What heavyweight champ had the toughest winning defences?

[Controversial]

Louis, Ali and Holmes all had their fair share of easy defences but what champ do you think had the toughest opposition overall?

Successful defences only.

[SamWise72]

Buster Douglas his title reign was against 100% legends.

[Controversial]

Lennox "The Lion" Lewis
================

First pro fight aged: 23 years 9 months
Age first won world title: 27 years 1 month
Last pro fight aged: 37 years 9 months

Final record: 41(32)-2(2)-1

14 title defences: 13(9)-0-1

How many of the 14 opponents held a world title at some point in their career: 5*

Combined records of challengers: 492(401)-21-3
Three undefeated challengers: Akinwande, Mavrovic and Grant
Average age of challenger: 31 years 3 months
Average weight of challenger: 232.9lbs
Lewis average weight in title fight: 243.6lbs (lowest 229lbs / highest 256.5lbs)
What challenger had the most fights: Mike Tyson (52 fights)
What challenger had the least fights: Zeljko Mavrovic (27 fights)
Oldest challenger: Evander Holyfield (aged 37)
Youngest challenger: Shannon Briggs (aged 26 and 3 months)
Lightest challenger: Zeljko Mavrovic (214.25lbs)
Heaviest challenger: Michael Grant (250lbs)
What challenger had the longest unbeaten run going into title fight: Henry Akinwande (33 fights)
How many were championship rematches: 1 (Holyfield)


=======================================================================================================================
Date of fight (age of Lewis).....Result.........Opponent............................Opponent record......Opponent age.....................Lewis / Op. weight......Op last defeat................Op record after loss
=======================================================================================================================

8th May 1993 (27yr 8mth)......WUD 12......Tony Tucker*..........................48(39)-1...............aged 34 and 4 months........235lb / 235lb........unbeaten in 14 fights............ 9(8)-5

1st Oct 1993 (28)..................WTKO 7......Frank Bruno*.........................36(35)-3................aged 31 and 10 months......229lb / 238lb........unbeaten in 4 fights...............4(3)-1

6th May 1994 (28yr 8mth)......WTKO 8......Phil Jackson.........................30(27)-1................aged 29 years 11 months.....235lb / 218lb.........unbeaten in 5 fights...............14(11)-11

12th July 1997 (31yr 10mth).. WDQ 5.......Henry Akinwande..................32(21)-0-1............aged 31 years 9 months........242lb / 237.5lb......unbeaten in 33 fights..............18(11)-3

4th Oct 1997 (32yr 1mth)......WKO 1........Andrew Golota......................28(25)-2...............aged 29 years 8 months........244lb / 244lb........unbeaten in 0 fights.................13(8)-6-1

28th Mar 1998 (32yr 6mth)....WTKO 5......Shannon Briggs....................30(24)-1...............aged 26 years 3 months.........243lb / 228lb........unbeaten in 5 fights................ 21(21)-4-1

26th Sept 1998 (33yr)...........WUD 12......Zeljko Mavrovic....................27(22)-0...............aged 29 years 7 months........243lb / 214.25lb....unbeaten in 27 fights.............. RETIRED

13th Mar 1999 (33yr 6mth)....D 12.........Evander Holyfield*..................36(26)-3...............aged 36 years 4 months........245lb / 215lb........unbeaten in 5 fights................ 8(5)-7-1

13th Nov 1999 (34yr 2mth)...WUD 12.....Evander Holyfield*..................36(26)-3-1............aged 37 years.......................242lb / 217lb........unbeaten in 6 fights................. 8(5)-6-1

29th Apr 2000 (34yr 7mth).....WKO 2........Michael Grant.......................31(24)-0...............aged 27 years 8 months........247lb / 250lb........unbeaten in 31 fights............... 17(14)-4

15th July 2000 (34yr 10mth)...WTKO 2......Frans Botha.........................40(25)-2-1............aged 31 years 9 months.........250lb / 237lb........unbeaten in 2 fights................. 8(4)-7-2

11th Nov 2000 (35yr 2mth).....WUD 12......David Tua............................37(32)-1...............aged 27 years 11 months.......249lb / 245lb........unbeaten in 10 fights...............15(11)-3-2

8th June 2002 (36yr 9mth)......WKO 8........Mike Tyson*..........................49(44)-3...............aged 35 years 11 months.....249.25lb / 234lb........unbeaten in 6 fights............. 1(1)-2

21st June 2003 (37yr 9mth).....WTKO 6......Vitali Klitschko*.....................32(31)-1...............aged 31 years 11 months.....256.5lb / 248lb........unbeaten in 5 fights.............. 13(10)-0

Each fight lasted on average 7.4 rounds.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Holyfield

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I missed the part about successful defenses. That pretty much rules out Ali. I'd have to go with Louis. Though Evander still would have Tyson, Lewis, Foreman, Holmes & Moorer.

[BoxBuzz]

Holyfield

If so.....then Buster Douglas may actually be the correct answer.

[BoxBuzz]

I missed the part about successful defenses. That pretty much rules out Ali & Evander. Pretty much would have to be Louis.

Ahhh....perspective regained I see.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I missed the part about successful defenses. That pretty much rules out Ali & Evander. Pretty much would have to be Louis.

Ahhh....perspective regained I see.

I just missed the successful part. Strictly opposition for defenses would be a clear path for the 'Real Deal'.

[Controversial]

Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield
=====================

First pro fight aged: 22 years 0 months
Age first won HW world title: 28 years
Last pro fight aged: 48 years 6 months

Final record: 44(29)-10(2)-2

7 heavyweight title defences: 7(4)-0-1

How many of the 7 opponents held a world title at some point in their career: 5*

Combined records of opposition 298(251)-17
Undefeated challengers: 0
Average age of challenger: 32 years 4 months
Average age of challenger: 231.7lbs
Holyfield average weight: 213lbs (lowest 208bs / highest 218lbs)
What challenger had the most fights: George Foreman (71 fights)
What challenger had the least fights: Vaughn Bean (32 fights)
Oldest challenger: Larry Holmes (42 and 7 months)
Youngest challenger: Vaughn Bean (24 years)
What challenger had the longest unbeaten run going into title fight: George Foreman (24 fights)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19th April 1991......WUD 12....George Foreman*...........69(65)-2...........aged 42 and 3 months..........208lbs / 257lbs.........unbeaten in 24 fights......record after loss 7(3)-2

23rd Nov 1991.......WTKO 7....Bert Cooper..................26(23)-7...........aged 25 and 10 months........210lbs / 215lbs.........unbeaten in 4 fights........record after loss 12(8)-17

19th June 1992......WUD 12....Larry Holmes*................54(37)-3 ..........aged 42 and 7 months..........210lbs / 233lbs.........unbeaten in 6 fights........record after loss 15(7)-2

28th June 1997......WDQ 3......Mike Tyson*...................45(40)-2...........aged 30 and 11 months........218lbs / 218lbs.........unbeaten in 0 fights.........record after loss 5(5)-3

8th Nov 1997.........WRTD 8....Michael Moorer*..............39(31)-1...........aged 29 and 11 months........214lbs / 223lbs.........unbeaten in 4 fights.........record after loss 13(9)-2-1

19th Sept 1998......WUD 12....Vaughn Bean................31(26)-1............aged 24..............................217lbs / 231lbs........unbeaten in 4 fights.........record after loss 14(10)-4

13th Mar 1999........D 12........Lennox Lewis*................34(29)-1............aged 33 and 6 months..........215lbs / 245lbs.........unbeaten in 9 fights........record after loss 7(5)-1

Each fight lasted on average 9.4 rounds.

[Controversial]

Muhammed "The Greatest" Ali
===================

First pro fight aged: 18 years 9 months
Age first won world title: 22 years 4 months
Last pro fight aged: 39 years 10 months

Final record: 56(37)-5(1)

19 title defences: 19(12)-0

How many of the 19 opponents held a world title at some point in their career: 5*

Combined records of opposition 729(485)-103-19
Undefeated challengers: 0
Average age of opposition: 30 years 6 months
Average weight of opposition: 210.5lbs
Ali average weight:
What challenger had the most fights: Zora Folley (85 fights)
What challenger had the least fights: Alfredo Evangelista (16 fights)
Oldest challenger: Chuck Wepner (aged 36)
Youngest challenger: Alfredo Evangelista (22 and 5 months)
What opponent had the longest unbeaten run going into title fight? Karl Mildenberger (22 fights)

=======================================================================================================================
Date of fight........Result.........Opponent............................Opponent record......Opponent age.................Ali / Op. weight............Op last defeat................Opponent record after loss
=======================================================================================================================

25th May 1965......WKO 1.........Sonny Liston*......................35(25)-2............aged 34 and 10 months........215.25lbs.......unbeaten in 0 fights...................15(14)-1

22nd Nov 1965......WTKO 12.....Floyd Patterson*..................43(32)-4............aged 30 and 10 months........196.75lbs.......unbeaten in 5 fights................... 12(8)-3-1

29th Mar 1966.......WUD 15......George Chuvalo..................34(27)-11-2.......aged 28 and 6 months..........216lbs............unbeaten in 0 fights......................39(37)-6

21st May 1966.......WTKO 6......Henry Cooper.....................33(24)-11-1.......aged 32..............................188lbs............unbeaten in 2 fights.......................7(5)-2

6th Aug 1966.........WKO 3........Brian London.....................35(27)-13..........aged 32 and 1 month............201.5lbs........unbeaten in 1 fight.........................2(0)-6-1

10th Sep 1966.......WTKO 12.....Karl Mildenberger...............49(17)-2-3.........aged 28 and 9 months..........195lbs............unbeaten in 22 fights.....................4(2)-3

14th Nov 1966.......WTKO 3......Cleveland Williams..............65(52)-5-1.........aged 33 and 4 months..........210.5lbs.........unbeaten in 9 fights......................13(7)-7

6th Feb 1967.........WUD 15......Ernie Terrell*.......................39(18)-4............aged 27 and 10 months.........212.5lbs.........unbeaten in 15 fights...................7(3)-4

22nd Mar 1967.......WKO 7........Zora Folley........................74(40)-7-4.........aged 35 and 11 months........202.5lbs.........unbeaten in 12 fights......................5(4)-3-2

24th Mar 1975........WTKO 15....Chuck Wepner....................30(12)-9-2.........aged 36..............................225lbs............unbeaten in 8 fights...................... 5(5)-4

16th May 1975.......WTKO 11.....Ron Lyle........................... 30(21)-2-1.........aged 34 and 3 months..........219lbs............unbeaten in 0 fights..................... 13(10)-4

30th Jun 1975........WUD 15......Joe Bugner.........................51(32)-6-1.........aged 25 and 3 months..........230lbs............unbeaten in 8 fights......................18(11)-6

1st Oct 1975..........WRTD 14.....Joe Frazier*.........................32(27)-2............aged 31 and 8 months...........215.5lbs.........unbeaten in 2 fights................... 0-1-1

20th Feb 1976........WKO 5........Jon-Pierre Coopman............24(16)-3............aged 29 and 7 months...........206lbs............unbeaten in 11 fights................... 12(7)-12-2

30th Apr 1976........WUD 15.......Jimmy Young.....................17(5)-4-2...........aged 27 and 5 months...........209lbs............unbeaten in 12 fights....................17(6)-14

24th May 1976........WTKO 5......Richard Dunn.....................33(17)-9............aged 31 and 4 months...........206.5lbs.........unbeaten in 7 fights......................0-2

28th Sep 1976........WUD 15......Ken Norton*.........................37(30)-3............aged 33 and 1 month.............217.5lbs.........unbeaten in 7 fights...................5(3)-3-1

16th May 1977........WUD 15......Alfredo Evangelista..............14(11)-1-1.........aged 22 and 5 months...........221.25lbs........unbeaten in 0 fights.....................47(32)-11-3

29th Sep 1977........WUD 15......Earnie Shavers....................54(52)-5-1.........aged 32...............................211.25lbs........unbeaten in 5 fights.................... 20(16)-8

Each fight lasted on average 10.5 rounds.

[Controversial]

"Iron" Mike Tyson
============

First pro fight aged: 18 years 8 months
Age first won world title: 20 years 4 months
Last pro fight aged: 38 years 11 months

Final record: 50(44)-6(5)-1 and 2 no contests

9 title defences: 9(7)-0

How many of the 9 opponents held a world title at some point in their career: 7*

Combined records of opposition: 244(195)-13-1
Three undefeated opponents: Tucker, Biggs and Spinks
Average age of opposition: 30 years 5 months
Average weight of opposition: 224.75lbs
Tyson average weight: 218lbs (lowest 215.75lbs / highest 221lbs)
What challenger had the most fights: Larry Holmes (50 fights)
What challenger had the least fights: Tyrell Biggs (15 fights)
Oldest challenger: Larry Holmes (38 and 2 months)
Youngest challenger: Tyrell Biggs (26 and 9 months)
What opponent had the longest unbeaten run going into title fight? Tony Tucker (34 fights)

=======================================================================================================================
Date of fight........Result.........Opponent............................Opponent record......Opponent age.................Tyson / Op. weight............Op last defeat................Op record after loss
=======================================================================================================================

7th Mar 1987.......WUD 12......James Smith*.....................19(14)-5.............aged 33 and 11 months........219lbs / 233lbs................unbeaten in 4 fights

30th May 1987 ....WTKO 6......Pinklon Thomas*.................29(24)-1-1..........aged 29 and 3 months..........218.75lbs / 217.75lbs.......unbeaten in 3 fights

1st Aug 1987.......WUD 12......Tony Tucker*.......................34(29)-0.............aged 28 and 7 months..........221lbs / 221lbs................unbeaten in 34 fights

16th Oct 1987......WTKO 7......Tyrell Biggs.......................15(10)-0.............aged 26 and 9 months...........216lbs / 228.75lbs............unbeaten in 15 fights

22nd Jan 1988.....WKO 4.......Larry Holmes*......................48(34)-2............aged 38 and 2 months...........215.75lbs / 225.75lbs......unbeaten in 0 fights

21st Mar 1988.....WTKO 2......Tony Tubbs*........................24(15)-1.............aged 30 and 1 month............216.25lbs / 238.25lbs......unbeaten in 3 fights

27th Jun 1988.....WKO 1........Michael Spinks*....................31(21)-0............aged 31 and 11 months........218.25lbs / 212.25lbs.......unbeaten in 31 fights

25th Feb 1989.....WTKO 5......Frank Bruno*......................32(31)-2..............aged 27 and 3 months..........218lbs / 228lbs................unbeaten in 4 fights

21st Jul 1989......WTKO 1.......Carl Williams.....................22(17)-2..............aged 29 and 8 months..........219.25lbs / 218lbs...........unbeaten in 5 fights

Each fight lasted on average 5.5 rounds.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Holyfield's successful 6 defences at HW were (combined records of opposition 264-16)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WUD 12 = George Foreman (69-2)
WTKO 7 = Bert Cooper (26-7)
WUD 12 = Larry Holmes (54-3)
WDQ 3 = Mike Tyson (45-2)
WRTD 8 = Michael Moorer (39-1)
WUD 12 = Vaughn Bean (31-1)

And Lennox Lewis.

[Controversial]

And Lennox Lewis.

Ah yeah he retained the WBA/IBF titles didn't he in the draw with Lewis, good spot.

[Bobbyptsd]

If we are talking about quality of successful defenses only, I'd go with Lewis.

Not to nitpick, but to be fair it's a bit misleading, as the title implies opposition in general.

[Bobbyptsd]

If we are talking about quality of successful defenses only, I'd go with Lewis.

Not to nitpick, but to be fair it's a bit misleading, as the title implies opposition in general.

The Subject is 'not' misleading.........It's right there in Black Letters.

At least you got #1 correct........

Here's some black letters for you, you goddamn nutjob:

Fvck off

[Giancarlo]

If we are talking about quality of successful defenses only, I'd go with Lewis.

Not to nitpick, but to be fair it's a bit misleading, as the title implies opposition in general.

The Subject is 'not' misleading.........It's right there in Black Letters.

At least you got #1 correct........

Here's some black letters for you, you goddamn nutjob:

Fvck off

He can't leave as he is banned from every other boxing forum.

He is here to stay as Buzzy's retarded pal.

[Bobbyptsd]

Apparently, but just hoping he might choose to leave of his own volition. He could find some kind of fan fiction forum, since that's basically what he does here anyway.

[BoxBuzz]

After all the explanations and revelations Il Duce has provided us, then

Ali is the inspiration for the movie "Being There".

It turns out that Ali IS the Chauncey Gardner of boxing.

[Bobbyptsd]

Please don't say Chauncey, the last thing we need is Kronk using the search function and winding up in here.

[Robinson]

Larry Holmes wins the title against Ken Norton in 1978.

Alfredo Evangelista. KO Round 7. Oct. 1978.
After going 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1977, Alfredo would go on to KO Jean Piere Coopman in the first round, as well as to string together ten straight wins with 8 stoppages amongst them. After the Holmes fight, he would go on to face Leon Spinks and Greg Page and lose to both of them, but he would also beat Renaldo Snipes and tough journeyman Terry Daniels.
1978 record 24-2

Ossie Ocasio. TKO Round 7. March 1979.
Prior to his Holmes fight, Ocasio had just won two decisions over the skilled boxer Jimmy Young who had recent wins over Ron Lyle and George Foreman. It was these two fights over Young which saw Ocasio face off against Holmes. After the Holmes bout Ocasio fought Michael Dokes to a draw, and in his older years would win decisions over Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Pierre Coetzer.
1979 record 13-0

Mike Weaver. TKO Round 12. June 1979.
The hard hitting Weaver had suffered a fistful of losses early in his career including a seventh round stoppage to Duane Bobbick, the man who had beaten Holmes for the Olympic trials in 1972. Leading up to the Holmes fight Weaver beat and lost to a few suspect opponents his best win was a points win over Pedro Lowel and a fifth round stoppage of Bernardo Mercado. After the Holmes fight Weaver would go on to win the WBA title by beating John Tate, and in defending this title he would defeat Gerrie Coezter in the 13th and win a decision over James Tillis. He would lose his title to Michael Dokes, only to re-match for it with a draw. After some more losses to better fighters, and a string of wins over journeymen, he would go on to KO Carl Williams inside two, and to beat Bert Cooper in 1993. Weaver would go onto face Holmes again when both men are well into there forties.
1979 record 19-8

Earnie Shavers. TKO Round 11. September 1979.
Holmes had already defeated the hard hitting Shavers on his way to the title, and granted the power puncher a title shot after Shavers had stopped Ken Norton inside round one. Prior to this Shavers had faced a who’s who list of top 1970s heavyweights, before his first Holmes loss, he had just gone 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali for the title. An always dangerous fighter, Shavers would go onto stop Joe Bugner in 1982 as well as lose some more fights and go onto demonstrate his power against lesser opponents.
1979 record 59-7-1

Lorenzo Zannon. KO Round 6. February 1980.
Leading up to the Holmes fight Zannon had suffered two losses to the likes of Jerry Quarry, who he out boxed until being KO’d and a loss to Ken Norton, giving Norton a tough fight until he was stopped. His best wins in this period was against Evangelista who he bested twice and against Italian fighter Peralta and journeyman Sandman. Zannon held a European title at the time of the Holmes fight. After the Holmes bout Zannon fought four more times with mixed results and would go on to retire soon after.
1980 record 25-4-2

Leroy Jones. TKO Round 8. March 1980.
A physically big man who at 6’5 and 255 lb posed a threat to most opponents Bringing to his professional career a good amateur background. Prior to his title challenge against Holmes, Jones had a near perfect record with just one draw against Pedro Lovell, his best wins were against Mike Weaver, John Dino Dennis and tough journeyman Jody Ballard. After his Holmes loss, he had one more fight and then retired due to an eye injury.
1980 record 24-0-1

Scott Ledoux. TKO Round 7. July 1980.
He gave Foreman a tough fight, in there brief but exciting bout, he managed to take Leon Spinks and Ken Norton to a draw. He faced top competition and was a competent contender, who would go on to fight for another three years with a 7-4 record over a mixed grade of opponents.
1980 record 26-8-4

Muhammad Ali. TKO Round 10. October 1980.
There is no dispute that the Ali that fought Holmes should have retired in 1978 with his win over Leon Spinks, but for whatever reason the former champ felt a need to return and the public who felt he was the true champion granted him another chance. Holmes though reluctantly stopped the legend in a one sided bout, that saw Ali not land a single punch it was to be Ali’s only stoppage defeat. After the Holmes fight Ali would have one more fight against Trevor Berbick and he would lose that as well.
1980 record 56-3

Trevor Berbick. UD 15. April 1981.
Berbick’s best performance immediately prior to his Holmes fight was a ninth round KO over John Tate, before that he had faced average opposition and suffered a loss to Bernardo Mercado. After his Holmes loss the big Jamaican would beat an elderly Ali, decision Greg Page, Mitch Green and Pinklon Thomas, as an older past his prime fighter he faced varying opponents with mixed results. Besides his win over Ali he is also best remembered for his stoppage loss against a prime Mike Tyson who stripped him of his WBC belt.
1981 record 18-1-1

Leon Spinks. TKO Round 3. June 1981.
The Olympic gold medalist had been catapulted into sports stardom due to his win over Ali in 1978, just seven fights into his pro career, he become heavyweight champion of the world. Before his second shot at the title against Holmes, he was stopped by the tough South African Gerrie Coetzee, thereafter he would stop Evagelista, Isaac and Mercardo, it was his namesake however that made him a credible contender. After his Holmes loss he fought at both Heavy and Cruiser weights with mixed results losing a good many of bouts to a mixed bag of fighters. His style was aggressive and awkward, but it was his heart and work ethic that saw him fail.
1981 record 10-2-2

Renaldo Snipes. TKO Round 11. November 1981.
The tricky Snipes leading up to his fight with Holmes had strung together a perfect record, with recent wins that included wins over Floyd Cummings, Eddie Mustaffa Muhammad and Gerrie Coetzee, these wins put him inline for a title shot. After giving Holmes a tough fight Snipes went on to suffer a cluster of losses to top fighters as well as journeymen, his best wins post Holmes were against Trevor Berbick and Johnny DuPlooy.
1981 record 22-0

Gerry Cooney. TKO Round 13. June 1982.
The great white hope, or hype whichever you view him as, Cooney in 1982 was a very real contender, who was well marketed and was able to land both men a grand pay day. Leading up to his showdown with Holmes, Cooney early on had cut his teeth with a stoppage over John Dino Dennis, and then in 1980 he stopped a still very effective Jimmy Young inside four, it was his first round stoppages of Norton and Lyle that landed the hard hitting Cooney a title shot. After his Holmes loss, Cooney strung a handful of stoppage wins only to himself be stopped by Michael Spinks, and in 1990 after a three year lay off he was stopped by the also returning George Foreman. Cooney had devastating power and before Holmes he had stopped all but four of his opponents. Many claim that Cooney peaked for the Holmes fight and proved that he would never regain the fire that had made him such a dangerous contender.
1982 record 25-0

Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb. UD 15. November 1982.
The match between these two caused great controversy as Holmes was able to completely dominate and win every round. Cobb was fresh off an eighth round stoppage of an always dangerous Earnie Shavers, and proved he could take punishment as well as dish it out. He then went on to lose two close split decisions to Ken Norton and Michael Dokes, in this fights he proved how tenacious a fighter he can be. After the Dokes loss he went on to string four straight wins together which included a decision victory over the tough contender Bernado Mercado. Cobb went on after the Holmes loss to beat Leon Spinks and lose a majortity decision to an up and coming Buster Douglas.
1982 record 21-2

Lucien Rodrigues. UD 12. March 1983.
The Frenchman brought with him the European Union title, as well as an international flavour to the world title, leading up to his Holmes title challenge Lucien had lost a decision to Dokes, after which he strung together eleven wins over European opponents including Evangelista. After the Holmes fight Lucien would fight in Europe with mixed outcomes, losing as many as he won.
1983 record 35-7-1

Tim Witherspoon. SD 12. May 1983.
Before his title challenge Witherspoon had defeated all of his opponents, most he had stopped with his powerful over hand right. It was his close decision over Renaldo Snipes which saw him gain a title shot, able to give Holmes a close fight Witherspoon would go on to defeat James Tillis, Greg Page, James Broad, James Smith, Frank Bruno, Tony Tubbs, Carl Williams, Jose Ribalta, and Jorge Luis Gonalez. He would win the WBC and WBA title on separate occasions and would fight on well into his silver years, still able to deliver a damaging blow with his over right.
1983 record 15-0

Scott Frank. TKO Round 5. September 1983.
The local tough guy, who brought a title fight to his home town, before his title challenge Frank’s best fights was a draw over Renaldo Snipes, a points win over journeyman legend Chuck Wepner, and a stoppage over tough guy Ron Stander. Other than that he had beaten all of his other opponents, this did him no good against Holmes who stopped him in five. After his Holmes loss, Frank retired and made two come backs one in 1987 and the other ten years later in 1997, he won both fights by stoppage.
1983 record 21-0-1

Marvis Frazier. TKO Round 1. November 1983.
The son of Smokin’ Joe Frazier was a talented amateur who under his father’s guidance became a solid pro. Leading up to his Holmes fight Marvis had an unblemished record with wins over Steve Zouski, James Broad and Joe Bugner, none of this did him any good against the prime Holmes who stopped him inside the first round. After his Holmes defeat Frazier put together a solid winning streak which included wins over James Tillis, Joes Ribalta and James Smith. This put him in sight of a Mike Tyson show down, where he was stopped inside of one round. After the Tyson loss, he had three more straight wins before retiring.
1983 record 10-0

James Smith. TKO Round 12. November 1984.
Bonecrusher Smith was on his way up when he challenged Holmes for the title, apart from a loss to James Broad in his first fight, Smith had strapped together 14 straight wins, which included a win over tough Briton Frank Bruno, it was this win that gave him credibility to face Holmes. After his loss to Holmes, Smith suffered three losses before he stuck together wins over Weaver, Bey and Witherspoon who he took the WBA strap from. This lead him into a show down with Tyson, who he managed to go the distance with in a one sided loss. Smith would go on to fight a variety of opponents and with a variety of results. Smith faced Holmes again in 1999, both men well beyond there best, it only took Holmes eight rounds in the rematch.
1984 record 14-1

David Bey. TKO Round 10. March 1985.
When he fought Holmes Bey was un-defeated and had won fights against Buster Douglas, who was five in his pro career while Bey was making his debut. His best win was against Greg Page which led him to a Holmes fight. After which he lost more than he won, settling in as a journeyman instead of a contender. Before turning Pro, Bey had an impressive amateur record which brought to the ring considerable experience on his part, considering his limited pro-record.
1985 record 14-0

Carl Williams. UD 15. May 1985.
When the Truth faced Holmes he was an un-beaten prospect with a lot of potential who had just come of wins over a list of sound journeymen, but it was his win over James Tillis that landed him the Holmes fight. After losing the decision to Holmes, he beat a handful of opponents including Bert Cooper and Trevor Berbick before facing Tyson for his title, where he was stopped inside of the first. After the Tyson loss he had an un-exceptional span of wins and losses.
1985 record 16-0.

The top fighters during his reign that he never got to fight, include Greg Page, Gerrie Coetzer, Jimmy Young, James Tillis, Frank Bruno, Tony Tucker and Tony Tubbs.

Holmes would go on to lose his title to the then undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion, Michael Spinks in a controversial, if not very close decision. The re-match left as much doubt to judging clarity. After which Holmes retired only to return three years later to face a prime Mike Tyson. After the Tyson loss he returned in 1991 with a comeback that lasted up until 2002. In his comeback 1991-2002 he went 21-3. Before his decision defeat to Michael Spinks in 1985, his record was an impeccable 48-0. Holmes faced every one that he could, often fighting fresh talent as they were on the way up or just as they were reaching a prime. He was an older man facing younger and hungry fighters.


In regards to Holmes.

There was an attempt to unify the WBA and WBC strap but politics prevented this fight between Holmes and Coetzee.

The challengers that Holmes was going to face that were top guys at the time Greg Page, James Tillis, Jimmy Young, John Tate, Tony Tucker, Tony Tubbs, Frank Bruno and Gerrie Coetzer all were elimanted by one of the guys that did go on to face Holmes.

Young loss twice to Ocasio. Ocasio faces Holmes.

Berbick had beaten Tate, which eliminated Tate, which gave Berbick the shot.

Snipes beat Gerrie Coetzee, which you could argue elminated Gerrie and put Snipes in line for Holmes.

I guess Cooney helped eliminate Young again.

Bonecrusher Smith's win over Bruno eliminated the Briton from facing Holmes and elevated Smiths status as challenger.

David Bey got his shot by beating Greg Page, which in turn eliminated Page from facing Holmes.

Carl Truth Williams beat James Tillis which got him his fight against Holmes, this in turn eliminated Tillis from facing Holmes.

Granted He did face some not so great guys, but when you fight that many challengers that often, as is the case of Louis, Burns and so on you do face some guys who are not all time greats.

[dempseyfire]

Ali or Louis should be #1. Lennox shouldn't even make top 3. Undefeated records mean diddly poo . .

[BoxBuzz]

Ali or Louis should be #1. Lennox shouldn't even make top 3. Undefeated records mean diddly poo . .

In my opinion....this statement is both accurate and succinct.

Despite some "bum runs", on their record, the overall efficacy of their HW opponent boxing roster, are nearly equivalent in relevancy and risk, on average...and second to none.

However, I love those wonderful yarns that Il Duce writes that highlight the "alternative timeline universe" aspects of boxing. Because the truth can get old and lacking in intrigue. Partly because it is so well documented. And of course later in the century so well filmed.

[Controversial]

I'm updating each one every so often so keep an eye on them if you are interested in any more stats.

[Controversial]

Larry "The Easton Assassin" Holmes
======================

First pro fight aged: 23 years 4 months
Age first won world title: 28 years 7 months
Last pro fight aged: 52 years 8 months

Final record: 69(44)-6(1)

20 title defences: 20(15)-0

How many of the 20 opponents held a world title at some point in their career: 7*

Combined records of opposition 466-45-14.....
Nine undefeated challengers: Ocasio, Jones, Snipes, Cooney, Witherspoon, Frank, Frazier, Bey and Williams
Average age of challengers:
Average weight of challengers: 217.4lbs
What opponent had the longest unbeaten run going into title fight? Gerry Cooney (25 fights)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10th Oct 1978............WKO 7.............Alfredo Evangelista.........23-2-1..............208.25lbs
23rd Mar 1979............WTKO 7...........Ossie Ocasio*.................13-0..................207lbs
22nd Jun 1979.............WTKO 12........Mike Weaver*..................19-8..................202lbs
28th Sep 1979............WTKO 11........ Earnie Shavers..............59-7-1................211lbs
3rd Feb 1980............WKO 6............ Lorenzo Zanon..............25-4-2..................215lbs
31st Mar 1980............WTKO 8.......... Leroy Jones..................24-0-1.................254.5lbs
7th Jul 1980.............WTKO 7...........Scott Ledoux.................26-8-4..................226lbs
2nd Oct 1980............WTKO 10.........Muhammad Ali*...............56-3....................217.5lbs
11th Apr 1981............WUD 15...........Trevor Berbick*...............18-1-1................215.5lbs
12th Jun 1981............WTKO 3...........Leon Spinks*..................10-2-2................200.25lbs
6th Nov 1981...........WTKO 11 .........Renaldo Snipes..............22-0.....................215.75lbs
11th Jun 1982............WTKO 13..........Gerry Cooney................25-0...................225.5lbs
26th Nov 1982............WUD 15...........Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb.........21-2...................234.25lbs
27th Mar 1983.............WUD 12..........Lucien Rodrigues...........35-7-1.................209lbs
20th May 1983............WSD 12..........Tim Witherspoon*............15-0....................219.5lbs
10th Sep 1983............WTKO 5...........Scott Frank...................21-0-1.................211.25lbs
25th Nov 1983............WTKO 1...........Marvis Frazier................10-0....................200lbs
9th Nov 1984............WTKO 12..........James Smith*................14-1.......................227lbs
19th Mar 1985.............WTKO 10.........David Bey....................14-0......................233.25lbs
20th May 1985.............WUD 15...........Carl Williams...............16-0.....................215lbs

Each fight lasted on average 10 rounds.

[BoxBuzz]

The purely objective info is great....the subjective is great when delivered from the mind or minds of balanced thinkers.

I really enjoy this thread.

Controversial....what are you distilling from this thus far?

It's clear that outside of Ali's pure run of luck, that the rest of this information can come in handy when formulating an opinion.

Will you do this for Joe Louis as well?

Some questions that are very worth reflecting on.

1. Does age matter and how much so when attempting to assess this in an objective format?
2. Does size matter.................................................................................................?
3. Do accumulated records matter..............................................................................?

I know that the answer is "yes", but the question is how much in each case? Lewis' defended against the heaviest of the bunch, Holmes against the accumulated best records, (Numbers wise) Tyson and Ali against the youngest ....how about that Duce? That surprised even me, especially after your hack job. Ali gets credit for defending against the greater assortment of genunine former or future "Champions". I do mean champions and not belt holders here.


Hey...it's plenty to think about....and I really appreciate this thread. Sort of a one of a kind no hogwash oasis in a minefield of doggy doo doo threads recently.

Good show contro!