BoxRec

We live in an era of four World Champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) and it has been like that since the inception of the WBO 25 years ago (1987/88).

But who do you think are the worst World Champions spanning all weight divisions, that we have had over the past quarter of a century?

NOTE: Please don't included Interim World Champions or Diamond Champions or Super Champions or Silver Champions or Champions in Recess and all the rest of it.

Just the guys who have held the four big belts, got it?

I'll be cold and dead in the ground before I recognise the WBO.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:I'll be cold and dead in the ground before I recognise the WBO.

Whys that? All of the boxing bodies have done stupid things over the past decade, in my opinion they are all as bad as each other these days.

Michael Bentt is recognised as the worst Heavyweight we've had in the past 25 years, isn't he?

Juan Nazario.

Carlos Maussa deserves a shout.

Crease wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:I'll be cold and dead in the ground before I recognise the WBO.

Whys that? All of the boxing bodies have done stupid things over the past decade, in my opinion they are all as bad as each other these days.

They have all done stupid things but the WBO is clearly a level below the other three IMO. Mainly because they often seem to make any challenger with two arms a mandatory in exchange for a sanctioning fee.

Luis Alberto Lazarte
The guy could fight but he simply couldn't box. He'd have been great in a street fight.

J-C wrote:

Crease wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:I'll be cold and dead in the ground before I recognise the WBO.

Whys that? All of the boxing bodies have done stupid things over the past decade, in my opinion they are all as bad as each other these days.

They have all done stupid things but the WBO is clearly a level below the other three IMO. Mainly because they often seem to make any challenger with two arms a mandatory in exchange for a sanctioning fee.

This --- and they have no background whatsoever when they were at least once credible, either (although Crease fairly remarks they're all garbage).

bennie wrote:Juan Nazario.

Dude went out on his shield (that being his chin) against Sweet Pea, though D

the guy that beat Terry Norris by staying on the ground: Luis Santana.

Crease wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:I'll be cold and dead in the ground before I recognise the WBO.

Whys that? All of the boxing bodies have done stupid things over the past decade, in my opinion they are all as bad as each other these days.

Remember when they pulled the Doughboy off the stands on fight night to fight for their heavyweight title? That pretty much sets the bar.

I always thought Serguei Lyakhovich looked a limited fighter when he was a Heavyweight World Champion.

elmersalsa wrote:the guy that beat Terry Norris by staying on the ground: Luis Santana.

Bingo.

BARRY MICHAEL....terrible "world champion". Some of the early IBF champs were dire.

I dont go along with the WBO bashing, sure they had some poor challengers but so have the IBF and WBA recently.

Bert Schenk

hhaehre wrote:

Crease wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:I'll be cold and dead in the ground before I recognise the WBO.

Whys that? All of the boxing bodies have done stupid things over the past decade, in my opinion they are all as bad as each other these days.

Remember when they pulled the Doughboy off the stands on fight night to fight for their heavyweight title? That pretty much sets the bar.

Tim Tomashek

I would throw Hasim Rahman in there, I know alot of champions are worse then him but this guy is a two time champion and even a undisputed champ.
Very limited if even that he was very lucky against Lewis and besides that Sanders is his best win, he was knocked out by Maskaev TWICE, lost to Holyfield, Ruiz, Lewis, Tua and couldn't beat Toney, I am not saying those guys are easy to beat but for a two time champ his record is just awfull.

Like I said alot og alphachamps are definetly as bad if not worse like Lyakhovich, Brewster, Hide, Briggs and on and on BUT Rahman is actually a true champion so by that standards he is worst for me.

IDK about worst but Jermain Taylor has to be considered a very disappointing champion, IMO.

Thunder and Lightning wrote:I would throw Hasim Rahman in there, I know alot of champions are worse then him but this guy is a two time champion and even a undisputed champ.
Very limited if even that he was very lucky against Lewis and besides that Sanders is his best win, he was knocked out by Maskaev TWICE, lost to Holyfield, Ruiz, Lewis, Tua and couldn't beat Toney, I am not saying those guys are easy to beat but for a two time champ his record is just awfull.

Like I said alot og alphachamps are definetly as bad if not worse like Lyakhovich, Brewster, Hide, Briggs and on and on BUT Rahman is actually a true champion so by that standards he is worst for me.

Yeah, as a legit champ, Rahman is among the worst linear kings ever.

Pure dumb luck with Lewis.

I'd like to see a worst ever HW champs tourney...Rahman would be highly seeded (Briggs, Hart, and both Spinks brothers would be right there with him).

Rahman isn't in the ballpark under this criteria.

I agree with Saad, he might have held his own and performed pretty well against some of the alphabet soup kings of while back, perhaps he may well be one of the "best of the worst" lol.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:Rahman isn't in the ballpark under this criteria.

Not under the criteria of anyone with a major belt, but certainly one of the worst linear/'legit' champs in history.

There are a few nobodies who fought for vacant alphabelt titles who won then and then lost them quick . . the names aren't coming to me but there have been several and they were pretty horrible.

What Demps said - Rahman looks pretty capable alongside your partial belt-warmers, but among those who held the legit crown, hes right there with Spinks (pick one, it doesnt matter), Hart, Briggs and co. at the bottom of the barrel.

The WBO have been making paper champions of domestic level fighters here for years, for example Eamon Loughran, Paul Weir, Herbie Hide, Pat Clinton and Alex Arthur. The latest is Nathan Cleverley, who has managed 3 defences of a world title without fighting a world class fighter, with number 4 on the way.