Same here But that's just nostalgia... My eyes can't be trusted... I saw a slice of chocolate cake and I wanted to eat it but then I stopped myself because I knew it wasn't really any good, my eyes were just thinking it would be good because some chocolate cake I had in 1986 tasted really good back then.
And this means fuckall with the Klitschko's around. Only the WBA belt has had any stretch of not being with them and I suppose the WBC belt when it was doing the Peter/Toney dance.
no one mentioned James "Bonecrusher" Smith......one of the best nicknames ever....anyhow....man knocked out Witherspoon in 1 round and had Tyson on wobbly legs right up until the final bell....throw in a Frank Bruno stoppage......and Frank Bruno guys? we all forgot about him....80s were his prime years
He had an awful right hand, it was held together with bits of plate metal. I know what you are saying, though.
Definitely not Smith was a hard-punching trial horse who happened to luck out with a fat, lazy Witherspoon in their second fight... The first fight he was schooled Also, maybe I need to rewatch the Tyson fight but all I remember him doing in that bout was holding and fighting as if he was terrified Bruno couldn't even beat Witherspoon on one of Witherspoon's worst nights
Well he knocked out Bruno as well.....yeah he held alot vs Tyson..fought scared but actually did well when he let his punches go....yes he had Tyson wobbled for a good 15 seconds or so until the bell came to the rescue
I just went and watched the 12th round and I don't see that at all... he landed a good shot to back Tyson up and that was it... no wobbling as far as him stopping Bruno, I just don't see that as a big enough deal to elevate Bonecrusher to some "coulda been terrific" status... He was a limited guy with a hard punch and Bruno was a very game guy who just was not that good
Bruno was a monster puncher who looks like he juiced before the stamina juice routine was down pat. I think his power was right at the Tyson, Ruddock, McCall, Lennox level. Hence, you get through a few rounds with him and he became a much easier night.
Neither Bruno nor McCall belong in the same sentence with Tyson/Ruddock/Lennox in terms of punching power
Wladimir Klitschko Lost by KO to Ross Purrity, Lamon Brewster & a FAT Golfer who Moonlights as a Prizefighter... The Idea of Dokes, Page, Thomas (or Anyone Else on the Initial List) BEATING Wlad Isn't Faaaar Fetched...Then Factor In the INACTIVITY & INJURIES that have Plagued Vitali's Career...ANY of the Aforementioned Could Be an ELITE Level Titlist in Today's Heavyweight Division... The Fact that YOU DIDN'T Watch them in their Heyday SHOULDN'T Diminish the Level of Talent the 80's Heavyweights Possessed... REED:nono:
Tyson REACTED to that Shot More than we had EVER Seen, Up to that Point in his Career, but you're Right, he WASN'T "Wobbled"... The Uppercut Tony Tucker Landed Wobbled Tyson Though... REED:shadow:
I repeat my agenda devil spinning yawn comment fot the 1000th time. I think the guys of 80s are better than the ones we have now, but not AS MUCH better as eyes only tell, because guys now have lesser technique and are more clumsy but also bigger and more powerful. 200lbs guys will always give a better fight than 240 lbs guys
HW now aren't bigger than the 80S, one. Only fatter. If they were in shape they wouldn't be much of a size difference if any
Not true. 6'3, 210 lbs guy wouldn't have been particularly small in the 80s while now such fighter is clearly a small guy and nobody expects him to stand and trade (Adamek, Chambers, Haye) while Pinklon Thomas was this size and known as rather large guy and 6'4 235 lbs John Tate and 6'6 225 lbs Gerry Cooney were the big guys of the day. And no, size does not mean everything but there is a difference. Obviously being fat doesn't help fighters
To original question, this is an interesting one. I think prime Witherspoon was the BEST of them, but he also was technically among the best heavyweights ever: he wasn't particularly quick and had only one really destructive punch but he knew all the tricks of the game. If it is only about talent I'd say Thomas Page Dokes Tubbs Witherspoon Tucker Douglas Stinks
I think Spoon was themost technically skilled right above Tubbs. Tubbs looked very impressive while Spoon was more of a basic guy, but Spoon could fight any type of opponent and fought well both attacking and retreating while Tubbs needed the opponent to come to him to be at his best
I would also put Thomas at the top of the list. Unfortuntely his years of prior drug abuse contributed to a really short prime. Have you ever seen Thomas-Witherspoon? Going into the fight, I was expecting it to be close, but it really wasn't. Witherspoon couldn't do a thing with Thomas, it wasn't a shutout, but Thomas was the clear winner.
Yes, that was a very impressive performance and one of the reasons I ranked Thomas at #1. Witherspoon probably wasn't at his sharpest in that fight but didn't look bad either, Thomas was just too much for him in that fight. Even against Tyson Thomas did ok for five rounds even though he had declined rapidly and was nowhere near his peak anymore
Not as big a problem as his shot selection and sense of range. He threw a lead left hook to the body versus Arreola having feinted with a jab to the head first. And this was near the end of the fight. I cannot remember if it was Tucker or Tubbs that was sparring with Vitali years ago and said that Vitalis sense of distance in setting up his right hand made it very difficult to close the gap and rush him. Dimensions are no use unless you know what shots to get off and when. Its why Vitali can go an entire fight without needing a clinch, despite Wlad having near identical vital stats.
I was alluding to the shorthand list. Who is the best fighter of the division of that era anyways? Holmes? Tyson?
I think there's a bit more to it. The guy had 45 fights and only 2 went the distance. 1 of those was McCall, a guy who nobody stopped. And when you watch him hit people early, they crumbled. His rounds/fight average is probably the best of the guys discussed. McCall is the one to have the issue with. I just think he hit hard based on seeing him waste some guys. His numbers tell a different story.
