Who Was Heavyweight Champion...

[Adamj1987]

Mike Tyson

[Goodnight, Irene]

No, I am older than that.
Well, I guess it matters if you consider Jimmy Ellis the champion or not. I go back and forth between that myself.

I don't see why you wouldn't. It was Ali's belt, then, it became Ellis'.

[witherspoon]

No, I am older than that.
Well, I guess it matters if you consider Jimmy Ellis the champion or not. I go back and forth between that myself.

My honest original guess was 1928 - 1930! I was looking for the Ambling Alp connection, and figured that was the best fit, just thought it would be indiscreet.

[Ambling Alp]

As for the name "Ambling Alp", I just always thought it was a funny nickname.

As for Jimmy Ellis, maybe we can start another thread on that. I don't want to hijack this thread.

[Ezzard]

Okay, so there ws a theory banded about that generally fans believe the champion from their early teens (give or take) will be the one they consider the best. So who do you believe was the greatest champion of your lifetime?

I was 10 when I really began to take notice of boxing. Holmes was champ and my top 3 would be Holmes-Holyfirld-Lewis so it stands for me.

[The Great John L]

Okay, so there ws a theory banded about that generally fans believe the champion from their early teens (give or take) will be the one they consider the best. So who do you believe was the greatest champion of your lifetime?

I was 10 when I really began to take notice of boxing. Holmes was champ and my top 3 would be Holmes-Holyfirld-Lewis so it stands for me.

Interesting Q. When I really got hooked big time, it was Frazier. My top HWs are:

Louis
Ali
Holmes
Johnson
Dempsey

[Ezzard]

Okay, so there ws a theory banded about that generally fans believe the champion from their early teens (give or take) will be the one they consider the best. So who do you believe was the greatest champion of your lifetime?

I was 10 when I really began to take notice of boxing. Holmes was champ and my top 3 would be Holmes-Holyfirld-Lewis so it stands for me.

Interesting Q. When I really got hooked big time, it was Frazier. My top HWs are:

Louis
Ali
Holmes
Johnson
Dempsey

John, only rate the ones active in your lifetime. Maybe you are...

[The Great John L]

John, only rate the ones active in your lifetime. Maybe you are...

Oops, I missed that.

Ali
Holmes
Frazier
Liston
Lewis
Tyson
Foreman
Holyfield

and the rest...

[Goodnight, Irene]

By, "lifetime" are we saying from the time we became interested in the sport, or from the moment we were born, onwards?

If it's from the initial point of interest, I suppose, technically, the champ was Moorer --- as a ten-year-old, I watched my first ever boxing match --- Moorer-Foreman, & that was it for me. I was hooked from '94 on.

During these last fifteen years, I would rate the best champ overall as Lennox Lewis. The best champ of my lifetime would be Holmes (at his best), though if I'm only permitted to take the Holmes of '84-'85, then I'd label Tyson or Holyfield the top men, as I think peak versions of those two would each best the 1984 Holmes.

In any event...

Top Three Since 1984:

Larry Holmes (if he were prime)
Mike Tyson
Evander Holyfield

Top 3 Since 1994:

Lennox Lewis
George Foreman
Shannon Briggs (tough call between him & Rahman)

[dempseyfire]

By, "lifetime" are we saying from the time we became interested in the sport, or from the moment we were born, onwards?

If it's from the initial point of interest, I suppose, technically, the champ was Moorer --- as a ten-year-old, I watched my first ever boxing match --- Moorer-Foreman, & that was it for me. I was hooked from '94 on.

During these last fifteen years, I would rate the best champ overall as Lennox Lewis. The best champ of my lifetime would be Holmes (at his best), though if I'm only permitted to take the Holmes of '84-'85, then I'd label Tyson or Holyfield the top men, as I think peak versions of those two would each best the 1984 Holmes.

In any event...

Top Three Since 1984:

Larry Holmes (if he were prime)
Mike Tyson
Evander Holyfield

Top 3 Since 1994:

Lennox Lewis
George Foreman
Shannon Briggs (tough call between him & Rahman)

Shannon Briggs???

Over Evander (who was champ until 1999), Klitschkos (either one) or hell even Byrd or Ruiz??

[Goodnight, Irene]

^^^I'm going by linear status. From 94-Present, that only leaves me with Moorer, Foreman, Briggs, Lewis & Rahman.

However, I forgot Moorer. He's definitely replacing Briggs on my top three list, now. Moorer's third.

[Jaywheel]

Quite a HOFer list since 94 heh?

[squiggy]

HW: Leon Spinks
LHW: Mate Parlov (WBC) / Victor Galindez (WBA)
MW: Hugo Corro
LMW:Rocky Mattioli (WBC) / Eddie Gazo (WBA)
WW: Carlos Palomino (WBC) / Pipino Cuevas (WBA)
LWW:Saensak Muangsurin (WBC) / Antonio Cervantes (WBA)
LW: Roberto Duran (3 months vacated :( )
SFW: Alexis Arguello (WBC) / Samuel Serrano (WBA)
FW: Danny Lopez (WBC) / Eusebio Pedroza (WBA)
LFW: Carlos Zarate (WBC) / Jorge Lujan (WBA)
Fly: Miguel Canto (WBC) / Guty Espadas (WBA)

Interesting little exercise, great idea.
If this turns into a tourney( :idea: ), i'm entering the little fella's, WW and below.
But Leon Spinks? That's a sobering thought, what would you read into that, Robinson?
Why couldn't those damn judges give Ali one more gift decision, eh?
It might have changed the course of my life!

I am another child of the Leon Spinks era. We need to band together!
And like so many others, my baseball sign is "Yankees."

[witherspoon]

HW: Leon Spinks
LHW: Mate Parlov (WBC) / Victor Galindez (WBA)
MW: Hugo Corro
LMW:Rocky Mattioli (WBC) / Eddie Gazo (WBA)
WW: Carlos Palomino (WBC) / Pipino Cuevas (WBA)
LWW:Saensak Muangsurin (WBC) / Antonio Cervantes (WBA)
LW: Roberto Duran (3 months vacated :( )
SFW: Alexis Arguello (WBC) / Samuel Serrano (WBA)
FW: Danny Lopez (WBC) / Eusebio Pedroza (WBA)
LFW: Carlos Zarate (WBC) / Jorge Lujan (WBA)
Fly: Miguel Canto (WBC) / Guty Espadas (WBA)

Interesting little exercise, great idea.
If this turns into a tourney( :idea: ), i'm entering the little fella's, WW and below.
But Leon Spinks? That's a sobering thought, what would you read into that, Robinson?
Why couldn't those damn judges give Ali one more gift decision, eh?
It might have changed the course of my life!

I am another child of the Leon Spinks era. We need to band together!
And like so many others, my baseball sign is "Yankees."

I live in the uk, have no idea about baseball, but i have been wearing a yankees cap for years.

[Djanders]

Heavyweight Champion When I Was Born: Jack Dempsey.

[elmersalsa]

When I was born, the great Joe Frazier was the NY World Heavyweight Champion and Jimmy Ellis was the WBA World Heavyweight King.

[Robinson]

Heavyweight Champion When I Was Born: Jack Dempsey.

Awesome

[jaclem2]

...djanders----glad to have you aboard..especially as max schmeling was champion when i first appeared on these mortal coils. i was getting worried there for a while that i was the only one here who remembers radio... i remember hearing both fights on the radio..

when the louis-schmeling rematch was held the movie theaters had films of both fights, and my grandfather took me to see them

[Sweet P]

Heavy Muhammad Ali he had just beaten Ron Lyle when i was born.

L Heavy Bob Foster had retired around 8 months earlier. So there was no 175 pound champ

Middle Carlos Monzon

Welter Jose Napoles

Light Welter Antonio Cervantes

Light Roberto Duran

Feather Alexis Argeullo

[Robinson]

It's interesting the generations of fan's that we have here.

All that knowledge over the era's.

Jaclem,

I managed to DL some radio broadcasts of Louis' fights. Pretty
entertaining to listen to.

[Ezzard]

Djanders and Jaclem

who were the first HW champs you remembr being aware of?

[Djanders]

Djanders and Jaclem

who were the first HW champs you remembr being aware of?

Max Schmeling was the first World Heavyweight Boxing Champion I became aware of. I remember my Dad and Uncle talking about how he won the belt while on the floor. They didn't like that. 8)

[Djanders]

...djanders----glad to have you aboard..especially as max schmeling was champion when i first appeared on these mortal coils. i was getting worried there for a while that i was the only one here who remembers radio... i remember hearing both fights on the radio..

when the louis-schmeling rematch was held the movie theaters had films of both fights, and my grandfather took me to see them

Yes. I remember listening to the fights on the radio, and then seeing some of them later in the movie theater.

[jaclem2]

..i can't say for sure which was the first champion i was aware of as louis and schmeling both run in my mind at the same time. but it probably was joe louis because he was teone who made me familiar with schmeling...if that sentence makes any sense..

[Ezzard]

Pretty amazing to have seen all those champs.

The thing is, looking backwards, without the good fortune to have been around at the time, you can never truly gauge the way people were recieved at the time. It's also very hard to judge them looking back because your own era always gets int he way.

This makes it very interesting to hear you two's opinions on the champs.