head on Tyson's left shoulder to avoid his uppercut while at the same time smothering his left arm, restricting Tyson from utilizing his left hook. Holyfield also did this against Mercer, and no doubt he'd do it successfully against Liston too.

Legacies

Evander was a four-time heavyweight champion, but he never dominated the way a heavyweight champion is expected to. Coming after the five-year reign of Tyson dominance, Evander wasn't really taken serious as heavyweight champion. He was fighting for respect.

Later in his career, Evander won the WBA title in a fight with John Ruiz, becoming the first man to win the heavyweight championship four times.

Sonny Liston only held the heavyweight championship from 1962 to 1964, but everyone knows he should have been given a crack at the title much sooner. Despite Floyd Patterson clutching the belt and blatantly ducking Liston for five years, Sonny Liston was dominating the heavyweight scene.

If you're comparing legacies between Holyfield and Liston, Liston looks better as far as win-loss ratios go. He adjusted to his declining skills much better than Holyfield did, evidenced by him winning 15 out of 16 out his fights after being embarrassed by Muhammad Ali. Not only that, but he won 12 by knockout. Aging or not, he was still a legitimate threat to anyone that fought him. That power was still there.

Evander picked up more championship wins and fought much better competition than Liston overall. He got some huge wins, but fought way too long and picked up some unnecessary losses that hurt his record.

Evander twice beat Tyson, who was the monster of his era. Sonny, however, lost twice to Ali, who was the biggest name he shared the ring with. Sonny was more consistent overall, but Evander was an overachiever with much more championship success, both at heavyweight and crusierweight.

It's really apples and oranges to compare. It depends on how you evaluate greatness.

But if I had to rank them I'd rank Sonny above Evander but not by much. Head to head Sonny had more success and lost fights less often than Holyfield did. Liston only lost four times. Marty Marshall broke Liston's jaw, a fight that Sonny understandably lost. Sonny's last loss was to Leotis Martin as an old fighter. Sonny's only huge losses were to Ali. I can forgive that.

The Fight

Before I start, remember that Evander is famous for standing up to bullies. He thrived on standing up to bigger men and surprising them. Sonny is just that kind of bully. There would be no fear from Holyfield.

Ring The Bell!!!!!

Ultimately, it depends on which Evander we put in the ring with Liston. The 1990 version of Evander that swiftly defeated Buster Douglas would get blown away by a peak Sonny Liston. At 28 years old and 208 pounds, Evander was too small. He had great experience as a cruiserweight, but Dokes and Qwai are like puppies compared to Liston. Besides, if Evander was hurt so bad by Bert Cooper, I'm sure Sonny would have damn near killed him.

But what about the older Evander from 1997? To me, this was the best Holyfield. He had bulked up tremendously, gained much more experience by this time, and could find a way to beat almost anybody. His best performance as a heavyweight in my opinion was his 1997 WBA/IBF Heavyweight Championship fight with Michael Moorer.

Evander never looked better on that night. He never punched harder and maintained his punch accuracy. He floored Moorer 5 times, and outsmarted him consistently once he figured out Moorer's fight patterns.

Even more impressive is that this was a clean win. No headbutts, no football tackles, nothing illegal. On that night, Evander combined the ring smarts of Ali and the vicious attack of Jack Dempsey. Perfect.

Now this version of Evander would give Sonny a fight!!

Liston would make himself vulnerable by lunging with that long powerful left hook of his, leaving himself open to counter-punches, which is what Holyfield excelled at. It would be the phantom punch scenario all over again.

Sonny may temporarily hurt Evander a time or two, but Evander had the chin to recover fast and the wits to fight back or clinch to survive. Knowing that the left hook, jab and right uppercut were his most powerful blows, Evander would neutralize them using angles and clinches just as he did against Tyson.

I see Evander discouraging Liston throughout the fight with his mobility and combinations of hooks and uppercuts to the body and head. Evander also had much better stamina than Liston, hurting the Big Bear's chances if the fight went the distance. Sonny didn't necessarily fade during the later rounds, but he gradually became less effective the longer the fight went.

Eventually a frustrated Liston gets dropped by a perfectly timed counter-punch, and refuses to get up.

Evander Holyfield Wins By 9th Round TKO

0 Comments

The Past or The Future? Discussing Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder

12/2/2019

0 Comments

“I am the hardest hitting puncher in boxing history, period.”

-Deontay Wilder. (WBC Heavyweight Champion, November 2019)

Easy there, fella. I really wish there was a George Chuvalo around right now to test Wilder's theory. I like Wilder, but all of this talk about his power is too premature.

Look, Wilder can punch. But he's not on the Foreman level. Did any of you see that punching bag in Zaire when Foreman pounded it? I've never seen any heavyweight punch like that. That's power on a whole 'nother level. Don't compare Wilder's power to Foreman. Don't even compare it to Earnie Shavers.

If I had to compare Wilder's power to anybody, it'd be someone like Razor Ruddick or Max Baer. I'm not even convinced that Wilder punches as hard as someone like Tommy Morrison or David Tua. Wilder is a giant heavyweight who has great accuracy. He has an easier time getting his punch to the target than the shorter men who have to swarm their way inside. Wilder can catch you coming in. This, and a lack of great competition, is how his impressive knockout percentage culminated.

George Foreman recently stated that Joe Louis, Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier hit harder than Wilder. While all three of those men are among the all-time great sluggers, I disagree that Louis and Frazier hit harder than Wilder. I'll get to Tyson in a minute.

Another thing that keeps coming up is this annoying question.

"Would Deontay beat Mike Tyson?"

Here's the thing. Tyson struggled with big men. Yes, he generally beat them. But when a big guy decided to clinch, run or fight as a counter-puncher, Tyson just couldn't get the knockout.

James Tillis, Bonecrusher Smith, Tony Tucker and Mitch Green used these tactics to frustrate Mike. They were in survival mode and lost the fights, but they showed how to neutralize Mike's power if you're a big man.

At 6'7, Deontay is far bigger than those guys and has an 84-inch reach. He could easily use those long arms to wrap Tyson up in clinches and frustrate him.

But at the same time, Deontay has never fought anyone like Iron Mike. What would happen when Mike inevitably slips inside of Wilder's reach and smashes him on the chin with a fierce left hook?

We'll never know, but Wilder has never dealt with that kind of speed and power before. Because of that, I think Tyson would brutalize him. My prediction would be a Tyson knockout in two rounds. I'm talking 1988 Tyson here.

This isn't bias; it's basically more of a pick against Wilder than a pick for Tyson. We just don't know enough about Wilder to assess him yet, which is why I don't understand why people are jumping on his bandwagon so soon.

All I know about Wilder is that he can punch like hell with his right hand, but hasn't fought anyone on the all-time great level or with an all-time great chin to confirm how legit he really is.

Speaking of Tyson, people are asking if Wilder punches harder than Tyson.

With the right hand, possibly. Overall, no. Tyson could crack with both hands. But his signature punches were his left hook and uppercut. Wilder is possibly a harder right hand puncher than Tyson, but Tyson has more devastating punches in his arsenal than Wilder, who relies on his right hand for his knockouts.

Wilder told TMZ Sports the other day to "let the past go." In a way, I think he is right. For now, let's hold off on comparing him to past heavyweight champions. Right now his future looks bright, but it's still a mystery.

When Muhammad Ali was in his prime years (1964-67) people were not considering him an all-time great yet, often ranking Marciano, Louis, Johnson and Dempsey ahead of him. Likewise, Marciano was not viewed as one of the best during the years he fought. It wasn't until well after his retirement that his ranking skyrocketed. Take a look back at what the Ring Magazine rankings were during those times and read what sports writers were saying.

It can go the other way too, as people thought Riddick Bowe was on his way to being the next "big thing," but we saw how that turned out. The lesson is to sit back and watch these guys fight and see what happens. You never know who will be the real thing and who will be a disappointment.

People have been asking my opinion on these topics, so I decided to share.

0 Comments

What If? Lennox Lewis Versus Joe Frazier

11/12/2019

0 Comments

I got a lot of feedback from the recent blog I wrote about a fantasy bout between the great Joe Louis and Mike Tyson. I figured I'd follow up with another fantasy fight between two of my favorite all-time heavyweights – Smokin' Joe Frazier (32-4-1, 27 Knockouts) against “The Lion” Lennox Lewis. (42-1-1, 32 Knockouts)

On paper, it should be an easy fight for Lewis. Lewis stood at 6'5 and had an 84-inch reach and one of the best jabs in heavyweight history when he committed to it. His uppercut and right hand helped him dominate the heavyweight division. Lewis could really crack, and was one of the best boxer-punchers of all time. The guy could box and counter well, but he could slug with the best of em' if pushed.

But Joe Frazier was also one of the best heavyweights of all time. He may have been undersized at 5'11 and 205 pounds during his peak years, but he used that lack of size to his advantage. He charged at his opponents, bobbing and weaving to slip their jabs and other punches, and then destroyed guys left and right with his brutal left hook. Even “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali was pushed to the brink by Joe Frazier in their three classic fights. He was knocked down and defeated by Frazier during their first encounter in 1971.

Before I get to the fight itself between these two, let's take a close look at tonight's contenders. We'll start with Smokin' Joe.

Smokin' Joe Frazier

There is a lot that people don't know about this legend. He was the first American heavyweight EVER to win a gold medal in the Olympics. (Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali won gold medals before him but they were fighting as light heavyweights at the time). Frazier unified the heavyweight championships during Ali's exile from boxing. And, Frazier was the third man to drop Muhammad Ali, landing one of the most devastating left hooks ever thrown in a boxing ring.

Frazier's deep-voiced trainer Yank Durham had him watch countless marathons of Henry Armstrong and Rocky Marciano fights. What these two had in common was that they were swarmers – guys who never stopped coming right at you. Swarmers are difficult to fight because they invade your personal space and force you to fight their fight. They don't give you the time or room to counter effectively. If you swing a hook or toss a jab, they'll weave past or under it and then attack you viciously.

Frazier was a perfect combination of both warriors – Frazier fought at Henry Armstrong's frantic pace, but had the devastating power of Rocky Marciano. The main differences between Frazier and Marciano was that Marciano (though gifted with two-handed power) was most famous for his right haymaker (The Suzy-Q) and Frazier preferred to demolish guys with his fierce left hook. Frazier also had quicker hands than Marciano, cut the ring better, and was more accurate with his punches making him more difficult to counter.

Frazier was at his best against the “stick and move” boxer-types like Muhammad Ali, Bob Foster, Jimmy Ellis and Buster Mathis. He mowed each of these guys down...each of these men went crashing to the ground after getting smashed by Frazier's fierce left hook. Of these men, only Muhammad Ali was able to get back to his feet and continue.

I'll talk more about this later, but one of Lewis' best punches was his uppercut. Keep in mind that when the great Muhammad Ali attempted to throw an uppercut at Joe, this happened.

via Gfycat

Lennox never fought anyone with the tenacity of Frazier before. The closest he came to fighting Frazier was when he fought Ray Mercer and David Tua, neither of whom are in the class of Smokin' Joe. You see, Ray Mercer almost beat Lewis in a close fight. In my opinion, Ray could have won or at least got a draw if he hadn't decided to coast during the last two rounds. That's what cost him the fight. Even though he lost, this was probably Mercer's greatest performance. At times he really pummeled Lewis, always rushing in and throwing punches. He even out-jabbed him, so Lewis was forced to abandon his usual technical fight plan and just fight.

However, Ray was no where near as accurate, fast or consistent as Frazier. In their fight, Ray would pummel Lewis, then slow down, then resume a round later. He gave Lewis plenty of chances to make comebacks and take control of the fight.

Also, Lewis had a bad habit of ducking into the blows of smaller opponents. Unlike Ali or The Klitschkos, Lewis didn't always use his height to full advantage. If your opponent is shorter than you, why duck down into his punches? When Lewis was unable to use his jab to control things and was forced to fight, he made this mistake often, especially against Mercer and Holyfield. It was be downright fatal to do this against Joe Frazier. See the picture below as a reference of Lewis ducking into Tyson's reach.

As far as the Tua comparison goes, Tua was roughly around the same height as Frazier and was known for finishing guys with a left hook from hell. Tua mentally submitted to Lewis during the early rounds when he felt that constant jab in his face and had issues getting inside of Lewis' reach. After getting cracked with an uppercut and taking a body punch to his already-injured ribs, Tua basically stopped fighting and let Lewis have his way. No way would this happen with Joe Frazier. Nothing would stop him from coming to Lewis.

The Left Hook From Hell...

Now let's talk about the Philadelphia left hook. Joe could launch it from any position. He may throw a double left hook- one to the body followed by another to the chin, or he may throw it after a right hand or right after a jab. You could never predict it. Joe said once that the left hook is the best punch in boxing because you can throw it without opening yourself up too much. Joe preferred to get close and land tight hooks, but when he had his man hurt and was ready to end things, that's when he'd leap off the mat to smash his opponent on the chin.

Frazier also loved to work the body. “Kill the body and the head will die.” That was a motto that worked for Joe Louis, and Frazier applied it to his style.

Frazier seemed to realize that he was vulnerable during the initial stages of fights, so he countered his opponents' punches with body assaults. As the rounds go by, all that punishment to the body will take its toll and slow his opponent down enough to where Joe would have an easier time cornering his victim and landing his dynamite. This is precisely what happened to Muhammad Ali in the Fight Of The Century and The Thrilla In Manilla. Ali swept the early rounds, but by the middle of the fights Joe's body punches had taken their toll on him and Ali could not move as well, allowing Joe to beat him up.

In my opinion the Thrilla In Manilla is what permanently ruined Ali's health. He was pissing blood after the fight and wasn't cleared by any doctors to fight after that. Shortly after this fight was when his speech started to slur. Frazier was an expert at cutting the ring and cornering his opponents, and he fought at the fast speed of Henry Armstrong, who was a middleweight. That's the pace Joe fought at. For a heavyweight to match a middleweight speed and do it consistently is nothing short of amazing.

Frazier rarely won fights by decision. As his knockout percentage shows, he knocked out most of his opponents. It was rare that guys could go the distance with Joe.

But Joe was not indestructible. For starters, he was often vulnerable early in fights and often didn't start to find his rhythm until rounds 4 or 5. Like Marciano, he often got stronger and faster the longer the fight goes, although he did finish plenty of guys early in the fight.

Also, while Joe had a good chin, he was dropped and/or wobbled a little too much. Oscar Bonavena knocked him down twice in their first fight (one more knockdown would have ended the fight) Jerry Quarry, Manuel Ramos, George Chuvalo and Muhammad Ali (the 1974 rematch) all had Joe rocked early but couldn't finish him.

And most famously, Joe was destroyed by Big George Foreman in two fights. But what people don't give him credit for is that even though George dropped Joe 6 times in Jamaica, Joe got up 6 times too. He had a lot of heart, and it didn't matter how hard Foreman hit, Frazier refused to stay down and get counted out. He kept getting right back up and charging at George. If that ain't courage and heart, then I don't know what is.

via Gfycat

Lennox Lewis

Lennox may be a bit goofy but in the ring he was one of the most talented boxers in heavyweight history. He conquered guys from the era before him (Frank Bruno, Tony Tucker, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, etc) he dominated the guys from his own era (Tommy Morrison, David Tua, Andrew Golota, Michael Grant, Shannon Briggs, Ray Mercer, etc) and he defeated the man who succeeded him and ushered in the new era, Vitali Klitschko. In 1999, Lennox unified all four of the major heavyweight championship belts when he defeated an aging Evander Holyfield.

Lennox was widely feared. Riddick Bowe famously tossed the WBC title in the trash can rather than face him. Mike Tyson paid Lennox to “step aside” in 1996 so he could fight Evander Holyfield instead. Guys wanted no part of the hard-punching terminator from London, England.

Lennox, to me, fought like a much bigger, slower and less defined Joe Louis. After hiring Emanuel Steward as his trainer, Lennox developed a long telephone jab and relied less on his right hand. But facing Lewis would always be difficult because he could do it all – you never knew what style he'd use. He boxed perfect matches against Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman (rematch) and Mike Tyson, for example. He used his jab to disorient those guys and break them down for a few rounds, and then pulled the trigger once they were ready to go.

Other times, Lewis could be possessed by the spirit of Sonny Liston. He destroyed Andrew Golota, Francis Botha and Michael Grant within minutes. And if it was time to go to war, he did so against Ray Mercer, Evander Holyfield (rematch) and Vitali Klitschko. There was nothing Lennox couldn't do. Compare this to Joe Frazier, who was most effective fighting one way.

Against someone like Frazier, Lennox and trainer Emanuel Steward would have to adjust accordingly.

Against left-hook specialists like Morrison and Tua, Lewis held his right hand high the whole fight to protect his chin from the punch. Against Joe Frazier, this would not work because Joe attacked the body so relentlessly that Lewis would eventually drop his guard to protect his ribs, leaving himself exposed and wide open for Joe's left hook to go upstairs.

Muhammad Ali was the greatest escape artist ever, and Joe had no problem mowing him down. Lennox's mobility and hand speed were average at best, so attempting to run from Joe wouldn't be an option.

Lennox's best weapons against Joe would be his left jab and crushing uppercut. Joe was pretty damn good at bobbing and weaving past the jabs of his opponents. Even Muhammad Ali (one of the fastest jabbers in history) said he had problems landing his jab on Frazier in all three of their fights. Not to mention Joe would keep coming at Lennox. All Lennox has to do is miss one jab or two and Joe is already in his space pounding him with hooks to the ribs.

Lennox's uppercut would also leave himself exposed, and I already showed you earlier in this article what happened when Muhammad Ali attempted to launch an uppercut on Frazier. A tall man like Lennox has to drop his hand to attempt an uppercut, and that leaves him wide open for Joe's thunderous left hook counter to the chin. Once Joe finds his rhythm, almost any punch Lewis attempts would leave him open to get smashed by Joe's left hook somewhere.

via GIPHY

Chinny Chin Chin

The next thing we gotta discuss here is the chin of Lennox Lewis. Lennox was suddenly knocked out twice in his career by guys he should have never lost to, but we have to examine these knockouts before deciding whether or not Lewis could survive Frazier's signature left hook finisher.

In 1994 against Oliver McCall, Lewis' balance was poor. His feet were standing wide apart and he was open, loading up a wild haymaker. McCall was shorter than Lewis and had shorter reach. He saw the haymaker coming, closed his eyes, and swung a right hand of his own. Naturally, his punch landed first, and Lewis went down. That knockout is controversial to this day because although Lewis was hurt, he still beat the count but the ref waved the bout off anyway. Imagine how different heavyweight history would be if the referee stopped the title match between Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott when Marciano got dropped in the first round?

Maybe McCall would have finished Lewis off? We'll unfortunately never know, but I think the heavyweight champion should always be given the benefit of the doubt in these situations.

The Hasim Rahman knockout was an absolute bomb that would have shattered many other heavyweight champions; not just Lewis. Lennox was bouncing off the ropes with a smile on his face when Rahman sprung into the air and threw the hardest punch of his life. Lewis saw the punch coming and had his guard up, but bounced right into the blow and went crashing to the canvas. He was absolutely devastated! Emancipated! Degregated!

I don't know what some of that even means.

Ahem...

These surprise knockouts were rare occurrences, however. Lewis fought some of the hardest punchers of his era and defeated each of them. Razor Ruddock, Tommy Morrison, David Tua, Lionel Butler, Shannon Briggs, Vitali Klitschko, etc. Some of these guys hit harder than Smokin' Joe, so you could argue that Lewis could absorb his hook, at least for some time, maybe. But on the other hand, Frazier would land punches on Lewis far more than these guys ever did. Like I said previously, once Frazier found his rhythm, he fights at a frantic pace. If Lewis could barely handle Mercer, one has to wonder how he'd fare against Frazier's assault?

Legacy

Joe Frazier only lost to two men in his entire professional career. Those two men were the heavy-handed George Foreman and the sensational Muhammad Ali (who Frazier defeated once). That shows you how GREAT Frazier really was, because there is no shame in losing to Ali and Foreman, two of the best ever.

Lewis, as I discussed, dropped the championship twice to average, journeymen heavyweights. Both times a single blockbuster right hand was the cause. But Lewis convincingly defeated them in rematches (he made McCall cry, and annihilated Rahman with one of the best knockouts of his career). As a matter of fact, Lewis is one of the few boxers to defeat every opponent he ever fought.

Lennox was also a better heavyweight champion than Frazier was. Lewis rounded up 15 title defenses and was basically the last heavyweight standing by 2002 when Tyson finally fought him. Holyfield and Tyson's prime years were long gone during the '90s, so it was Lewis who dominated. Joe Frazier didn't do much as champion; he took easy fights after beating Ali and then was damn near killed by Foreman.

Given his hard punch, technical skill and size, Lennox is a serious threat to every heavyweight champion in history. Joe Frazier is also an all-time great. His bullying style and vaunted left hook brought him a lot of success in the ring, and he fought during the toughest era of heavyweight boxing ever; the 1970s. If Joe had fought in any other era, he may have never lost a fight.

Joe was always in great physical condition, even when he was past his prime. He took each fight seriously. Lennox had some off nights where he appeared out of shape and it hurt his performance, particularly the first Rahman fight and the Vitali Klitschko battle. But we're going to put him at his best here against Joe Frazier. We're matching up the 2002 Lennox Lewis that fought Tyson against the 1970-71 Joe Frazier who defeated Bob Foster and Muhammad Ali.

The Fight

I have a special interest in both boxers because Lewis (along with Tyson and Holyfield) dominated the boxing scene during my youth. As far as Frazier goes, I interviewed his son Marvis and also had a few conversations with Joe's daughter Natasha about a potential book project. So I have personal ties to the Frazier family.

Who wins between the smoke and the lion?

I'll keep it short and sweet. Lennox wins this one. And early. I don't think Frazier survives to see round 3. Emanuel Steward would instruct Lennox to take full advantage of Joe's slow start and drop the heavy artillery early. Lennox could be an assassin when he wanted to be and he'd take no chances against Frazier.

IF Frazier got past the early rounds then he'd beat the crap out of Lewis over 9 rounds or so and eventually finish him with a bombastic left hook. No way could Lewis handle the pressure of pure, unadulterated Smokin' Joe Frazier.

But I honestly don't think he'd have to worry about it. Lewis would be able to use his reach to keep a slow-starting Frazier at a distance and blast him away with an uppercut like this one.

My pick is Lennox Lewis by knockout in round 2.

What do YOU think? Drop a comment. Let's continue the conversation below!

0 Comments

Andre Bishop Versus The Heavyweight Greats

7/31/2016

0 Comments

On the boxing section of this website, I started a thread a few years ago asking if Fight Night Champion Protagonist Andre Bishop was a real boxer, would he be an all-time great? The discussion among fans is pretty divided, both stating good opinions on why he is or isn't. However, one way to determine if he was the real deal or not is to see how he does head to head with some of the greatest heavyweight champions.

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali would embarrass Andre the way he did most of his opponents. Too fast, too pretty. Andre was a very capable boxer, but what does he bring to the table that could help him beat Muhammad Ali? For starters, I don't see how Andre could cope with Ali's speed. Granted, Andre would be too smart to wear himself out trying to blast Ali with lunging haymakers the way Sonny Liston did. I don't think Andre would leave himself open for too many counters. But he would lack offensive opportunities against Ali. No way does Andre knock Ali out, especially considering Ali had one of the best chins of all time and Andre was not the world's biggest slugger. Andre would not give up, but I see Ali winning a boring decision over Andre, who would patiently try to press and catch Ali but not land enough punches to make a dent or score points.

Winner: Muhammad Ali by unanimous decision

Rocky Marciano

Andre would show a lot of heart against Rocky Marciano, but that may be the exact thing that gets him killed. I would personally pick Andre to beat a lot of sluggers. But not Marciano. Unlike Isaac Frost, Marciano would not tire. No matter what strategy Andre attempts, Rocky is going to keep coming. To make another Isaac Frost comparison, Isaac got weaker and weaker as the fight progressed; Marciano had a habit of getting stronger. Due to Andre being a counter-puncher, it is possible that he takes advantage of Rocky's crude swings and hurts him with counters. Like Ezzard Charles, Andre could alternate between brawling and countering, which frustrated Rocky to a degree because he didn't know what to expect at any time. That would be Andre's best strategy.

But Andre never faced anyone quite like Rocky. Both guys had heart, but Rocky's was bigger. I don't see Rocky giving in and staying on the floor in a fight against Raymond Bishop the way Andre did. I dunno. This would be a fast-paced war of attrition that Andre would not be prepared for. I see Andre doing OK against Rocky in the early rounds, but once Rocky finds his rhythm, Andre would be unable to keep Rocky off of him and would take a beating, leading to a late round stoppage. I imagine this fight would be similar to Rocky's fights with Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles.

Winner: Rocky Marciano by TKO during the late rounds

Joe Louis

I don't see any way for Andre Bishop to beat Joe Louis. He may surprise him with a good right hand, but that wouldn't be enough. Joe was arguably the best finisher of all time, sometimes setting you up for the knockout as early as round 1 and you wouldn't know it. In each round he's working you over at his own subtle pace.

Joe would sometimes end things early if his opponent hurt him (Tony Galento, Max Baer) or if he viewed him as a threat - (Max Schmeling, John Henry Lewis, Buddy Baer, etc). Given Andre's reputation for winning fights with a broken hand, knocking out Isaac Frost, I believe Louis would see him as a threat and not waste time once the bell rings.

Once The Brown Bomber hurts Andre with his first significant punch, it would be the beginning of the end. That's when Louis would put his finishing blows together and put Andre to sleep. Andre can't out-slug Louis nor can he out-box him. Andre may get a good lick in here or there, but this fight only lasts as long as Joe wants it to.

Winner: Joe Louis by Knockout

Lennox Lewis

I think Andre is capable of beating Lennox Lewis, just as the old version of Holyfield nearly did in late '99. I'm not saying it would be an easy task, however. Andre would have to get past the long telephone pole jab of Lewis and be aware of that right hand or uppercut when he gets in range.

But I feel that Andre could be smart enough to pull off a victory here. Lewis had a habit of abandoning his jab when guys repeatedly hit him in the body. (See his battle with Ray Mercer and his rematch with Holyfield for references). If he employs a constant body attack early on, Andre would be able to manipulate Lennox into a close-range brawl, which works to Andre's advantage. It's possible that maybe he'd counter Lewis and sneak something past him to get a knockout, but most likely he'd win a close decision in a toe to toe war. If old Holyfield and Ray Mercer could nearly push Lewis to the brink by forcing him into a shoot-out, then I think Andre has a real chance here.

Winner: Andre Bishop by decision, but it could just as easily go the other way.

Joe Frazier

This would be basically the same as my prediction on a bout between Andre and Rocky Marciano. Joe Frazier would be swarming all over Andre. I doubt Andre would be able to fend off an attack from Smokin' Joe. Watch Joe Frazier at his peak during the years 1970-71. The way he cut the ring, combined with the fierce and relentless tenacity of his attack, makes him one of the best heavyweights ever. He fought at such a frantic pace that not many guys would survive.

Like Marciano, Frazier does not tire. So any hope of wearing Frazier down for a late stoppage is futile. Andre doesn't have the big punch of a George Foreman to stop Joe, and he's not built for a nose-to-nose 15 round slugfest with him either. Joe works him over with big hooks and body attacks, eventually stopping him with a thunderous left hook. Andre would be too battered and beaten to continue.

Winner : Joe Frazier by late TKO

Larry Holmes

I don't see Andre being able to cope with Larry's jab, stamina and toughness, both mental and physical. With big wins over men such as Shavers, Cooney, Norton, Witherspoon, etc, Larry has enough experience under his belt to make Andre look like an amateur. I just don't see Andre posing a threat to him unless he exposes Larry's weakness of dropping his left hand after the jab and cracking him with an overhand right. But if Larry could survive a near-fatal knockdown from Shavers (and keep in mind that it took THREE knockdowns from a peak Tyson to keep Larry down) then Andre doesn't have a puncher's chance of stopping Larry. Larry would give Andre a boxing lesson and Andre would not be able to keep up.

Winner: Larry Holmes by unanimous decision

Jack Johnson

Two counter-punchers. In this fight, Andre would be forced to fight as the aggressor. He can't sit back and try to counter Johnson. He'd have to lead, and it wouldn't go well for him. Jack (like Ali and Louis) has too much in his bag of tricks for Andre, who would be in far over his head in this fight.

But on the other foot, Andre has a puncher's chance against Johnson, who had a suspect chin. I think Johnson would slap Andre silly for the most part, but Andre has a puncher's chance and had a history of outsmarting some of this opponents. Would it work against Johnson? I'm not sure. Johnson might just be too tricky for Andre. But in a 12-15 round fight, Andre would find a way to set up the big punch he needs.

Winner: Andre Bishop by knockout

Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield is probably the best heavyweight to compare Andre to. Both guys had great strategies and ring intellect to make up for their lack of size, both were natural counter-punchers, and both achieved huge shock victories as underdogs. But Evander had more experience than Andre. Much more. And he beat much better competition than Andre, whose biggest victory was over Isaac Frost. The Evander Holyfield of '96-97 would find a way to beat Andre in a competitive fight while it lasts. The well-conditioned Andre Bishop who defeated Isaac Frost was a very patient fighter who has a legit chance against almost anyone, but the Evander Holyfield who demolished Mike Tyson and Michael Moorer in the late '90s was a more proven warrior with enough ring experience to get the win.

Winner: Evander Holyfield by TKO during the late rounds.

The Klitschkos

To make it short, the Klitschkos would beat Andre. They were a little too patient for Andre to find anything to play off of. While Isaac Frost was similar in size to the Klitschkos, he fought a predictable and stupid fight, trying to blast Andre out of the ring during the early rounds. The Klitschkos would bide their time and counter. With a lack of punches to counter and play off, Andre wouldn't be able to bring anything to the dance. He would be on the outside of their long jabs all night. Andre could attempt to work them over with body shots, a'la Isaac Frost, but the Klitschkos wear their trunks up so high that he might get disqualified for "hitting low." There's just too much against Andre in a battle with these guys. He loses by decision or maybe a knockout if the Klitschkos decide to later in the fight.

I realize that Wlad and Vitali are two different fighters and fans of theirs may be offended that I grouped them together. After all, Vitali is a more awkward fighter, but has the better chin and is more comfortable in a slugfest if the opportunity arises. Wlad, on the other hand, is more of the classic boxer-puncher type. He arguably hits harder than his brother, but doesn't take a punch as well and avoids aggressive encounters as much as possible. But to save time here, the Klitschkos would beat Andre the same way, which is why I put them together in this list.

Winners: The Klitschkos by Unanimous Decision or late TKO

George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Max Baer, Jack Dempsey and Mike Tyson

Sorry to group these guys together, as they all had different styles. But I'm confident that Andre knocks them all out. Foreman and Liston were big, crude men who hit like trucks. But they could be outsmarted (as Muhammad Ali proved) and they faded during the later rounds. Ultimately, Andre facing them would be repeats of his battle with Isaac Frost.

Max Baer had better stamina than Liston and Foreman, but his crude haymakers would leave him open for counters from Andre.

Tyson and Dempsey were smaller than Baer, Liston and Foreman, but they were at their best during the early rounds. Andre was smart enough to avoid getting caught up during their early blitz and would take them apart when they slow down after round 4 or 5.

Winner: Andre Bishop by late knockout

I realize that Andre is a fictional video game character and these fights naturally will never happen, but the guy was quite tough. I have him going 7-8 against the top heavyweight champions of all time, which isn't terrible by any means. And I pick him to put on a good show against most of the men that would beat him. Also, here is the thread on my boxing site where we discuss Andre's legacy. If you're a Fight Night Champion fan, take a look and share your thoughts!

0 Comments

Summer 2011 Fight Predictions--Tua Vs. Barrett II, Haye Vs. Klitschko

6/25/2011

0 Comments

I feel nervous for David Tua. He's the only fighter I've actually found myself praying for during a fight. He's due to have a much anticipated rematch with Monte Barrett in August, and I feel a bit uneasy about it.

David Tua is a notorious heavy-handed slugger with the hardest left hook in recent boxing history. In fact, I'd say that Tua has the best left hook since Mike Tyson, whose style he attempts to emulate. The Tuaman launched a comeback in 2009, knocking out Shane Cameron in two rounds. Then he got a relatively close decision win over Friday Ahunanya on March 31, 2010.

Tua's comeback hit a bump in July 2010 when he climbed in the ring with Monte Barrett-- a limited, 40 year-old journeyman fighter on the verge of retirement. Most fans expected a quick Tua knockout, but Barrett surprised everyone by surviving David's early assault. He even dropped David in the 12th round, becoming the first fighter to knock Tua down. Unbelievable.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Tua on the ground. For the first time in his career, those thick Samoan legs failed him. He was trading with Monte on the inside when he was caught by surprise with an uppercut that sent him sprawling to the canvas. Tua survived the count, but I'd never seen him hurt like that. Up to that point, the fight was close--David dominated the early rounds. Later in the bout, Monte got brave when he realized he could survive Tua's bombs, and began to punch more. However, Tua wasn't the only one to touch the canvas in the 12th round; Barrett was thrown to the mat by Tua, who was penalized a point. The fight was declared a draw, with many fans feeling that Monte was robbed. The fight was close, but I think Tua lost by at least two rounds.

Tua's most recent fight could be good or bad, depending on how you view it. Last March, he fought Demetrice King, a wobbly journeyman fighter with a pitiful record. In the fight, Tua showcased some real boxing skill. He was jabbing, working the body, and throwing uppercuts--his hands were constantly busy. I was delighted to see this. Here's why.

After his controversial loss to Ike Ibeabuchi in 1997, Tua became a one-trick pony, relying on knocking his foes out cold with a left hook. He gradually abandoned body punching and other techniques; he became all about the left hook. This is what cost him in his world title shot against Lennox Lewis in 2000. Lewis is cocky, but he was right when he said "It takes more than a left hook and a haircut to beat Lennox Lewis." In the fight, Tua plodded forward, looking to end things with one monster left hook. He didn't work the body, he didn't throw many uppercuts, he didn't cut the ring, no combinations...nothing. I feel cheated because this is a fight that Tua could have won. All he had to do was throw more punches.

Joe Frazier knew how to set up his vaunted left hook. Sometimes he'd throw it in combinations so his opponents didn't see it coming. David Tua should take note.

While David looked good against Demetrice King a few months ago, he didn't knock him out. That worries me. I think his power is fading. He hasn't had a knockout since 2009. His chin also has some cracks in it, evidenced by the fact that Monte Barrett decked him. Though Tua is improving his boxing skills, his power and chin are well on the decline. For these reasons, he'd get killed against the Klitschko brothers. If he fights the way he did against King, then his best chance to win a title would be to fight Evander Holyfield. Both fighters are horribly washed up, but I think Tua's punch would be too much for an old, fragile fighter like Holyfield. It's the only fight I'd like to see in the current heavyweight divison, and it'll only happen if Tua gets by Monte Barrett.

I have to be honest-- I think Monte Barrett is going to win this rematch, probably by knockout. Monte is not a good fighter, but he made Tua look awful. He knows how to handle Tua in the ring. He knows that Tua can't knock him out, and he realizes that he has the punching power to floor him. Barrett has a psychological edge here. Making things worse is that Tua sometimes submits once the pressure is turned on.(See his disappointing fights with Lennox Lewis and Chris Bryd.) I predict that Barrett is gonna come out and plan to detour David with his long jab and his crushing uppercuts on the inside. He's going to come out firing and moving.

There are two outcomes--Tua will win by decision or less likely by knockout, and then go on to face Holyfield and possibly win a world title. (Finally) Or, Tua will get outboxed and/or knocked out by Monte Barrett, leading to both men retiring. Tua will be 40 years old later this year. I'd like to see him at least win one heavyweight championship. It's now or never.

That's not the only big fight of the summer, though. WBA champion David Haye will get his biggest test yet when he climbs in the ring with Wladimir Klitschko. I'm predicting a win for Klitschko, and I have my reasons.

First of all, Haye has never fought anyone in the league of Wladimir before. He's conquered awkward giants like Nikolay Valuev, but the Klitschkos are the best on the scene now. They're huge and they train hard. Stamina is never an issue for them, and, like Lennox Lewis, they move moderately well for men their size. More importantly, Wladimir has Emmanuel Steward in his corner. Steward is the best trainer of the last 20 years, in my opinion. He has brilliant strategies, enjoying success with Evander Holyfield and Tommy Hearns. But his biggest success was guiding the career of Lennox Lewis; the two were the perfect team--a modern version of Jack Blackburn and Joe Louis. Emmanuel has been repeating his success with the Klitschko brothers in recent years.

To cut it short, I think Klitschko will use his reach and experience to outbox and outmaneuver the smaller Haye, and then knock him out later. Manny Steward will find a weakness and have his fighter exploit it when the time is perfect. David Haye has a great punch and could crack Klitschko's average chin, but I honestly don't think he has the skills to do so. I doubt Wladimir will put himself at risk. But...it would be nice if Haye wins. If that happens, then we could be on our way to having an undisputed champion.

0 Comments

The 9 Year Anniversary of Lennox Lewis Versus Mike Tyson

6/7/2011

5 Comments

Today, it has been nine years since Lennox Lewis humiliated and brutalized Mike Tyson. I remember it well. It was June 8, 2002. The fight took place in my hometown of Memphis, TN. The entire city was buzzing about this fight, and celebrities were crawling all over town. I was in the 11th grade, and had some friends over to watch the fight live. My parents and sister watched the fight as well. It was the first (and only) fight party I've thrown.

Predictions:

Everyone around me was betting on a Tyson win, and I was no different. Here was my reasoning.

1) Then, as now, I had my concerns about the chin of Lennox Lewis. In April of the previous year, a right hand from Hasim Rahman shattered Lennox Lewis and took his Undisputed Championship. Rahman is no Mike Tyson, but he knocked Lewis goofy. Lennox also suffered a one-punch knockout loss to Oliver McCall in 1994. McCall and Rahman are not knockout artists--they're generally held in light regard as fighters. Lewis avenged his losses to them, but the fact remained--Lewis could be knocked out at any given moment.

2) Though he wasn't the sensational beast that he had been in the 1980s, Mike Tyson was still dangerous. He still put the behinds in arena seats. He maintained his explosive power and speed, but was no longer throwing combinations or using his trademark defense. After prison, he had lost his punching accuracy. He now plodded forward, looking to end things with one big punch. And, it's been proven twice that one punch is all you need to beat Lennox Lewis.

3) I felt even better when Evander Holyfield predicted a Tyson win. He fought both guys, so his opinion was of great value to me. He explained that Tyson will leap off the mat just to land a punch. Evander also stated that Tyson's assault would be too much for Lewis.

Styles Make Fights

As a boxing fanatic, I knew what each man needed to do to win. I'd studied their styles enough to know.

What Mike Tyson Must Do: Tyson would need to get inside of Lewis' long reach and pound away. Using his shorter arms, he'd have to get in close and blast away at the body and the head. Tyson is known for his ferocious uppercuts and hooks. Whether he hits you in the head or body, you're most likely going down. With Iron Mike, one punch can put you to sleep, but if he puts a string of punches together, forget about it. The 2002 version of Mike Tyson didn't throw combinations anymore, but as long as he kept throwing punches, he'd increase his chances of a knockout. He should bob and weave to slip Lewis' jab and counter viciously. Cutting the ring and cornering Lewis against the ropes would also work to Tyson's advantage.

What Lennox Lewis Must Do: Lennox Lewis refers to himself as a "Five Dimensional" fighter, classifying himself as a boxer-puncher-mover. He's telling the truth. The guy could box, punch hard, and move moderately well for a man his size. In facing Tyson, Lewis would be best off keeping Tyson at a distance with his long, telephone pole jab. Tyson is only dangerous when he gets inside. Using his jab and reach, Lewis could prevent Tyson from getting close and landing his bombs. Lewis is good enough of a fighter to slug it out toe-to-toe with Mike Tyson, but that puts him at a disadvantage because Tyson would be in range to do some serious damage. A 6'5 man trading with Mike Tyson on the inside is gonna find himself on the canvas sooner than later.

Getting the Popcorn and Sodas ready...

It was an electric night. I remember when Tyson came out to DMX's song, "What's my name!" I was completely hyped. Tyson looked more calm than usual, which was odd because he had been such an aggressive whirlwind earlier in the year to promote this fight. He talked of eating Lennox's kids, and, months earlier, even bit the man's leg at the wild press conference. So, to see a mellow Mike Tyson was a bit strange. At the time, I figured he was just focused. But looking back at the fight all these years later, you can see the insecurity all over his face as he approached the ring. His heart was not in this fight.

Moments later, Lennox Lewis came out looking completely stoic. His song of choice was the laid back "Crazy Baldheads" by the late Bob Marley. The song's reggae groove matched Lewis' relaxed demeanor. There was no emotion on his face--the Heavyweight Champion was focused and ready. He had his long dreads braided neatly into a bun. In addition, his beard and hairline had obviously been trimmed professionally. It looked as if Lewis had just been lined up by Steve Harvey's barber.

There was a team of security personnel in yellow shirts that divided the two heavyweights. Tyson and Lewis stared at each other from across the ring. Lewis showed no fear of Tyson. He looked relaxed, confident, and ready.

The heavyweight champion clearly had the support of the British fans in attendance, but it has to be noted that Tyson was the favorite of the crowd. Everybody came to see "The Baddest Man On The Planet" reclaim his throne.

The Fight

As predicted, Tyson steamrolled Lewis at the opening bell. He came in low, bobbing and weaving, looking to get inside and counter Lewis with his trademark hooks and uppercuts. He looked similar to the ferocious Mike Tyson of the 1980s; even exchanging jabs with the much taller Lewis. Shortly into the round, Tyson attempted to rush Lewis with a short right hand, but the champion countered with a thunderous uppercut and dazed him. Tyson staggered into the ropes where Lewis pounded on him until they clinched and separated. (pictured above) Tyson was hurt. Despite this, the challenger continued to press Lewis for the remainder of the round, even landing two minor left hooks--one of which staggered Lewis.

Things looked dangerous for the champion because he was brawling with Mike, but he fought back effectively. Lewis' strategy was apparently to uppercut Tyson whenever he got inside, or clinch and lean on him, smothering his punching space. (Referee Eddie Cotton later penalized him for holding.) Tyson won the round, no doubt because he forced the action.

During the break, Lewis' trainer, Emmanuel Steward, told the champion to settle down and not fight Tyson's fight. Great advice. Meanwhile, in Tyson's corner, the contender said to his trainer, "Ronnie, I'm hurt." It was the beginning of the end.

Round two began and Lewis adopted a new strategy--he hid behind his long jab and kept Tyson at a distance. After getting struck with another hard uppercut, Tyson relinquished his aggressive assault. From this point on, Lewis had his way. On the few occasions when Tyson got inside, he got smashed with uppercuts. A younger Tyson would have kept pressing Lewis, but the Mike Tyson of 2002 was content taking punishment for 8 rounds. The former champion even told his trainer, Ronnie Shields, that he wanted to quit after the 7th round, but Shields forced him back into the ring for round 8. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Steward was cursing Lewis out in his corner, begging the champion to put Tyson away. (Lewis explained years later that he hurt his right hand, which is why he didn't throw it much in the later rounds).

In the 8th round, Lewis dropped Tyson to a knee with a left uppercut. Shortly after the standing 8 count, Lewis threw his right hand, and Tyson was out. The fallen contender could have gotten up, but you could see in his eyes that he wanted no more. Those who didn't like Tyson thoroughly enjoyed this moment. Mike Tyson took a beating for seven rounds of this fight, and most fans agree that Lewis punished Tyson worse than Evander Holyfield and Buster Douglas did.

Final Thoughts:

This was a fight that Tyson could have won, even at this point in his career. He just submitted to Lewis after taking an uppercut in the first round. Iron Mike was still a fast and explosive puncher, but his heart just wasn't in the sport anymore. In fact, I believe that Tyson could have beaten Evander Holyfield in 1996-97. But, Holyfield had a strategy, and Mike didn't. It's as simple as that. Holyfield countered Mike's looping punches and walked him backward. Tyson, on the other hand, was relying on landing one monster punch. Lewis and Holyfield both caught a fading Mike Tyson who became discouraged and vulnerable if he didn't knock you out early.

This was the fight that Tyson needed to win. If he knocked out Lewis, all of his previous losses would have meant zilch. People would say that Iron Mike is the greatest heavyweight of all time when he keeps his head on straight. Not only would Mike have beaten the best heavyweight on the scene, but he would have become a three-time Heavyweight Champion in the process.

As for Lennox Lewis, he too, needed to win this fight for his legacy. He cleaned out the heavyweight division during the 1990s and early 2000s, even unifying the heavyweight championships. But if Tyson had beaten him, he'd never be viewed as an all time great. Lewis was certainly the best of his era, but the fact that he beat washed up versions of Holyfield and Tyson hurts his standing a little. To this day, a lot of American fans don't give Lewis his credit, despite his accomplishments and huge wins over talented competition.

People still debate on who would win between a prime Lewis and a prime Mike Tyson. Lennox Lewis had previously defeated other fighters with Tyson's style. (David Tua, Ray Mercer, Lionel Butler, Tommy Morrison, etc) But to be blunt about it, Tyson is better than each of them. When it comes to countering, defense, aggression, and speed, Tyson was way ahead of the curve. Lennox wouldn't know what hit him, and would find himself asleep for a count of 20.

I still go back and watch this fight from time to time. The first round is the most exciting. If Tyson had fought at this fast pace for the entire fight, I have no doubt that he would have landed the magic punch he needed to deck Lewis.

5 Comments

A.J. Dugger's List Of The Top Ten Greatest Heavyweight Champions Of All Time

6/3/2011

9 Comments

Larry Holmes. 69 Wins (44 KOs) 6 Losses

Larry Holmes is seriously underrated. It's a real shame, because he was a terrific talent during his era. Why is he overlooked? For starters, he reigned during the early 80s, sandwiching himself right between the eras of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, two of the most popular boxers ever. And secondly, he didn't have any memorable rivalries in the squared circle. He beat Gerry Cooney, Tim Witherspoon, Earnie Shavers, and many others. But chances are, if you're not a boxing fanatic like myself, you probably haven't heard of these people!!

Despite that, Larry was an outstanding fighter. Countless historians share the opinion that Larry had the best left jab in the history of the sport. Many of Larry's adversaries found themselves fighting the jab rather than Larry himself. Holmes could also brawl when he needed to. (Watch his slugfest with Ken Norton) He had a strong chin, evidenced by the fact that he survived a thunderous blow from Earnie Shavers; even rising from the canvas to knock him out. It took a prime Mike Tyson three knockdowns to keep Larry on the canvas. (Larry was destroyed by Tyson while making an ill-advised comeback in 1988.) After the loss to Tyson, Holmes regained steam by out-boxing younger fighters like Ray Mercer and Butterbean. The Easton Assassin retired for good in 2002.

2014 Update: Check out my recent interview with Larry Holmes and hear his thoughts on his fights with Tyson, Ali, Norton, Shavers and others.

Joe Louis. 66 Wins (52 KOs) 3 Losses.

Joe Louis is regarded by many historians as the best heavyweight of all time. Most boxing writers have Mr. Louis or Muhammad Ali at the top of their all time lists. Don't let his babyface in the picture fool you. I've seen Louis fight, and I can see why he's awarded so much praise. He was almost the perfect fighter--lightning quick hands, dynamite power in both hands, beautiful combinations, and great countering and boxing ability. Louis held the championship for almost 12 years with 25 title defenses. Jimmy Braddock (who lost the World Title to Louis) said that Louis' jab felt like "an electric light bulb being smashed in your face." The Brown Bomber conquered a diverse array of opponents, from giants like Buddy Baer and Primo Carnera, to slicksters like Billy Conn and Jersey Joe Walcott, and murderous sluggers like Max Baer and "Two-Ton" Tony Galento. All of these men were knocked out before the 15th round.

Joe Louis was terrific, but I have my reservations. He was often put on the canvas by punchers who are not in the league of the boxers I'll mention later in my countdown. Jersey Joe Walcott, Max Schmeling, Buddy Baer, Jimmy Braddock, and some of the others who decked Louis do not compare to George Foreman or Mike Tyson in terms of punching power. If Louis was hurt by 195 pound fighters like Walcott, I don't know how he would survive against the power of modern heavyweights, all of whom are well over 200 pounds. I'm not saying that Joe would definitely lose to guys like Foreman or Liston, but he'd have to knock them out first. It's essential. I know Joe had the power to put them to sleep, but I also see them hurting Joe pretty bad if they catch him. Could Joe Louis cope with the long jab and brute power of Lennox Lewis? Perhaps he could, but again, I'd have to see it happen.

Plus, Louis said himself that he hated to be crowded and smothered, which is certainly what Joe Frazier or Mike Tyson would do to him. I don't see Louis maintaining his composure against a swarming Jack Dempsey attack, either. Although Louis was over the hill when he fought Marciano, I feel that Rocky's smothering style would have troubled him anyway. In fact, I'd give any pressure fighter a good chance at knocking out Louis, mainly because he didn't cope well with pressure. With his flat-footed stance, he was relatively easy to maul over to the ropes and pound on.

Famously, the Brown Bomber also had trouble with "stick and move" fighters like Billy Conn, Bob Pastor, and Jersey Joe Walcott. However, he knocked them dead when he caught them. Because of his style, Muhammad Ali would also give Louis trouble, but Louis would likely stop him late.

Joe Louis was great, but I'm convinced that a few modern fighters would take advantage of his vulnerabilities.

2017 Update: Looking back, I ranked Louis waaaaay too low here. My main reasoning was that he was dropped regularly by 195 pound men like Jersey Joe Walcott, Jim Braddock, etc. This, coupled his relatively small size, made me uncomfortable predicting him to beat guys like Lennox Lewis, for example.

But watching Louis destroy giants like (Buddy) Baer, Primo Carnera, etc, shows me that Louis had the speed and the punch to destroy modern monsters as well. Lewis, the Klitschkos, Bowe, etc, are better boxers than the giants Louis KO'd, but Louis had the speed and attack to get them first, and he knew how to weave his way past a jab and get to the body and land his barrages. Seeing how Louis destroyed men of all sizes and styles, (and almost always by knockout) I should have ranked him #2 behind Muhammad Ali.

Rocky Marciano. 49 Wins (43 KOs) No Losses.

Right under Joe Louis, I've listed the man who retired him...The undefeated Rocky Marciano. Rocky is perhaps the most overrated and underrated boxer of all time. He was a small guy, (5'10, 187 pounds) but he had freakish power. He could knock you out cold with either hand. Rocky's record is 49-0 with 43 wins by knockout. He often threw wild, looping punches that sometimes missed, but he had such a tornado of an onslaught that it really didn't matter--you couldn't protect yourself from his attack. Rocky threw punches from all angles, and unloaded so many that countering him wasn't easy. Ask Archie Moore.

One thing about Rocky is that he always found a way to win. He certainly had some close calls, especially against Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles. But he managed to gather himself and knock them both out. That's what a true heavyweight champion is supposed to do. The Rock applied constant pressure to his opponents. He went into each fight with superb conditioning, endless stamina, and a will to win. The Rock didn't take any fight lightly. He didn't duck anyone, either. In a time of racial divide, Rocky took on every top ranked black heavyweight. He didn't fear anyone in the ring, no matter how big, slick, or skilled they were. He had the courage and the punch to scramble anybody.

Most other heavyweight champions got lazy or unfocused at some point and lost a fight they shouldn't have lost. Not Rocky. Some critics say that Rocky fought weak competition. While it's true that he didn't fight the high class competition of Muhammad Ali or Lennox Lewis, he fought some decent contenders when you really examine them. Rex Layne, Henry Matthews, Roland LaStarza, Carmine Vingo-- all of these guys were good fighters. (They might even be in the top ten if they were fighting today). Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles were great light-heavyweight fighters, but folded when they stepped up to fight heavyweights. Jersey Joe Walcott had a late prime, (he was fighting the best fight of his career against Marciano until he got cracked) and Joe Louis was still somewhat of a threat despite being 37 years old when he fought Rocky. The Brown Bomber was still fundamentally sound. I have no problem saying that Rocky Marciano was the greatest of all time. I just feel that the men coming up on my list would have likely stopped him. However, you can never count Rocky Marciano out against anyone.

Smokin' Joe Frazier. 32 Wins, (27 KOs) 4 Losses, 1 Draw

Smokin' Joe Frazier is one of my personal favorite fighters. I named my dog after this guy for a reason!!! He's an exciting fighter to watch. He was a relentless brawler who made his opponents miss by bobbing and weaving while he countered with his own power shots. He stayed in close on his opponents, smothering them and not giving them any time or space to counter. Frazier had the perfect style to trouble the swift-moving Muhammad Ali. Frazier cut the ring on him and banged him in the body, which slowed his speed. With his bullying style and fierce left hook, Frazier would have cleaned up any era of boxing. His only losses were to Ali and the powerful George Foreman.

Note: I view Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier as equals. They're really the same fighter, but it's hard to say who is better. Frazier had faster hands, but relied on his left hook for his knockouts. He was also a more accurate puncher than Marciano. Rocky was lighter than Frazier, but a harder puncher. Marciano could get the job done with either hand, but was prone to cut easy. Both men applied relentless pressure, worked the body, cut the ring, and got stronger as the fight progressed. They both had endless stamina and could take a punch. I guess it's a matter of opinion who was the greater fighter.

2013 Update: Whew boy. I feel basically the same, although I give Frazier a slight edge. Frazier fought at the pace of Henry Armstrong. For a heavyweight to fight at such a fast pace is amazing. If Frazier and Marciano would fight each other, I feel that Frazier would beat Rocky to the punch in most exchanges because his hands were quicker and more accurate. Both guys were tough but I think the smoke would be victorious against the hard rock from Brockton.

2014 Update: If you're a Frazier fan, check out my interview with his son, Marvis Frazier!!

Jack Dempsey. 61 Wins, (50 KOs) 6 Losses, 9 Draws

One word describes Jack Dempsey...ruthless. The man was Mike Tyson's hero. Here's a guy who used to literally fight for food while living as a hobo. His massacre over the giant 6'6 Jess Willard has to be seen to be believed. Jack's left hook was a fast and explosive weapon.(The first left hook he threw against Willard broke his jaw in seven places). He also possessed a chilling right hand, and was a durable fighter. Jack was as tough as they come. He paved the way for the other swarming brawlers in his wake, including Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, and of course, Mike Tyson.

The Manassa Mauler was the "Mike Tyson" of the 1920s. Like Tyson, Dempsey steamrolled his opponents at the opening bell and allegedly has more first round knockouts than anyone else. (Not all of his fights are on record). In fact, boxing's first million dollar gate was attributed to Dempsey's popularity. Everyone wanted to see this kid fight. Luis Firpo knocked Dempsey out of the ring, but Dempsey jumped back through the ropes to knock him out. The fight had 11 knockdowns in only two rounds before Jack ended it. Phenomenal.

Unfortunately, Dempsey went Hollywood soon after winning the heavyweight crown. By the time he returned to the ring years later, he wasn't the same fighter, and was easy pickings for Gene Tunney. After retiring, Dempsey trained other sluggers like Tony Galento and Max Baer, but none of his proteges could live up to Jack's success. In his prime, Dempsey was certainly one of the best ever.

2013 Update: Not much has changed here. I'm a fan of Dempsey but I wish the fight footage of him was better. The grainy fight films make it difficult to analyze him. For example, the late boxing historian Bert Sugar once stated that Dempsey had a quicker and "more ferocious" left hook than Joe Frazier. How can you prove that by watching such bad quality fight films? I wish better footage existed so I could analyze him better. It's hard to enjoy a fight when there are frames missing.

Lennox Lewis. 41 Wins (32 KOs) 2 Losses. 1 Draw

Lennox Lewis impresses me more than any of the other fighters. (No, it's not because we wear the same hairstyle.) LOL. Lewis could do it all. He could use his long jab and reach to punish you from the distance, or he could mix it up and brawl with you. He had crushing power in both hands, and his uppercut was on par with George Foreman. Not only could the 6'5 Lewis adapt to any situation, but he beat some quality opponents during his reign. Tommy Morrison, Riddick Bowe, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Andrew Golota, Michael Grant, Shannon Briggs, Vitali Klitshko, Frank Bruno, Razor Ruddock, Mike Tyson, Franis Botha, Ray Mercer, Oliver McCall, Hasim Rahman, and countless others.

There's only one reason why I can't put Lewis as my number 1 Heavyweight....his chin. Lewis was knocked out twice by a single punch. He avenged those losses, yes, but his chin always kept me on the edge of my seat. With a shaky beard like that, it's difficult to rank him. For example, Rocky Marciano could knock Lewis dead with one shot if he caught him clean.

Other than his questionable ability to take a punch, Lewis was great. He only suffered two defeats. He even unified all three heavyweight titles when he defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999. He finished his career by knocking out Mike Tyson in 2002, and stopping current WBC title-holder, Vitali Klitshcko in 2003. Lennox Lewis is the last Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of The World.

2013 Update: I've somewhat changed my views on his chin. He took some big punches from sluggers like Ray Mercer, David Tua, Tommy Morrison, Vitali Klitschko, Shannon Briggs and many others. When McCall KO'd Lewis, his balance was poor and he didn't see the punch coming. You could argue that the stoppage was premature. As for the Rahman knockout, I'm sure that punch would have put many other former champions to sleep, too. As Lewis bounced off the ropes, the punch broke through his guard and destroyed him. It's one of the more devastating one-punch knockouts I've seen. In both of Lewis' knockout defeats his balance was bad. His chin is better than I originally stated, but not good enough to survive against....

Big George Foreman. 76 Wins, (68 KOs) 5 Losses

Big George Foreman is another all time great. His punching power was frightening. He won the heavyweight title by easily destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds. He then gave Ken Norton a similar beating. But, he lost his status as an invincible fighter when he was KO'd by Muhammad Ali in 1974. He retired after another shocking loss; this time to Jimmy Young in 1977. George became a born-again Christian after that fight and started preaching. Incredibly, he returned to the ring in 1987 and won the heavyweight title again by knocking out Michael Moorer in 1994, exactly 20 years after losing it to Ali. (He even wore the same trunks, mind you.)

Ironically, I think the old version of George Foreman is more dangerous than the prime one. Young George had stamina problems (something exploited by Ali) and threw wild, looping punches that could be countered. The older George didn't have these issues. He developed a heavy jab reminiscent of his idol, Sonny Liston. His punches were now short and compact. He even put together effective combinations. Remarkably, he was never knocked off his feet during his second career. The mature George surprised many people by giving Tommy Morrison, Shannon Briggs and Evander Holyfield a lot of trouble in their primes. I suggest watching Foreman's fight with Ron Lyle on youtube. Both men hit the canvas several times. Lots of action. Probably the most exciting fight since Jack Dempsey-Luis Firpo.

Charles "Sonny" Liston. 50 Wins, (39 KOs) 4 Losses

Next up is the man Muhammad Ali referred to as "The Big Ugly Bear." Charles "Sonny" Liston was one of the greatest fighters to step foot into the ring. Like Joe Louis before him and Mike Tyson after him, Liston often had fights won before the opening bell. His scowling stare intimidated many fighters, especially Floyd Patterson, whom Liston destroyed twice within one round and took his title. Liston had a long, powerful jab and a thunderous left hook. In short, Sonny could knock you out with any punch he chose to throw, including his jab. Chuck Wepner fought an emerging George Foreman and a declining Sonny Liston. The contender revealed that the 40 something year-old Sonny punched harder than the 22 year-old Foreman. Wow.

Several mysteries surround Sonny Liston. No one knows his age, no one knows how he died. Heck, people still debate over what hand he wrote with! Liston's career was derailed when he lost two controversial fights to Muhammad Ali. However, despite his age, he was making a successful comeback and had a long string of knockouts before his untimely death.

Muhammad Ali. 56 Wins, (37 KOs) 5 Losses

Everybody knows the man pictured above. In fact, everybody knows how "pretty" he is and how he's "the greatest of all time." Muhammad Ali was light-years ahead of everyone else. To this day, boxers are inspired by him, adopting his "stick and move" strategies and shuffles. But no one comes near him. Ali lacked true knockout power, but he had the fastest hands of all the heavyweights. He had the legs of a dancer, often floating or skipping out of harm's way. He had a solid chin as well. Honestly, who else could lay on the ropes and let George Foreman punch him repeatedly for several rounds?

NOTE: No fighter was perfect, and Muhammad Ali was no different. He made mistakes in the ring that would have gotten him killed by certain boxers. He fought with his hands down low, he leaned back to avoid punches, and he couldn't block a jab. Fighters like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton punished Ali for these mistakes. Ali also didn't know how to cut the ring or fight as the aggressor. (Watch his fights with Doug Jones and Jimmy Young)

Muhammad Ali was a great fighter, but people overlook his flaws. People never talk about the fact that he ducked George Foreman, never giving him the rematch he deserved. Wonder why? Because Big George wouldn't fall for the "rope-a-dope" trick twice. Ali would inevitably have to meet George in center ring and slug it out. In the 1970s, Ali didn't have the speed to allude Foreman, so he would have been clobbered and seriously hurt. Don't get me wrong. Ali did great things for boxing. He brought theatre to the sport. I enjoy him as much as everyone else. But is he the "greatest of all time?" I doubt it.

2013 Update: I still stand by this for the most part. However, I've changed my mind about the outcome of an Ali-Foreman rematch. Following his loss to Ali in Zaire, George became obsessed with maintaining his stamina and was hesitant to "pull the trigger" during his fights after 1974. I still feel that George wouldn't fall for the rope-a-dope again, but he'd be too afraid to let loose. Ali would get a comfortable decision over an insecure Foreman who would be too tense to let his fists fly.

Regarding Muhammad Ali, I have a high level of respect for what he did during the 1960s concerning Civil Rights and his religion. But in the ring, I'd still pick several guys to beat him, even at his best. Ali's speed on hand and foot was tremendous but he wasn't untouchable even during his prime. During the 1960s, George Chuvalo landed plenty of body shots and even stunned Ali with a right cross. (Watch the 13th round for the right hand I'm talking about). Karl Mildenberger and Henry Cooper also caught Ali with great shots but couldn't finish him. These guys were decent fighters at best and even they had success catching Ali. Even at his peak, Ali fought with his hands down low, leaned his head back from punches and couldn't parry or block a jab.

In the 1970s, Ali received gift decisions in the fights with Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, and the 1974 fight with Frazier. You could also argue that Earnie Shavers was robbed in his fight with Ali as well. I think people are caught up in the excitement and legend of Muhammad Ali more than anything else. He was an outstanding fighter. But if we're talking head to head, was he the best of all time? No. That award goes to....

Iron Mike Tyson. 50 Wins (44 KOs) 6 Losses KO Percentage 75.86 %

Head to head, Mike Tyson is the greatest of all time. If you fought Tyson during 1985-1988 with Kevin Rooney in his corner, you were in trouble. What made the young Tyson special was his technique. We know he was a powerful puncher, but the guy was intelligent. Bobbing and weaving, he was a hard target to hit cleanly. Once you miss, he'd counter you, and it's over in a heartbeat. Not only could he destroy you with either hand, but he also threw devastating combinations. My personal favorite was when he threw a right hand to the body, and then came up the middle with an uppercut from the same hand.

Trained by the late Cus D'Amato, Tyson adopted the crouching style of Floyd Patterson, but combined it with Sonny Liston's power and Jack Dempsey's aggression. Tyson also had quick hand speed and scary punching accuracy. This, juxtaposed to his bone-crushing power, made him one explosive puncher.

With Kevin Rooney in his corner, the self-confident 19 year-old Mike Tyson would smash most of the other Heavyweight legends during a head-on collision in the ring. Does he beat Ali? I think so. We saw what Joe Frazier did to Ali--he had him pissing blood. He also had him on the verge of quitting in The Thrilla In Manilla. Mike Tyson was a bigger, faster, and more talented version of Smokin Joe. Like Frazier, Tyson would cut the ring, corner Ali against the ropes, and bang him in the ribs. Tyson would slip the swift Ali jab, get inside, and land some crushing counters. Like I mentioned earlier, Muhammad fought with his hands down--not smart against Tyson. Ali said himself on the Arsenio Hall Show that Tyson would put him to sleep if he caught him.

On the rare occasions when an opponent remained on his feet, Mike stayed on them, relentlessly pressing and battering them to get the decision. Watch his fights with Tony Tucker and Mitch Green.

To be objective, I only see George Foreman or possibly Sonny Liston giving a peak Mike Tyson any real trouble. Things began to go south for Tyson in 1988 when he fired Kevin Rooney, hired Promoter Don King, and married Robin Givens. He lost focus, and things deteriorated from there.

Tyson's youth was his blessing as well as his curse. He got too much, too quick. Less than five years after robbing people, he was the Heavyweight Champion of The World. The leeches, the women, the money, the fame; all of it came to Tyson before he was mature enough to handle it all. Tyson's prime was only five years, but during that time period, he ruled the heavyweight division with an iron fist.

Everyone knows that Tyson began to lack stamina and self-confidence later in his career. He crumbled like a cookie when his opponents stood up to him and fought back. But I'm not talking about that version of Mike Tyson. You can't compare the sensational 20 year-old Mike Tyson to the insecure 30 year-old version.

To really evaluate Mike Tyson, watch him during 1985-1988. He became the youngest Heavyweight Champion of all time. He was also the first fighter to unify all three World Heavyweight Championships. During that time period, he was the best fighter ever. I don't think we'll ever see a specimen like that again.

Recap:

10)Larry Holmes
9)Joe Louis
8)Rocky Marciano
7)Joe Frazier
6)Jack Dempsey
5)Lennox Lewis
4)George Foreman
3)Sonny Liston
2)Muhammad Ali
1)Mike Tyson

Here's a list of the fighters who almost made the list, but fell short. I'll briefly explain why.

Jack Johnson-- Everyone on this list would knock him out.

Evander Holyfield--Too inconsistent as a fighter. Struggled with old Foreman and Holmes. Lost to Moorer, Bowe, Ruiz and others.

Floyd Patterson--Skilled fighter, but had a glass jaw. Too many losses.

David Tua--My favorite boxer. He never lived up to his potential, though. Never won a world championship.

2017 Updates: My views have flip-flopped a lot over the years. I have a new list (head to head) and it's almost nothing like the list I wrote here several years ago. Without further adieu..

1) Muhammad Ali - His speed and toughness would allow him to prevail over anyone. 1964-67 Ali was light years ahead of everyone else, and I don't see anyone beating him, much less stopping him.

2) Joe Louis - He was mean, and combined fierce accuracy, speed and explosive power. I don't care how big you are; you will fall when Joe Louis has you hurt. He was also an intelligent ring general, setting you up for a big finish as early as round 1.

3) Lennox Lewis - Basically a bigger and slower version of Joe Louis in some ways. When Lewis is focused, chances are you're not going to beat him.

4) Vitali Klitschko - Lewis fought better competition, which is why he gets the nod over Vitali in my book. But Vitali's size and awkwardness would overcome the rest of the guys I'm about to mention.

5) Larry Holmes - Great jab and movement. Tough guy.

6) George Foreman - Need I say more?

7) Mike Tyson - Tyson drops much lower than I had him initially. He never lived up to his full potential and lost his legacy fights. These days I'm more into facts than the hypothical "What if's." For different reasons, Tyson blew it. But his speed and power make him a huge threat to anyone.

8) Sonny Liston - One bad mutha.

9) Wladimir Klitschko -Wlad was a monster in his own right. But his chin lowers his ranking here. Any of these guys above could slay him if they land.

10) Joe Frazier/Rocky Marciano - These guys were well-conditioned and put their opponents under so much pressure. They're so similar that if they switched eras Frazier would have gone undefeated and Marciano would have lost to Ali and Foreman. They fight like brutal energizer bunnies and make their opponents increasingly uncomfortable.

Honorable mentions to Jack Dempsey and Evander Holyfield, who were also very capable fighters but not consistent enough to make the final cut.

The Ambling Alp

The Tuaman

A Clash Of Styles

Legacy

​Speed​

The Fight

​The Big Bear

The Real Deal

Toughness

​Fighting Dirty

​Styles Make Fights

Legacies​

The Fight

Smokin' Joe Frazier

The Left Hook From Hell...

Lennox Lewis

Chinny Chin Chin

Legacy

The Fight ​

Muhammad Ali

Rocky Marciano

Joe Louis

Lennox Lewis

Joe Frazier

Larry Holmes

Jack Johnson

Evander Holyfield

The Klitschkos

George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Max Baer, Jack Dempsey and Mike Tyson

Recommended Reading

Author

Categories

Archives

Speed

The Big Bear

Fighting Dirty

Styles Make Fights

Legacies

The Fight