The top candidates are:
Sam Langford
Jack Dempsey
Gene Tunney
Ezzard Charles
Rocky Marciano
Evander Holyfield
The greatest 190lber?
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pundit
- Heavyweight

Actually you may be right on this one.m Corbett is just the historically much more important figure; being credited with bringing a modern, counterpunching, defensive style to boxing.Ambling Alp wrote:I wouldn't say that. Fitz beat Sharkey,Ruhlin and Maher, besides beating Corbett. Why isn't that as impressive as what Corbett did?pundit wrote:At heavyweight it surely is.Ambling Alp wrote:Since Fitz won the head to head fight, I give him the edge because the the rest of Corbett's career would have to be better than Fitz's and I don't think it is.
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Ambling Alp
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 3627
- Joined: 15 Jul 2005, 22:31
That is pretty much how I see it. Corbett did more for the sport and is more of an important historical figure (though Fitz was important).
Corbett helped usher in a new era. Stylewise he was very different than Sullivan or anyone else. (Though Sullivan's boxing skills were probably better than he is often given credit for).
Stylewise, I have always thought of Fitz as sort of half/Sullivan-half /Corbett.
If Corbett never existed, and Fitz was Sullivan's immediate successor, the sport probably wouldn't have progressed as quickly.
As for who was better, Corbett or Fitz, that certainly is debatable. Corbett may very well have won a rematch. However, since it never happened and Fitz won the only fight that they did have and the rest of their careers were pretty even, I give Fitz a slight edge.
Corbett helped usher in a new era. Stylewise he was very different than Sullivan or anyone else. (Though Sullivan's boxing skills were probably better than he is often given credit for).
Stylewise, I have always thought of Fitz as sort of half/Sullivan-half /Corbett.
If Corbett never existed, and Fitz was Sullivan's immediate successor, the sport probably wouldn't have progressed as quickly.
As for who was better, Corbett or Fitz, that certainly is debatable. Corbett may very well have won a rematch. However, since it never happened and Fitz won the only fight that they did have and the rest of their careers were pretty even, I give Fitz a slight edge.
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elmersalsa
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 15672
- Joined: 02 Feb 2003, 03:50
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Marciano Frazier
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 326
- Joined: 29 Jul 2003, 13:13
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pundit
- Heavyweight

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Marciano Frazier
- Heavyweight

- Posts: 326
- Joined: 29 Jul 2003, 13:13
I'm talking about at 190 pounds.Langford was arguably #1 out of all these guys pound-for-pound, but all the others were considerably bigger than he was. Although you could make a case for him ranking ahead of Schmeling and Johansson even at 190.pundit wrote:Langford FAAAAR too low.Marciano Frazier wrote:1. Marciano
2. Dempsey
3. Holyfield
4. Walcott
5. Charles
6. Patterson
7. Tunney
8. Schmeling
9. Johansson
10. Langford