Austrsalias best Heavyweight

Robinson · Post by **Robinson** » 26 Jan 2008, 08:12

Hey guys what are your rankings for Australias all time best
heavyweights ?

Thanks

Kym

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 26 Jan 2008, 17:12

Hard to say. Peter Jackson?

Cap · Post by **Cap** » 26 Jan 2008, 17:55

As an outsider, though fellow Commonwealth member, I would say the top four would be:

Bob Fitzsimmons
Peter Jackson
Frank Slavin
Joe Goddard

Bill Lang would likely make the top ten. Ambrose Palmer too. Bill Squires had about 25 straight wins before he left OZ for America. Bill Farnan and Larry Foley should be there as well. And Aussie Jack Johnson.

Cap

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 27 Jan 2008, 00:13

Fitzsimmons was a Kiwi. He learned to fight from Larry Foley in Sydney, but he was a Kiwi. Ambrose Palmer fought at middleweight and light heavyweight. He became Australian Heavyweight champion due to lack of heavies in the thirties. Nobody could get enough to eat.

gravel · Post by **gravel** » 27 Jan 2008, 01:15

Steve Aczel was pretty handy with the gloves although he had to build up from a light heavy.

Asterix · Post by **Asterix** » 27 Jan 2008, 01:49

I don't know anything about Australian heavyweights, but this link might be useful for you lot: http://www.boxrec.com/ratings.php?count ... &SUBMIT=Go

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 27 Jan 2008, 02:55

Colin Bell? What the heck....

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 28 Jan 2008, 08:13

Asterix wrote:I don't know anything about Australian heavyweights, but this link might be useful for you lot: http://www.boxrec.com/ratings.php?count ... &SUBMIT=Go

Last time I looked at this (admittedly a few years ago, system must ave been tweaked since), Craig Petersen was number one. Now he's 22.

Asterix · Post by **Asterix** » 28 Jan 2008, 08:17

He's No. 28 now. Is there something iffy with the ratings or is it just the Australian ones?

Marlin · Post by **Marlin** » 28 Jan 2008, 18:27

Jack Howard with a record of 8-6 is ranked 9th... I think its fair to say there is something fishy at least with the Australian rankings...

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 03 Feb 2008, 18:51

Marlin wrote:Jack Howard with a record of 8-6 is ranked 9th... I think its fair to say there is something fishy at least with the Australian rankings...

Might be because two of his wins were against Colin Bell.

Ross · Post by **Ross** » 03 Feb 2008, 23:45

Not saying he was one of the best but I remember reading about a bloke who was captain of Australias football team and also Australian HW Champ and I think he took on and did well aganst some Americans of note
Pretty good achievement IMO

Ross

Collins2000 · Post by **Collins2000** » 04 Feb 2008, 00:26

Ross wrote:Not saying he was one of the best but I remember reading about a bloke who was captain of Australias football team and also Australian HW Champ and I think he took on and did well aganst some Americans of note
Pretty good achievement IMO

Ross

What was his name, Ross?

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 04 Feb 2008, 04:36

That was Herb Narvo. He won the title during the Second World War. He was a better forward than fighter. Herb played in Grand Final winning Newtown sides with Frank "Bumper" Farrell and captained St George to a Premiership in 1946. He won the Australian Heavyweight title by knocking Billy "Wokka" Britt out in 25 seconds in 1945 and lost it to Jack Johnson (no, not that one) in 1946. The day after losing the title Herb played for St George. I have no knowledge of him captaining Australia.

Cap · Post by **Cap** » 04 Feb 2008, 18:42

What about Ern Clinghan? The only near-heavyweight of class he beat was Ron Richards. What do they base these rankings on? Clinghan is ranked above Slavin, Jackson and Goddard.

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 04 Feb 2008, 20:17

mercman wrote:If Joe Bugner can be classed as Australian surely he must be Australia's best ever heavyweight. Has any other Australian heavyweight achieved more than 'Aussie' Joe?

Joe Bugner was middle aged when he moved to Australia. For the most successful part of his career he was English.

I may be wrong, but I think Joe Bugner was a British citizen when Joe Frazier and Marvis Frazier both beat him.

After moving to Australia, Bugner's best win was over former WBA champ Greg Page, but Page's best years were behind him. Joe's win over poor old James "Bonecrusher" Smith was a joke. Smith dislocated his shoulder and the WBF Heavyweight title was worth nothing.

el_grande_mauro_mina · Post by **el_grande_mauro_mina** » 07 Feb 2008, 00:50

Mal Meninga!

Seeing him box on youtube, he has some pretty impressive skills - even at his advanced age.

George Cook deserves a mention - fought them all in Australia, Europe and the States.

I think a world class Aussie heavyweight is about to be unleashed and about time too!

tilly69 · Post by **tilly69** » 07 Feb 2008, 02:59

Carlos-Wigan wrote:Mal Meninga! Seeing him box on youtube, he has some pretty impressive skills - even at his advanced age.

George Cook deserves a mention - fought them all in Australia, Europe and the States.

I think a world class Aussie heavyweight is about to be unleashed and about time too!

come on tell us more????do u no something we dont because we,i didn't think we had one here

Asterix · Post by **Asterix** » 07 Feb 2008, 09:11

Carlos-Wigan wrote:Mal Meninga! Seeing him box on youtube, he has some pretty impressive skills - even at his advanced age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW1jrbR4WFA

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 07 Feb 2008, 20:06

Carlos-Wigan wrote:Mal Meninga! Seeing him box on youtube, he has some pretty impressive skills - even at his advanced age.

George Cook deserves a mention - fought them all in Australia, Europe and the States.

I think a world class Aussie heavyweight is about to be unleashed and about time too!

Mal Meninga? I never saw him throw a punch when he was playing football!

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 07 Feb 2008, 20:10

mercman wrote:
Joe Bugner was middle aged when he moved to Australia. For the most successful part of his career he was English.

I may be wrong, but I think Joe Bugner was a British citizen when Joe Frazier and Marvis Frazier both beat him.

After moving to Australia, Bugner's best win was over former WBA champ Greg Page, but Page's best years were behind him. Joe's win over poor old James "Bonecrusher" Smith was a joke. Smith dislocated his shoulder and the WBF Heavyweight title was worth nothing.
All this is true. However, Bugner had over a dozen fights as 'Aussie Joe' and won most of them. As well as beating Page he also beat two other good Americans - David Bey and Quick Tillis as well as Bonecrusher. Have any other Aussie heavyweights got such good wins on their record? Bugner was also Australian champion, winning the title against Vince Cervi and successfully defending it against Colin Wilson and Bob Mirovic.
Incidentally, people always say Page was past his best when Bugner beat him but Bugner was hardly at his peak either. In fact Page had been WBA champion just two years earlier and was 29 when he fought Bugner - who was a lot older at the time.

Bey and Tillis were never up to much, nor was Billups. Being a Yank does not make you a champion (as Judah and quite a few others found out against Tszyu). Smith did his shoulder in between round one and round two, so that means nothing. Bugner only managed a split decision against Mirovic who had been KOed in 6 by local Justin Fortune in his previous fight.

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 08 Feb 2008, 17:03

Maybe it is personal. I have always found him annoying.

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 08 Feb 2008, 17:27

If you want to count Bugner, do you want to count Jimmy Thunder? He was an Australian Heavyweight Champion and won the IBO title (currently held by Klitschko) and beat better fighters than Bugner beat after coming here. Also famous for flattening Crawford Grimsley in thirteen seconds (including the count) in the fight after Grimsley lost a 12 rounder to George Foreman. His career fell away towards the end, but he beat Berbick and Tubbs as well as putting an end to contender Bernardo Mercado's career inside of his first ten fights.

bollox · Post by **bollox** » 08 Feb 2008, 18:05

Brute wrote:If you want to count Bugner, do you want to count Jimmy Thunder? He was an Australian Heavyweight Champion and won the IBO title (currently held by Klitschko) and beat better fighters than Bugner beat after coming here. Also famous for flattening Crawford Grimsley in thirteen seconds (including the count) in the fight after Grimsley lost a 12 rounder to George Foreman. His career fell away towards the end, but he beat Berbick and Tubbs as well as putting an end to contender Bernardo Mercado's career inside of his first ten fights.

I was living in England when Thunder started making some noise on the boxing scene (89/90). Started reading a bit about him and thinking 'this guy seems to be going places'. The media as usual were carrying on about him like he was the next Foreman but this always happens and was ignored. Alas not long after, he fought Mike 'The Bounty' Hunter and it put things into perspective a bit more

How about Dave 'Destroyer' Russell?

In a media special about him around '86 the reporter asked his trainer Ron Russell "is he the next Ali?"

Ron replied "ah well ya see, he aint got them reflexes ya see" 8) Later that year Dave was KO'd by Dean Waters

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 09 Feb 2008, 04:33

I remember that Bugner was regarded in England as something of a "tanker." A big heavyweight who could cop a punch but was never going to go far.

Bugner may have had some decent wins when he was a British citizen, but his efforts after he moved to Australia were pretty ordinary.