British Heavyweights of the last 40 years - who wins and a top 10.

[margaret thatcher]

1. Lewis
2. Fury
3. Joshua
4. Bruno
5. Haye
6. Whyte
7. Joyce (will surpass someone soon probably)
8. Chisora
9. Akinwande
10. Mason

Bruno must be too high. I’d think a high pressure approach would have cracked him in the championship rounds.

1. Lewis
2. Joshua
3. Fury
4. Akinwande
5. Joyce
6. Haye
7. Mason
8. Bruno
9. Hide
10. Whyte

what makes you rank the padded one, gary mason ahead of bruno? to me mason was a poor man's frank, like 6 feet tall and even slower and cruder. looked like he was moving in quick sand and fought loads of utterly meaningless knockover job fights

[DrDuke]

1. Lewis
2. Fury
3. Joshua
4. Bruno
5. Haye
6. Whyte
7. Joyce (will surpass someone soon probably)
8. Chisora
9. Akinwande
10. Mason

Bruno must be too high. I’d think a high pressure approach would have cracked him in the championship rounds.

1. Lewis
2. Joshua
3. Fury
4. Akinwande
5. Joyce
6. Haye
7. Mason
8. Bruno
9. Hide
10. Whyte

Well, Whyte can surpass him and Haye could outbox him, but he just did too little as a HW. Anyway, you place Frank too low. He can't be below Mason. Akinwande also got too much of credit.

[polecateddy]

1. Lewis
2. Fury
3. Joshua
4. Bruno
5. Haye
6. Whyte
7. Joyce (will surpass someone soon probably)
8. Chisora
9. Akinwande
10. Mason

Bruno must be too high. I’d think a high pressure approach would have cracked him in the championship rounds.

1. Lewis
2. Joshua
3. Fury
4. Akinwande
5. Joyce
6. Haye
7. Mason
8. Bruno
9. Hide
10. Whyte

Well, Whyte can surpass him and Haye could outbox him, but he just did too little as a HW. Anyway, you place Frank too low. He can't be below Mason. Akinwande also got too much of credit.

Mason actually had an Oliver McCall type chin. I think he could hang tough and take Bruno out in 10 or 11 rounds. Akinwande would have been tough to outpoint and probably hit hard enough to dent anyone with a suspect chin.

[DrDuke]

Bruno must be too high. I’d think a high pressure approach would have cracked him in the championship rounds.

1. Lewis
2. Joshua
3. Fury
4. Akinwande
5. Joyce
6. Haye
7. Mason
8. Bruno
9. Hide
10. Whyte

Well, Whyte can surpass him and Haye could outbox him, but he just did too little as a HW. Anyway, you place Frank too low. He can't be below Mason. Akinwande also got too much of credit.

Mason actually had an Oliver McCall type chin. I think he could hang tough and take Bruno out in 10 or 11 rounds. Akinwande would have been tough to outpoint and probably hit hard enough to dent anyone with a suspect chin.

Mason was far less sound as a boxer in comparison to Bruno. He did way too little through his career and his chin wasn't enough proved to be ranked on par with McCall's one, which is a candidate for the best chin ever. Akinwande also had a thin resume, with a padded record.

[polecateddy]

Well, Whyte can surpass him and Haye could outbox him, but he just did too little as a HW. Anyway, you place Frank too low. He can't be below Mason. Akinwande also got too much of credit.

Mason actually had an Oliver McCall type chin. I think he could hang tough and take Bruno out in 10 or 11 rounds. Akinwande would have been tough to outpoint and probably hit hard enough to dent anyone with a suspect chin.

Mason was far less sound as a boxer in comparison to Bruno. He did way too little through his career and his chin wasn't enough proved to be ranked on par with McCall's one, which is a candidate for the best chin ever. Akinwande also had a thin resume, with a padded record.

Yes I’d put McCall’s chin as the best of all time. Mason did take a lot of shots off a young Lennox Lewis and wasn’t moved. Unfortunately the eye injury cost Mason his career. I think Mason would have brought pressure to bare on Bruno. Certainly if a fresher McCall had turned up and applied more in the early rounds, Bruno certainly would have have done his usual late round fold. Akinwande I think would have outpointed Holyfield and had a better career if he’d had a tiny bit more luck. His power was certainly improved when he started knocking out decent fringe types like Jeremy Williams.

[DrDuke]

Mason actually had an Oliver McCall type chin. I think he could hang tough and take Bruno out in 10 or 11 rounds. Akinwande would have been tough to outpoint and probably hit hard enough to dent anyone with a suspect chin.

Mason was far less sound as a boxer in comparison to Bruno. He did way too little through his career and his chin wasn't enough proved to be ranked on par with McCall's one, which is a candidate for the best chin ever. Akinwande also had a thin resume, with a padded record.

Yes I’d put McCall’s chin as the best of all time. Mason did take a lot of shots off a young Lennox Lewis and wasn’t moved. Unfortunately the eye injury cost Mason his career. I think Mason would have brought pressure to bare on Bruno. Certainly if a fresher McCall had turned up and applied more in the early rounds, Bruno certainly would have have done his usual late round fold. Akinwande I think would have outpointed Holyfield and had a better career if he’d had a tiny bit more luck. His power was certainly improved when he started knocking out decent fringe types like Jeremy Williams.

I highly doubt about Akinwande outpointing Holyfield. He looked dreadful against Lewis. He didn't even try to develop success after luckily shaking Lewis.

[polecateddy]

I certainly think that if you transported Whyte and Chisora back to take part in the merry-go-round with Danny Williams, Michael Sprott, Julius Francis and Matt Skelton, they would win some lose some like everyone else did. They just aren’t that amazing in my opinion.

[stujones]

I think Joe Bugner deserves a mention as a top ten heavyweight of the last 40 years.

Not 'Aussie Joe' Bugner but the FW-sponsored Bugner of the early-1980s who beat Dino Dennis, Anders Eklund and various others. Bugner-Bruno was on the cards back then and would have been a much better fight than the one that eventually took place when Bugner was seriously overweight and way past it.

Bugner in his early 30s would also have had a good chance against Hyde, Whyte, Chisora and Mason. Bugner-Akinwande would have been horrible but probably close. Does Bugner outbox Joyce?

Yes - he also beat Greg Page and was mentioned (albeit quite briefly) as a Tyson opponent early in Tyson's reign.

[polecateddy]

I think Joe Bugner deserves a mention as a top ten heavyweight of the last 40 years.

Not 'Aussie Joe' Bugner but the FW-sponsored Bugner of the early-1980s who beat Dino Dennis, Anders Eklund and various others. Bugner-Bruno was on the cards back then and would have been a much better fight than the one that eventually took place when Bugner was seriously overweight and way past it.

Bugner in his early 30s would also have had a good chance against Hyde, Whyte, Chisora and Mason. Bugner-Akinwande would have been horrible but probably close. Does Bugner outbox Joyce?

Yes - he also beat Greg Page and was mentioned (albeit quite briefly) as a Tyson opponent early in Tyson's reign.

That was in Bugner's early Aussie Joe period when he racked up three quick wins against 'name' Americans - Tillis, Bey and Page - and then there was talk of Bugner fighting Tyson at the America's Cup.

Good job it didn't happen though as it would've been a slaughter.

There was also a fight with Mike Weaver that fell through. I think Page might have been a replacement for Weaver.

It’s a shame Bugner didn’t have a punch to speak of other than the jab. A durable, game guy though. And such a long career from Henry Cooper across the generations. Fighters like Mason, Chisora and Whyte might eat a lot of Joe’s jabs. They’d have to work for it. Don’t think they would have loved 15 rounds either!

[Sammy Scaff]

Dubois will be in the list in a year or two.

[Fray Bentos]

I think Joe Bugner deserves a mention as a top ten heavyweight of the last 40 years.

Not 'Aussie Joe' Bugner but the FW-sponsored Bugner of the early-1980s who beat Dino Dennis, Anders Eklund and various others. Bugner-Bruno was on the cards back then and would have been a much better fight than the one that eventually took place when Bugner was seriously overweight and way past it.

Bugner in his early 30s would also have had a good chance against Hyde, Whyte, Chisora and Mason. Bugner-Akinwande would have been horrible but probably close. Does Bugner outbox Joyce?

Yes - he also beat Greg Page and was mentioned (albeit quite briefly) as a Tyson opponent early in Tyson's reign.

He had a WBC top ten rating in 1987 by beating Tillis, Bey and Page.

[583940]

1 Tyson Fury
2 Lennox Lewis
3 Anthony Joshua
4 David Haye
5 Frank Bruno
6 Herbie Hide
7 Joe Joyce
8 Hughie Fury
9 Joe Bugner
10 Dillian Whyte

[Crease]

Hmmm, just off the top of my head...

1. Lennox
2. The Gypsy King
3. AJ
4. The Hayemaker
5. Bruno
6. Dillian Whyte
7. Herbie Hide
8. Dereck Chisora
9. Danny Williams
10. Matt Skelton

[polecateddy]

Hmmm, just off the top of my head...

1. Lennox
2. The Gypsy King
3. AJ
4. The Hayemaker
5. Bruno
6. Dillian Whyte
7. Herbie Hide
8. Dereck Chisora
9. Danny Williams
10. Matt Skelton

Hide is probably a bit too chinny, and you can't really have Williams and Skelton ahead of Mason and Akinwande.

[Crease]

Hmmm, just off the top of my head...

1. Lennox
2. The Gypsy King
3. AJ
4. The Hayemaker
5. Bruno
6. Dillian Whyte
7. Herbie Hide
8. Dereck Chisora
9. Danny Williams
10. Matt Skelton

Hide is probably a bit too chinny, and you can't really have Williams and Skelton ahead of Mason and Akinwande.

I forgot about Gary....

[margaret thatcher]

Hmmm, just off the top of my head...

1. Lennox
2. The Gypsy King
3. AJ
4. The Hayemaker
5. Bruno
6. Dillian Whyte
7. Herbie Hide
8. Dereck Chisora
9. Danny Williams
10. Matt Skelton

Hide is probably a bit too chinny, and you can't really have Williams and Skelton ahead of Mason and Akinwande.

mason was a slow, crude, open can crusher, lots of guys you can arguably rank above him

[skanksta]

Anyone who doesn't have Lewis No.1 is mad obviously.
Fury must be a clear 2nd.

The only thing I disagree with is the general habit of "putting AJ above Haye".
I mean, he probably is on accomplishments, but I'd fancy Haye to win that big time. That deep amateur background - proper boxing - Usyk befuddled AJ with it and Haye is obviously a lot more explosive.
I think Haye KOs AJ.

Bugner coulda woulda shoulda been much greater than he was, but he never put it all together on a big night, did he.

[margaret thatcher]

aj was a better amateur than haye

haye would be very very tentative vs a much bigger guy who could punch

[emallini]

Haye sparks AJ clean out.

[DrDuke]

Haye was way more talented than Joshua. The thing is, he was so fragile, that his career was short-lived and his resume remained thin. Also, his chin wasn't very good, but Joshua isn't special in this case either. I can easily see Haye winning AJ.

[polecateddy]

Haye sparks AJ clean out.

If we are saying Haye on his best day had the speed and timing to catch Joshua cold, you’d have to say that was equally true of Herbie Hide.

People seem slightly overly harsh on Mason, who had an excellent chin and heavy hands. Chisora looks equally crude and slow, so does Joyce, even Fury looked very crude and tiring by the end of that Wallin fight. Williams and Skelton are just domestic level, and should never be included in this top ten.

[margaret thatcher]

mason was a poor man's bruno who spent way too long fighting knockovers, about 40 fights on his record and most of them meaningless

the few half recognizable names he beat were pretty much all past their best and some werent even heavys, poor ricky parkey for example was just 191

people arent too harsh when he continually pops up in these top 10s, often round the middle. tbf, stu does say ability not accomplishments, but even then mason wasnt all that imo: glacial slow, easy to hit, crude. sure he was strong but plenty of flaws to exploit, he simply hardly ever fought anyone who was decent at the time.

[polecateddy]

mason was a poor man's bruno who spent way too long fighting knockovers, about 40 fights on his record and most of them meaningless

the few half recognizable names he beat were pretty much all past their best and some werent even heavys, poor ricky parkey for example was just 191

people arent too harsh when he continually pops up in these top 10s, often round the middle. tbf, stu does say ability not accomplishments, but even then mason wasnt all that imo: glacial slow, easy to hit, crude. sure he was strong but plenty of flaws to exploit, he simply hardly ever fought anyone who was decent at the time.

Heavy hands and a better chin than most are not bad assets. Chisora looks pretty slow, easy to hit, crude but slow …but with a worse chin than Mason.

[margaret thatcher]

mason didnt beat one guy who would budge del much at all

[orbtastic]

I suspect had mason fought more guys on Lewis’ embryonic level or guys that chisora had faced his chin wouldn’t look as good.