Assemble Your Best Men For The Job...

[Goodnight, Irene]

Here's the scenario...

Pick, in your mind, the best man from Light-Heavyweight to do the job at hand --- beat an all-time great Heavyweight. You can pick Light-Heavies who went on to have prominent Heavy careers, but for this fight, they will only be in their Light-Heavy form. You don't have to consider them a favourite, just who you think has the best shot at getting it done.

Here are the targets...

Mike Tyson
Joe Frazier
George Foreman
Sonny Liston
Muhammad Ali
Evander Holyfield

[dempseyfire]

So you mean pick a light HW who we think could beat each of those HWs??

I'd favor a few ATG light HWs to beat Holyfield (notably Moore, Lewis and Johnson) as Evander lacks the natural size/bulk of the other men listed and was vulnerable to slick boxers, a style he often didn't have to deal with fighting the HWs of the 90s.

These I'd say have the best shot but I would not favor the smaller men in these matchups:

Loughran vs Foreman and Liston

Langford vs Ali and Frazier

Moore vs Tyson . . perhaps Rosenbloom could catch Mike on an off-night as well.

[Robinson]

In LHW form...at their BEST.

I would pick Harold Johnson, Roy Jones jr, Ezzard Charles
or Archie Moore.

Tyson
They would struggle Tyson, and would need a lot of speed
and movement to last and go for the decision.

Frazier
I can see all four surviving with Frazier and having their
moments. I doubt that they would win as such but I think
speed and alot of movement is the key here. Though I can
not imagine any of my above four lasting 12-spam of
wear and tear.

Foreman
I can see some interesting outcomes here. Foreman could
be out paced and avoided, but the trouble is what happens
when he gets his big paws on one of these guys. I see RJJ,
Charles having a better shot here than say Johnson and Moore,
mostly because RJJ and EC are less prone to taking or blocking
shots in their game.

Liston
Many thought Johnson would beat Liston had they fought each
other. I am inclined to suggest that all four LHWs above would
have a good chance against Liston, and by good I mean better
than any others listed. Sure he has reach, top jab, range and
power but I do not think that this is enough against these guys.
Liston is certainly the favourite, but I can see him dropping a
close decision against an evasive and busy foe, presented by
those above.

Ali
I think Ali struggles with smaller movers with 'better' skills than
him. Now having said that Ali could also fight 'big' and when he
did this, he was able to use his weight well in the clinch, take
blows he needed to in order to dig his own toes in and land those
blows. I know its not popular to suggest Ali could lose a fight,
but I dare allude to the concept that he would perhaps drop a
decision PERHAPS to atleast one of these men.

Holyfield
The young recently HW Holy had good speed, and frequency
and I doubt that these guys would hurt him, but besides the
Frazier match up I think Holy provides the most exciting meeting
with any of the above.
I can see Holy beating all four of these guys, but I also see him
being troubled by them. I see Moore setting nice traps. I see
Johnson and Charles being slick and clever counter fighters and
I see RJJ being elusive. I do favour Holy over the four, but I also
can envision one or more of these guys getting a decision.


I think Michael Moore and Michael Spinks would be interesting
match ups with these guys under the same conditions, though I
do not favour them. I do see them providing difficult resistance
to the bigger men.

[Jaywheel]

I think Michael Moore and Michael Spinks...

Not so sure...

[Ezzard]

I’d pick Tunney.

He’d have a great chance with Foreman and Liston who both struggled with defensive boxers. Ali similarly didn’t like defensive fighters.

Not saying he’d beat them but I feel he’d have the best chance. He had the defence and the chin.

Charles would also have a great chance.

I can’t see them beating Frazier or Tyson though as these two tended to like chasing down their prey.

[Robinson]

I think Michael Moore and Michael Spinks...

Not so sure...

Did you not read the rest of what I wrote?

[Jaywheel]

I think Michael Moore and Michael Spinks...

Not so sure...

Did you not read the rest of what I wrote?

Of course, not calling you a loser, just calling you on the typo, didn't you mean Michael Moorer?

[Jaywheel]

Also, Tunney and Charles would probably be my picks, but I don't give them much of a shot. Those are solid HW's listed there.

[yancey]

In LHW form...at their BEST.

I would pick Harold Johnson, Roy Jones jr, Ezzard Charles
or Archie Moore.

Tyson
They would struggle Tyson, and would need a lot of speed
and movement to last and go for the decision.

Frazier
I can see all four surviving with Frazier and having their
moments. I doubt that they would win as such but I think
speed and alot of movement is the key here. Though I can
not imagine any of my above four lasting 12-spam of
wear and tear.

Foreman
I can see some interesting outcomes here. Foreman could
be out paced and avoided, but the trouble is what happens
when he gets his big paws on one of these guys. I see RJJ,
Charles having a better shot here than say Johnson and Moore,
mostly because RJJ and EC are less prone to taking or blocking
shots in their game.

Liston
Many thought Johnson would beat Liston had they fought each
other. I am inclined to suggest that all four LHWs above would
have a good chance against Liston, and by good I mean better
than any others listed. Sure he has reach, top jab, range and
power but I do not think that this is enough against these guys.
Liston is certainly the favourite, but I can see him dropping a
close decision against an evasive and busy foe, presented by
those above.

Ali
I think Ali struggles with smaller movers with 'better' skills than
him. Now having said that Ali could also fight 'big' and when he
did this, he was able to use his weight well in the clinch, take
blows he needed to in order to dig his own toes in and land those
blows. I know its not popular to suggest Ali could lose a fight,
but I dare allude to the concept that he would perhaps drop a
decision PERHAPS to atleast one of these men.

Holyfield
The young recently HW Holy had good speed, and frequency
and I doubt that these guys would hurt him, but besides the
Frazier match up I think Holy provides the most exciting meeting
with any of the above.
I can see Holy beating all four of these guys, but I also see him
being troubled by them. I see Moore setting nice traps. I see
Johnson and Charles being slick and clever counter fighters and
I see RJJ being elusive. I do favour Holy over the four, but I also
can envision one or more of these guys getting a decision.


I think Michael Moore and Michael Spinks would be interesting
match ups with these guys under the same conditions, though I
do not favour them. I do see them providing difficult resistance
to the bigger men.

delete.

[yancey]

"I can’t see them beating Frazier or Tyson though as these two tended to like chasing down their prey." Ezzard


Absolutely correct.

The Tunneys, Johnson, etc actually would stand a better chance against the Foreman types rather than someone prepared to hunt them down and force them to fight three minutes every round. That latter type would exhaust them and break them down, with not a pretty ending.

[BoxBuzz]

I'm not sure about those match ups. But I would pick Michael Spinks to face Larry Holmes.

and Gene Tunney to face Jack Dempsey.


....oops never mind.....those already happened.

I need to pay more attention to detail.

OK...I'd send Moorer to face Holyfield.

...damn did it again.

[HomicideHenry]

Tunney, Charles, Conn, Langford could do the job

[Robinson]

I think Michael Moore and Michael Spinks...

Not so sure...

This is how much of a retard I am :)

I did not even pick up on my spelling mistake ! haha so I think
the big L on my head is very apt.

Sorry mate :)

[Robinson]

"I can’t see them beating Frazier or Tyson though as these two tended to like chasing down their prey." Ezzard


Absolutely correct.

The Tunneys, Johnson, etc actually would stand a better chance against the Foreman types rather than someone prepared to hunt them down and force them to fight three minutes every round. That latter type would exhaust them and break them down, with not a pretty ending.

I think a slick guy who can move and roll under shots, like say a Toney, Moore, LHW Patterson,
etc would do well early against these big thumpers...but attrition being what it is will take its
toll... they will slow and blows will get through.

Just as runners do get flat feet, so would these clever defence-counter guys slow up. But while
they are looking good and moving well it would be entertaining and impressive. But the end
will be an almost absolute.

[Crease]

This is hard.