Your ideal 2020 for the heavyweight division?

[jamesmcdonnell]

Don’t really care who beats who just don’t want to see guys waiting around for specific matchups, I’d like to see a years worth of fights involving Wilder, Fury, Ruiz, Joshua, Parker, Usyk and Whyte, maybe Joyce and Dubois sneaking into the picture at the latter end of the year (maybe against each other), also they’re all experienced enough now to jump straight back into a big fight if they lose rather than feck about with pointless gimmes, I know I’m asking for too much

Same here, don't give a toss, let's see the best fight the best. Simple as that.

[tiny_acres]

February Wilder vs Fury with a conclusive knock out ending.
July the winner of Joshua and Ruiz fighting the winner of Wilder vs Fury.
Whyte vs Usyk in July

Winner of Whyte Usyk fights the winner of
(Joshua-Ruiz) vs ( Wilder-fury)
Hopefully in November

But realistically I doubt any of the fights happen

[Tuan_Jim]

Be interesting to bump this in a year and see whether we were satisfied with 2020 or if it was another maddening 12 months.

[oogiebe]

Be interesting to bump this in a year and see whether we were satisfied with 2020 or if it was another maddening 12 months.

I hope someone remembers. It would be fun.

[littlepug]

Rose tinted specs stuff but in 91 these were some of the matchups we got,
Holyfield v Cooper
Holyfield v Foreman
Ruddock v Tyson 1
Ruddock v Tyson 2
Mercer v Diamiani
Mercer v Morrison
Lewis v Mason
Bowe v Seldon
Moorer v Stewart
Hope we appreciated it at the time !

[Tuan_Jim]

Rose tinted specs stuff but in 91 these were some of the matchups we got,
Holyfield v Cooper
Holyfield v Foreman
Ruddock v Tyson 1
Ruddock v Tyson 2
Mercer v Diamiani
Mercer v Morrison
Lewis v Mason
Bowe v Seldon
Moorer v Stewart
Hope we appreciated it at the time !

And we would have had Holyfield/Tyson but for a rib injury! What a great year 91 was.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Rose tinted specs stuff but in 91 these were some of the matchups we got,
Holyfield v Cooper
Holyfield v Foreman
Ruddock v Tyson 1
Ruddock v Tyson 2
Mercer v Diamiani
Mercer v Morrison
Lewis v Mason
Bowe v Seldon
Moorer v Stewart
Hope we appreciated it at the time !

Got to be said, Holyfield is definitely a guy who fought everyone, Fought all of his peers, Lewis, Bowe, and Tyson, and most of the contenders too. A fantastic fighter, overmatched physically in almost every bout at heavyweight, and still pulled off great wins.

I remember his first fight against Tyson, I was at my mates watching, jumping up and down on the sofa when Holy turned the crew, his ring entrance to fhat fight was something else. Or was it the second one?

[jamesmcdonnell]

Rose tinted specs stuff but in 91 these were some of the matchups we got,
Holyfield v Cooper
Holyfield v Foreman
Ruddock v Tyson 1
Ruddock v Tyson 2
Mercer v Diamiani
Mercer v Morrison
Lewis v Mason
Bowe v Seldon
Moorer v Stewart
Hope we appreciated it at the time !

And we would have had Holyfield/Tyson but for a rib injury! What a great year 91 was.

I always thought that had the fight happened at that time, Tyson might have done him.

[Tuan_Jim]

And we would have had Holyfield/Tyson but for a rib injury! What a great year 91 was.

I always thought that had the fight happened at that time, Tyson might have done him.

Difficult to say. It's one of the most mouth watering heavyweight combinations ever, like Bowe/Lewis in 93 and Bowe/Tyson in 96. It pains me these fights didn't happen, and Wilder/AJ and Fury/AJ could potentially be ones we have to debate forever because they didn't happen.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I always thought that had the fight happened at that time, Tyson might have done him.

Difficult to say. It's one of the most mouth watering heavyweight combinations ever, like Bowe/Lewis in 93 and Bowe/Tyson in 96. It pains me these fights didn't happen, and Wilder/AJ and Fury/AJ could potentially be ones we have to debate forever because they didn't happen.

I think prime Bowe would have done Tyson up like a kipper, big, tough, and a great inside game, Tyson despite his short stature, liked to fight from the ouside and close the distance, but once he was at close range, wasn't very good, Bowe had an amazing right uppercut and was very heavy handed. Holyfield was able to take his shots in the 1st two fights, but to be fair, would I think have lost the 2nd but for the fan man, which gave him time to recover.

I do rate Tyson, but he had some serious shortcomings, not least of which was the fact he never won a fight that turned against him.

[oogiebe]

Difficult to say. It's one of the most mouth watering heavyweight combinations ever, like Bowe/Lewis in 93 and Bowe/Tyson in 96. It pains me these fights didn't happen, and Wilder/AJ and Fury/AJ could potentially be ones we have to debate forever because they didn't happen.

I think prime Bowe would have done Tyson up like a kipper, big, tough, and a great inside game, Tyson despite his short stature, liked to fight from the ouside and close the distance, but once he was at close range, wasn't very good, Bowe had an amazing right uppercut and was very heavy handed. Holyfield was able to take his shots in the 1st two fights, but to be fair, would I think have lost the 2nd but for the fan man, which gave him time to recover.

I do rate Tyson, but he had some serious shortcomings, not least of which was the fact he never won a fight that turned against him.

Prime Bowe's inside fighting was so at odds with his size and length. Tyson had no inside game except clinching.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I think prime Bowe would have done Tyson up like a kipper, big, tough, and a great inside game, Tyson despite his short stature, liked to fight from the ouside and close the distance, but once he was at close range, wasn't very good, Bowe had an amazing right uppercut and was very heavy handed. Holyfield was able to take his shots in the 1st two fights, but to be fair, would I think have lost the 2nd but for the fan man, which gave him time to recover.

I do rate Tyson, but he had some serious shortcomings, not least of which was the fact he never won a fight that turned against him.

Prime Bowe's inside fighting was so at odds with his size and length. Tyson had no inside game except clinching.

Agreed, he wasn't built for it, but he excelled at it, that's why holy had so much trouble with him, up close, he got bullied.

[margaret thatcher]

Are tall guys not built for uppercuts?

[jamesmcdonnell]

Are tall guys not built for uppercuts?

Generally tall guys don't have good technique up close as. They have longer levers. From range yes, but right in close nog do much.

[MarkMcBurney]

Ruiz beats AJ .. Fury beats Wilder...fury beats Ruiz for all the belts....Fury then retires after a December 2020 schooling of AJ. Ruiz v Wilder late in the year too, setting the scene for the post-Fury era.

[dr_devious]

Del Boy to get a substitute shot against Wilder and then put him down and keep him down. Not likely but its my ideal..................

[morm]

AJ beat Ruiz, Pulev and Usyk
Fury win Wilder, than rematch lose, win Ruiz
Wilder lose to Fury , than win rematch, win Kownacki
Joyce win Huck, and Washington, lose to Ortiz
Ajagba win Romanov, win Breazeale , lose to Hrgovic
Hrgovic win Hammer, win Chisora, win Ajagba
DDD win Hugie Fury, win Kean, win Kabayel

[stujones]

I would like to see Fury vs Ortiz believe it or not. Think Ortiz has the style to give Fury problems - and Fury lacks that get out jail card.

Heavyweight hope for 2020 - Usyk end of thread - please save us....... can't believe Costello and Bunce called this the golden generation. All I see at this moment is a guy who can whack but can't box for toffee, A big guy who can box but who cannot punch for toffee (and still think his boxing only puts him at the best of a bad bunch), A muscled bound Bruno clone with no Boxing IQ, and Ruiz whose not exactly ever going to convince people he is going to be a 5/6 year reign champion.

Its shocking - they are making exciting fights because the quality is poor.

[stujones]

I always thought that had the fight happened at that time, Tyson might have done him.

Difficult to say. It's one of the most mouth watering heavyweight combinations ever, like Bowe/Lewis in 93 and Bowe/Tyson in 96. It pains me these fights didn't happen, and Wilder/AJ and Fury/AJ could potentially be ones we have to debate forever because they didn't happen.

Lewis would have always done Bowe IMO,

Tyson vs Bowe in 1996 would have been interesting - both past their prime a tad.

Tyson vs Lewis at any time from 1996-2000 would have been very intriguing had Tyson been at around the 220 mark in weight.

[stujones]

Are tall guys not built for uppercuts?

Generally tall guys don't have good technique up close as. They have longer levers. From range yes, but right in close nog do much.

Asking for a GIF of Fury uppercutting himself!

[margaret thatcher]

At/near his best I don't think anyone 'does' Bowe, at least no one in his era would've beat him that convincingly

[Tuan_Jim]

Difficult to say. It's one of the most mouth watering heavyweight combinations ever, like Bowe/Lewis in 93 and Bowe/Tyson in 96. It pains me these fights didn't happen, and Wilder/AJ and Fury/AJ could potentially be ones we have to debate forever because they didn't happen.

Lewis would have always done Bowe IMO,

Why? Because as a 23 year old in his second Olympics he got a quick stoppage over a teenage Riddick Bowe?

Do you think Tyrell Biggs always does Lewis because he beat him in 84? Tillman always does Tyson because he did it twice in the amateurs?

[stujones]

Difficult to say. It's one of the most mouth watering heavyweight combinations ever, like Bowe/Lewis in 93 and Bowe/Tyson in 96. It pains me these fights didn't happen, and Wilder/AJ and Fury/AJ could potentially be ones we have to debate forever because they didn't happen.

I think prime Bowe would have done Tyson up like a kipper, big, tough, and a great inside game, Tyson despite his short stature, liked to fight from the ouside and close the distance, but once he was at close range, wasn't very good, Bowe had an amazing right uppercut and was very heavy handed. Holyfield was able to take his shots in the 1st two fights, but to be fair, would I think have lost the 2nd but for the fan man, which gave him time to recover.

I do rate Tyson, but he had some serious shortcomings, not least of which was the fact he never won a fight that turned against him.

Agree, although there was one example where that was wrong - Frans Botha..... probably one of his worse displays but his punch got him out of jail there.

One thing I do disagree with on Tyson - in his absolute peak (pre jail etc) he did have stamina for the long course. I know it was against lesser fighters - but he sustained, quite a decent pace vs Quick Tillis and against Jessie Ferguson he gradually upped it as the fight went on. I think people call him a 4 round fighter based on his comeback - Great starts vs Holyfield, Lewis and even Williams but couldn't sustain it - but he really was a shell at that stage. Still good enough to compete at world class - but the amount of shit he had put into his system, its not surprising really.

Been watching a lot of Tyson recently and I think a big reason for a long fan appeal was he looked about 30 when he was 18/19 and he actually didn't age that much when he was 30 - so he looked the same fighter, but he wasn't.

[stujones]

Lewis would have always done Bowe IMO,

Why? Because as a 23 year old in his second Olympics he got a quick stoppage over a teenage Riddick Bowe?

Do you think Tyrell Biggs always does Lewis because he beat him in 84? Tillman always does Tyson because he did it twice in the amateurs?

No nothing about that - but he was more athletic than Bowe in my opinion a sharper puncher imo and quicker. Bowe wasn't that difficult to hit and I think Lewis would have beaten him to the punch.

He was better than him in 1993 IMO and Bowe was shot by 1996/1997. Most of the common opponent performances favours Lewis - Briggs, Holyfield, Golota - he was just sharper.

Bowe would have always have had the punchers chance, given Lewis' resistance issues at times - but Holyfield hurt Bowe, Hide hurt Bowe, Lewis' power was on a different level and for me was sharper than Bowe - just quicker, more athletic.

[oogiebe]

Why? Because as a 23 year old in his second Olympics he got a quick stoppage over a teenage Riddick Bowe?

Do you think Tyrell Biggs always does Lewis because he beat him in 84? Tillman always does Tyson because he did it twice in the amateurs?

No nothing about that - but he was more athletic than Bowe in my opinion a sharper puncher imo and quicker. Bowe wasn't that difficult to hit and I think Lewis would have beaten him to the punch.

He was better than him in 1993 IMO and Bowe was shot by 1996/1997. Most of the common opponent performances favours Lewis - Briggs, Holyfield, Golota - he was just sharper.

Bowe would have always have had the punchers chance, given Lewis' resistance issues at times - but Holyfield hurt Bowe, Hide hurt Bowe, Lewis' power was on a different level and for me was sharper than Bowe - just quicker, more athletic.

I agree that any Lewis would've beaten Bowe.