Top 3 WORST to ever fight for a legit heavyweight title...

[yancey]

Who are they?





(the topic came to mind because of dempsey's post on another thread, thanks)

[Ezzard]

James J. Walker
Pete Rademacher
...

Marvis frazier comes to mind but he's such a nice guy I don't want to say his name so I'll think about someone else... there must be worse guys out there...

[Ezzard]

John Henry Lewis was a fine fighter but wasn't he imapired for the Louis bout??? Louis gave him a pay cheque and got him out of there early... Is this right? If so because of his poor state going into the ring I'll pick Lewis.

[The Great John L]

Marvis frazier comes to mind but he's such a nice guy I don't want to say his name so I'll think about someone else... there must be worse guys out there...

Why does Marvis come to mind? Because he was outclassed by two of the best HW champs in history? Why does everyone forget that besides these two unfortunate fights he actually had a pretty good career with wins over several world class HWs.

The 3 I come up with off the top of my head:

Jewey Smith
Jack Finnegan
Coopman

[John Galt]

I agree with John L. Marvis Frazier was a good fighter. Losing to Holmes and Tyson is no disgrace. Frazier beat some good boxers. The worst title contender might be Jean Pierre Coopman.

[The Great John L]

I agree with John L. Marvis Frazier was a good fighter. Losing to Holmes and Tyson is no disgrace. Frazier beat some good boxers. The worst title contender might be Jean Pierre Coopman.

Yeah, Coopman was pretty bad. I had to change my list because I had Lubbers and that fight wasn't a title fight, so Coopmn is no on my list as well.

BTW, most people foget just how good an am fighter Marvis was as well. As I recall he only lost one fight as an am and that was his final one against Broad, who he later beat as a pro.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Off of the top of my head...

Juergen Blin
Scott LeDoux
Billy Miske ( good fighter, but at the time he would probably be the worst)

[The Great John L]

I don't think Blin fought for a title, did he?

[overhand_right]

John Henry Lewis was a fine fighter but wasn't he imapired for the Louis bout??? Louis gave him a pay cheque and got him out of there early... Is this right? If so because of his poor state going into the ring I'll pick Lewis.

John Henry Lewis was the reigning light heavyweight champion!

[overhand_right]

Marvis frazier comes to mind but he's such a nice guy I don't want to say his name so I'll think about someone else... there must be worse guys out there...

Whaaaa?

Marvis Frazier beat James Broad, Joe Bugner, Bonecrusher Smith, James Quick Tillis, Jose Ribalta, Bernard Benton and a still-competitive Phil Brown!

[overhand_right]

...and Jurgen Blin was not a title fight.

Jean-Pierre Coopmans got to be up there.

Lucien Rodriguez and probably one or two other Holmes victims.

Before anyone says Richard Dunn he does own a narrow decison over Roy Tiger Williams so clearly not useless.

[raylawpc]

Off of the top of my head...

Juergen Blin
Scott LeDoux
Billy Miske ( good fighter, but at the time he would probably be the worst)

Billy Miske was a very good fighter and a legitimate contender. Miske's final professional record was 45-3-3 with 34 wins by knockout and 52 no decision fights.

Everybody thinks that Dempsey fought a walking dead man when he accepted Miske's challenge. However, as I understand it, Miske had only been diagnosed with Bright's Disease not long before the fight. Billy lived three more years and went 21-1-1 before his death in 1924. In his last fight - two months before he died - he stopped Bill Brennan. In 1920, Miske was still a very formidable fighter.

[The Great John L]

Marvis frazier comes to mind but he's such a nice guy I don't want to say his name so I'll think about someone else... there must be worse guys out there...

Whaaaa?

Marvis Frazier beat James Broad, Joe Bugner, Bonecrusher Smith, James Quick Tillis, Jose Ribalta, Bernard Benton and a still-competitive Phil Brown!

Yep, he may be one of the most under-appreciated HWs of all time due to the manner in which he lost to two of the best HWs of all time.

[giacomino]

Pete Rademacher and Coopmans would be tops on my list.
Several Joe Louis defended against were pretty weak, including Jack Roper, who was 58-40 when they fought, and Tony Musto, a 5-7 heavyweight who had lost four of his previous six fights and finished with a 37-30 career record.
I remember at the time thinking Terry Daniels was a pretty lightweight opponent for Joe Frazier when he defended his title in 1972.

[hhaehre]

Off of the top of my head...

Juergen Blin
Scott LeDoux
Billy Miske ( good fighter, but at the time he would probably be the worst)

Billy Miske was a very good fighter and a legitimate contender. Miske's final professional record was 45-3-3 with 34 wins by knockout and 52 no decision fights.

Everybody thinks that Dempsey fought a walking dead man when he accepted Miske's challenge. However, as I understand it, Miske had only been diagnosed with Bright's Disease not long before the fight. Billy lived three more years and went 21-1-1 before his death in 1924. In his last fight - two months before he died - he stopped Bill Brennan. In 1920, Miske was still a very formidable fighter.

Probably the gutsiest performance ever. On his death bed a flat broke Miske fought Brennan so that he could buy his family presents for Christmas. Amazingly he even won the fight, a fight he was to sick to train for.

[Robinson]

I think if you stretch back to ye goode old days, and you will see
some guys mentioned above like Jewey Smith or Walker who did
not deserve a shot at all.

Rademacher is a non entity as a pro, but his ama background
and gold medal was solid, but was it more deserving than some
other challengers who stepped into the ring ?

I think the criticism of some of Ali and Holmes opponents like
ledoux, coopman and so on is fair, but they are certainly not
top 3, and at best at the time they were quasi contenders.
Better than some of the men that Burns faced...

Frazier was a good fighter, some what mis guided by his father,
his only losses were to two peak all time super men of the sport,
a fine ama background and some good wins as a pro. Rushed in
to a title shot against Holmes no doubt, the result however would
have almost been the same.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Buster Dou...oh, sh!t, wait D

I think I just made Chiricahua's head explode.

[dempseyfire]

John Henry Lewis's condition is over-stated; his eyesight was clearly failing but months before fighting Louis he had just beaten great light heavyweight Al Gainer and a few months before that KO'd Elmer Ray . . he clearly still had som stuff.

Marvis Frazier was a decent fighter, definitely not the worst.

James J. Walker would be up there but that's generally considered an exibition bout that was 'billed' as a title bout by the promoters looking to make some extra dough.

Peter Rademacher was a solid fighter, as was Tony Musto and Terry Daniels. Even the glass jawed Jack Roper had decent offensive skills and was a pretty hard hitter. Too many people are going on records too much.

I'd say Coopman, Wepner, and perhaps Tom McNeely would make my top 3. I've never seen the Rudi Lubbers fight, but at least he beat Coopman!

[hhaehre]

John Henry Lewis's condition is over-stated; his eyesight was clearly failing but months before fighting Louis he had just beaten great light heavyweight Al Gainer and a few months before that KO'd Elmer Ray . . he clearly still had som stuff.

Marvis Frazier was a decent fighter, definitely not the worst.

James J. Walker would be up there but that's generally considered an exibition bout that was 'billed' as a title bout by the promoters looking to make some extra dough.

Peter Rademacher was a solid fighter, as was Tony Musto and Terry Daniels. Even the glass jawed Jack Roper had decent offensive skills and was a pretty hard hitter. Too many people are going on records too much.

I'd say Coopman, Wepner, and perhaps Tom McNeely would make my top 3. I've never seen the Rudi Lubbers fight, but at least he beat Coopman!

Lubbers was in the same league as Coopman but both of them would probably have beaten Wepner. Rademacher must have been put on the list because he fought for the title in his first pro-fight but he really could fight and the amateur scene was very different back in the day. Rademacher would have beaten Coopman and Wepner on the same night.

Daniels in my opinion is close to making the list. Although he had a decent record on paper when he fought Frazier he had beaten no one of any note and as his wife put it "you don't enter a beetle in the Indianapolis 500".

[overhand_right]

Neither Rudi Lubbers or Jurgen Blin challenged anyone for the world title, gents.

[yancey]

deleted.

[iwz678]

tony thompson who fought wlad last year has to be one, the guy was horrendous.

[BoxBuzz]

Neither Rudi Lubbers or Jurgen Blin challenged anyone for the world title, gents.

To the media frenzied goose stepping, tune marching, bellicose and over imaginitive "ALI SHILLS" ANY fight with this man was a "championship fight". Maybe someone will now tell us how the great "CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT" fight went with Tunney Hunsaker at Freedom Hall in Louisiville. LOL

Pathetic garbage.....



(Someone needs to step in when granberry is incapacitated) Howd' I do?

[raylawpc]

John Henry Lewis's condition is over-stated; his eyesight was clearly failing but months before fighting Louis he had just beaten great light heavyweight Al Gainer and a few months before that KO'd Elmer Ray . . he clearly still had som stuff.

Marvis Frazier was a decent fighter, definitely not the worst.

James J. Walker would be up there but that's generally considered an exibition bout that was 'billed' as a title bout by the promoters looking to make some extra dough.

Peter Rademacher was a solid fighter, as was Tony Musto and Terry Daniels. Even the glass jawed Jack Roper had decent offensive skills and was a pretty hard hitter. Too many people are going on records too much.

I'd say Coopman, Wepner, and perhaps Tom McNeely would make my top 3. I've never seen the Rudi Lubbers fight, but at least he beat Coopman!

Lubbers was in the same league as Coopman but both of them would probably have beaten Wepner. Rademacher must have been put on the list because he fought for the title in his first pro-fight but he really could fight and the amateur scene was very different back in the day. Rademacher would have beaten Coopman and Wepner on the same night.

Daniels in my opinion is close to making the list. Although he had a decent record on paper when he fought Frazier he had beaten no one of any note and as his wife put it "you don't enter a beetle in the Indianapolis 500".

It was actually Ron Stander's wife Darlene who famously said of her husband's fight with Joe Frazier, "You don't take a Volkswagen into the Indianapolis 500 unless you know a short-cut."

[BoxBuzz]

John Henry Lewis's condition is over-stated; his eyesight was clearly failing but months before fighting Louis he had just beaten great light heavyweight Al Gainer and a few months before that KO'd Elmer Ray . . he clearly still had som stuff.

Marvis Frazier was a decent fighter, definitely not the worst.

James J. Walker would be up there but that's generally considered an exibition bout that was 'billed' as a title bout by the promoters looking to make some extra dough.

Peter Rademacher was a solid fighter, as was Tony Musto and Terry Daniels. Even the glass jawed Jack Roper had decent offensive skills and was a pretty hard hitter. Too many people are going on records too much.

I'd say Coopman, Wepner, and perhaps Tom McNeely would make my top 3. I've never seen the Rudi Lubbers fight, but at least he beat Coopman!

Lubbers was in the same league as Coopman but both of them would probably have beaten Wepner. Rademacher must have been put on the list because he fought for the title in his first pro-fight but he really could fight and the amateur scene was very different back in the day. Rademacher would have beaten Coopman and Wepner on the same night.

Daniels in my opinion is close to making the list. Although he had a decent record on paper when he fought Frazier he had beaten no one of any note and as his wife put it "you don't enter a beetle in the Indianapolis 500".

It was actually Ron Stander's wife Darlene who famously said of her husband's fight with Joe Frazier, "You don't take a Volkswagen into the Indianapolis 500 unless you know a short-cut."

One of the funniest statements ever in boxing history!