BoxRec

Listing significant names who didn't win a big 3 title in the 90s. Fighting today, would they be division leaders, major belt holders, major contenders (but still not champ), or about the same level as they were in the 90s?

Razor Ruddock
Tommy Morrison
Ray Mercer
Alex Stewart
Herbie Hide
Bert Cooper
Frans Botha
Jorge Luis Gonzalez
Henry Akinwande
Gary Mason
Lou Savarese
Axel Schulz
Pierre Coetzer
Zeljko Mavrovic
Michael Bentt

Add any more names you think are worth discussing.

I think for the most part they would do well.

But to be honest.. I seldom watch much HW
action post the early 2000s so I am not the
best expert on this. So perhaps I am biased.

But as a 'HW' fan, I figure I have hours of footage
of other eras to enjoy before I get to the less
than stellar age that we are experiencing now.

Though we know the vunerabilities of some of these
90s guys, I think they also have a spark and forced
desperation that would make for some exciting
fights. They would press the action well against
some of the bigger, and current top men in a way
that many would not have experienced.

I like the idea of vunerable punchers like Bert Cooper
and Tommy Morrison stepping in against a Wlad or
Valuev and pressing the fight as best as they could..
I do not favour those two '90s' guys but I feel that
they would make something exciting happen for better
or worse for themselves.

I think if we insterted peak Ruddock and Mercer into the
current Top 10, then we would see them both doing well.

I also like Akinwande and Mason as being guys that could
perhaps get some good results.



Here is an interesting 4 way round robin tourny that I
would like to see.

Eddie Chambers vs Herbie Hide
Bert Cooper vs Tommy Morrison

See who comes out on top out of the series
that such a mini 'tourny' like that could
produce.

oliverfennell wrote:Listing significant names who didn't win a big 3 title in the 90s. Fighting today, would they be division leaders, major belt holders, major contenders (but still not champ), or about the same level as they were in the 90s?

Razor Ruddock
Tommy Morrison
Ray Mercer
Alex Stewart
Herbie Hide
Bert Cooper
Frans Botha
Jorge Luis Gonzalez
Henry Akinwande
Gary Mason
Lou Savarese
Axel Schulz
Pierre Coetzer
Zeljko Mavrovic
Michael Bentt

Add any more names you think are worth discussing.

I'd favor Vitali Klitschko over all of the above fighters.

Mercer and Ruddock at their peak stop Wlad. I think Mavoric, Akinwande, and (due to styles) Hide could present good challenges to him as well (and I'd even be tempted to place money on Mavoric).

The rest would be solid underdogs vs the Klitschkos but would be very competitive with the rest of the current top 10. Although Gonzales would've still been a bum even in this watered down era.

Morrison, Hyde and Akinwande would be top 10ers I reckon.

They would all beat Chris Arreola.

BarryWashington wrote:

oliverfennell wrote:Listing significant names who didn't win a big 3 title in the 90s. Fighting today, would they be division leaders, major belt holders, major contenders (but still not champ), or about the same level as they were in the 90s?

Razor Ruddock
Tommy Morrison
Ray Mercer
Alex Stewart
Herbie Hide
Bert Cooper
Frans Botha
Jorge Luis Gonzalez
Henry Akinwande
Gary Mason
Lou Savarese
Axel Schulz
Pierre Coetzer
Zeljko Mavrovic
Michael Bentt

Add any more names you think are worth discussing.

I think Coetzer should be taken out of the equation because come the '90's he wasn't the same fighter as he was in the '80's. Golota, Ibeabuchi & Tua are names that should be thrown into the mix.

Ruddock, Morrison, Mercer, Stewart, Hide, Cooper, Botha, Mason, Schulz, Akinwande, Golota, & Ibeabuchi would dominate today's division (excluding Klitschkos & Haye). Savarese, Coetzer, Bentt & Mavrovic would be solid contenders under them.

I think the best contender out of that bunch (if they entered today's scene) would be a peak Mercer.

Excluding Haye? I'd favor most of those fighters BIG TIME over Haye except Mason, Botha and Schultz (and maybe Stewart). Haye would never even sign the contract to fight the likes of Mercer, Ruddock, and Ibeabuchi.

oliverfennell wrote:Listing significant names who didn't win a big 3 title in the 90s. Fighting today, would they be division leaders, major belt holders, major contenders (but still not champ), or about the same level as they were in the 90s?

Razor Ruddock
Tommy Morrison
Ray Mercer
Alex Stewart
Herbie Hide
Bert Cooper
Frans Botha
Jorge Luis Gonzalez
Henry Akinwande
Gary Mason
Lou Savarese
Axel Schulz
Pierre Coetzer
Zeljko Mavrovic
Michael Bentt

Add any more names you think are worth discussing.

I think they would do very well considering the caliber of fighter ranked inside the top 15 today. With the exception of Bentt, I think they are all better than contenders like Dimitrenko, Arreola, and the unproven bum beating Boystov.

Mercer is the stand out name. He would have an impact and be a contender in any era.

Morrison, and to a lesser extent, Hyde were skilled fighters but not durable enough.

Ruddock had a punch and was decent.

These 4 should be able to stay in and around the top 20 (Hyde is the one I'd be least confident of) over the course of a few years. I can't see any of them beating the Klits unless they land something special, always possible. But they'd give them a fight.

Ezzard wrote:Mercer is the stand out name. He would have an impact and be a contender in any era.

Agreed, but only if he maintained his discipline, which sadly he didn't through much of the 90s. By the time he realised the importance of this, and he made a reasonable comeback through the early 00s, it was too late.

An on-form peak Mercer would probably be a champ in today's environment, but the sluggish version would still likely get outboxed in title class.

I'd take Ruddock over Wlad and Haye.

Morrison would be top 10 or top 5 for sure and would make for some exciting fights but I can't see his reckless style and vulnerable chin translating to a major title even today, or, at best, doing more than getting lucky for one title fight.

Those who would do better now, but probably not win a belt: Stewart, Mason, Schulz, Mavrovic

Those who would be about the same level: Cooper, Botha, Akinwande, Savarese, Coetzer

Those who would NOT fare any better today than in the 90s: Hide, Gonzalez, Bentt (hard to assess him, though, due to the brevity of his career)

Ruddock is getting overrated. He was dangerous but unless he lands the shot of his career on Wlad he gets soundly outclassed.

An inspired Mercer could have a long reign as a belt holder. Outside of either Klitschko beating him on size/jab alone, I don't see anyone in the division he couldn't handle on any given night. Mercer-Chambers would be a very interesting fight to me.

sg1985 wrote:I would love to see Wlad take on Razor Ruddock.

I would have rather seen Wlad against Morrison.

jrc26 wrote:An inspired Mercer could have a long reign as a belt holder. Outside of either Klitschko beating him on size/jab alone, I don't see anyone in the division he couldn't handle on any given night. Mercer-Chambers would be a very interesting fight to me.

He couldn't beat himself, & that, in the end, is why he could never do what you're proposing here.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

jrc26 wrote:An inspired Mercer could have a long reign as a belt holder. Outside of either Klitschko beating him on size/jab alone, I don't see anyone in the division he couldn't handle on any given night. Mercer-Chambers would be a very interesting fight to me.

He couldn't beat himself, & that, in the end, is why he could never do what you're proposing here.

I agree. I think a peak Mercer stops Wlad but he ultimately wouldn't have a long reign due to his lack of discipline and the fact that his style wasn't very adaptable.