BOTP Heavyweight Top 20

[cfang]

Jefferies advances............


Next match............ Tunney vs. Holyfield

EH by 15 un dec

This would be an incredible fight at cruiser and id favour tunney but a roided up, heavy holy from the early 90s would be just too strong - Holy ko9

[PredatorHayds]

Holyfield UD. Better workrate.

[witherspoon]

I'm going to go against the flow here and pick Tunney by SD.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- I see yet another tourney with no set of rules or ring conditions specified, meaning the eras span from a 40 rd, 4 oz gloves at high noon in July with no mouthguard era to a 12 rd, 12 oz gloves in climate controlled arenas with substantial mouthguards and protective belts as emergency services stand on alert.

An appropriate compromise would be a guaranteed neutral sites, 20' ring, modern mouthguards and protective belts, and the fighter's choice of 6 or 8 oz gloves. Fighters can draw straws to select either 13 or 15 rounds. All fights should be in climate controlled arenas during foul conditions with no smoking, and outdoors under fair conditions with a big tent over the ring to factor out any other weather related conditions.

The obvious 8 favs to clear out the 12 of the chaff are Louis, Ali, Foreman, Lewis, Dempsey, Wlad, Vitali, Tyson. If you'll notice, all are sluggers save Ali as are most all of IBRO greats. Disclaimer if prime Ali fought the undefeated Frazier. He'd lose again and every time in that Frazier was just stylistically too difficult, too well trained, and too well motivated for him.

You can bet the usual dummkopfs will match up their favs in their best fight against their most hated in his worst fights, but in Valhalla, all these fights have already occurred under fair rules and conditions. Of course modern dummkopfs tend toward atheism, so they're pretty much limited to the banal TUE era with MGM officiating. At any rate, I'd pick my other 7 at their worst to beat any version of the Evangelista/Ali forward to his retirement if we want to go worst to worst route.

I'd generally favor prime Tyson with his original HOF team behind him, not the drugged, mentally deranged, Don King bankrupted version that his critics love to pillory as if they were so superior that they could handle being the most unified champion of the modern ABC era at age 23, 10-0, 8 KO title record after having barely lost a round on top holding the career pur$e record at that time that he only added on to later. Vitali, Wlad, and Louis had even longer runs of KTFO steadiness. Fact is any of my top 8 could beat one of the others in randomly picked match ups. Anyone claiming that they actually know who would win such an impossible tourney has been addled by too many boxing games marketed to goofs.

Remember, Rocky was the first computer champ and still undefeated, so there it is.

=========

[HomicideHenry]

Holyfield advances......

Next match...... Vitali Klitschko vs. Jack Johnson

[elmersalsa]

Holyfield advances......

Next match...... Vitali Klitschko vs. Jack Johnson

This could be a brutal fight. Vitaly might win because of the big weight and height advantage.

[PredatorHayds]

Jack Johnson dances around him and outboxes him.

[gilgamesh]

Jack Johnson dances around him and outboxes him.

Jack Johnson wouldn't have danced around anybody. Outboxed somebody maybe, but dancing around 'em no.

[davie]

Although inclined to rely more on resume than ability and physical attribute, I'll be a hypocrite on this one and say Vitali is far too big for Johnson.

No matter either mans achievement or a comparison of the level of opponent faced I just can't see how a 6' man who weighed 205 in his prime gets a glove on someone like Vitali who knew how to use his 6'7" frame 79" reach, 250lb frame and relentless power to such good effect

[witherspoon]

From what I know of Johnson much of his defensive technique depended on physical strength as much as his reflexes, and his stamina is going to be tested to its limit when he tries to manhandle Vitali for 15 rounds.

I don't think he's too small to compete with Klitschko, I just think that his style will always make this enough of a contest of brute strength to favour Vitali.

I'll take Klitschko, reluctantly.

[HomicideHenry]

Vitali Klitschko advances......


Next match..... Mike Tyson vs Larry Holmes (prime against prime)

[PredatorHayds]

Tyson lost to everyone with a good jab.
Holmes by late stoppage maybe even DQ

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Vitali couldn't hit Kevin Johnson. Jack by wide dec

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Oops, Holmes tko

[witherspoon]

Holmes pts.
Just once, I would like to see Iron Mike served by his pretty good chin and not suffer a total mental melt-down the second he gets whacked on the kisser.

This could be a total beat-down ala Buster Douglas, or a close, exciting fight with Larry boxing his way to a points win over the stretch. I'm not quite decided on which scenario will play out.

[HomicideHenry]

Holmes advances.....


Next Fight...... Rocky Marciano vs. Vladimir Klitschko

[davie]

Holmes advances.....


Next Fight...... Rocky Marciano vs. Vladimir Klitschko

For the same reasons I gave last round.
Wlad.

I'm quite dissapointed I've just eliminated 2 ATGs because the Klitschkos were bigger. But I can't make a case for anything else
7 inches is just too much to overcome

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Marciano by ko, he won't let wlad hold him inside. True in fighter and the vast height edge for wlad could be a disadvantage.

[witherspoon]

I'll say this for the Rock, dude was pretty well connected, and I think his 'friends' would find a way to slip some obscure substance into Wlads water bottle which would mimic the effects of low blood sugar and leave Wlad totally spent after 4 rounds.

So Wlad by dq.

[PredatorHayds]

The rock by KO.

[HyacinthusTurnipseed]

Marciano KO.

Is this a league or a knockout tournament BTW? We're going to end up with an odd number of fights in a couple of rounds but I just wondered as you're saying "Holmes advances" and "Vitali advances" as if Tyson and Johnson have been eliminated.

[HomicideHenry]

Marciano KO.

Is this a league or a knockout tournament BTW? We're going to end up with an odd number of fights in a couple of rounds but I just wondered as you're saying "Holmes advances" and "Vitali advances" as if Tyson and Johnson have been eliminated.

How it works is, once all the first round bouts are completed, the 1-0's will fight each other and the 0-0's will fight eachother. Basically, the rankings will be determined upon three or so rounds or matchmaking based on records. It will be broken up among the 3-0's, 2-1's, 1-2's, 0-3's. Then of course, possibly, a small round tourney to determine who ends up with a final win/loss. That way, the forum posters truly have determined the overall worth/ranking of the fighters. Hope that makes sense.


Marciano advances....


Next match.... Joe Louis vs Lennox Lewis

[HomicideHenry]

Winners of The First Round Matches (Thus Far)

Max Schmeling, Jersey Joe Walcott, James J. Jefferies, Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko, Larry Holmes, Rocky Marciano


Losers of The First Round Matches (Thus Far)

Floyd Patterson, Max Baer, Tim Witherspoon, Gene Tunney, Jack Johnson, Mike Tyson, Vladimir Klitschko

[HyacinthusTurnipseed]

Marciano KO.

Is this a league or a knockout tournament BTW? We're going to end up with an odd number of fights in a couple of rounds but I just wondered as you're saying "Holmes advances" and "Vitali advances" as if Tyson and Johnson have been eliminated.

How it works is, once all the first round bouts are completed, the 1-0's will fight each other and the 0-0's will fight eachother. Basically, the rankings will be determined upon three or so rounds or matchmaking based on records. It will be broken up among the 3-0's, 2-1's, 1-2's, 0-3's. Then of course, possibly, a small round tourney to determine who ends up with a final win/loss. That way, the forum posters truly have determined the overall worth/ranking of the fighters. Hope that makes sense.


Marciano advances....


Next match.... Joe Louis vs Lennox Lewis

I don't quite follow I must admit, but so long as you know what you're doing I'm sure I'll pick it up in time.

Though if you match the 1-0's against each other and the 0-1's against each other, won't you end up with five 2-0's, ten 1-1's and five 0-2's?

Anyway, Louis KO I think.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Louis by ko