BoxRec

Who wins this battle of heavyweight titlists who had/have long unbeaten streaks?

Two guys with impressive records but not a lot of notable scalps. I'd favor Tucker by UD, but he would have some problems and it would most likely be a relatively close decision.

The Great John L wrote:Two guys with impressive records but not a lot of notable scalps. I'd favor Tucker by UD, but he would have some problems and it would most likely be a relatively close decision.

I agree.

Tucker is over-rated by some but I see him handling Povetkin as he's shown major issues with guys with decent jabs and straight punching ability.

dempseyfire wrote:Tucker is over-rated by some but I see him handling Povetkin as he's shown major issues with guys with decent jabs and straight punching ability.

It would be competitive though? Right?

You know where I'm going with this my good friend...

Ezzard wrote:

dempseyfire wrote:Tucker is over-rated by some but I see him handling Povetkin as he's shown major issues with guys with decent jabs and straight punching ability.

It would be competitive though? Right?

You know where I'm going with this my good friend...

Sure it would be competitive. Povetkin's work-rate would win him a share of rounds and probably put him in a close lead halfway through, but I think he will take too much punishment in those early rounds and Tucker could close strong as Povetkin tired.

Ezzard wrote:

dempseyfire wrote:Tucker is over-rated by some but I see him handling Povetkin as he's shown major issues with guys with decent jabs and straight punching ability.

It would be competitive though? Right?

You know where I'm going with this my good friend...

Sadly, yes.

I'm right, aren't I?

Admit it, you scoundrel...

Ezzard wrote:I'm right, aren't I?

Admit it, you scoundrel...

Given the Huck fight, I must concede the point.
You, sir, are correct.

Now come on, Tucker was on another level entirely.

Douglas, Tyson, and, even when past it, Lewis.

Given the struggles Povetkin has had with men like Marco Huck and a fat, waning Chagaev, I wouldn't think he'd be anything more than an opponent in Tucker's era. Has Povetkin handled anyone even like the James Broad who Tucker outpointed over 12?

Broad had a modern style heavyweight physique - grossly overweight - but he had a chin and was coming right at Tucker all night trying to take his head off.

It wasn't that long ago I read about people laughing at Tucker and the problems he had with James Broad.

Ditto - Greg Page. Neither of them were prepared to take on Frazier...not referring to Joe...

Ezzard wrote:It wasn't that long ago I read about people laughing at Tucker and the problems he had with James Broad.

Ditto - Greg Page. Neither of them were prepared to take on Frazier...not referring to Joe...

I attended his fight against Orlin Norris, and there is no way he deserved that decision. I still think he was a pretty talented guy, he just didn't seem to get in the ring with enough of the top HWs of time, which means his management team probably wasn't particularly confident.

Tucker was a good fighter, a solid contender. He won some and lost some. Sometimes he looked good, sometimes he didn't.

Maybe he beats Povetkin, maybe he doesn't. It's a live fight.

And your assessment of him rings true, John L...

Ezzard wrote:Tucker was a good fighter, a solid contender. He won some and lost some. Sometimes he looked good, sometimes he didn't.

Well, he certainly didn't look that good against Norris, but in Tuckers defense Norris was making a lot of HWs look bad about that time. Along with Mike Hunter, they were two very avoidable guys at that time.

But the Tony Tucker who boxed Norris was the same one who boxed Lewis - ageing, heavy, drug ravaged. Strong and heavy handed still, but certainly not a patch on the fast, sharp 80s version.

As for problems with Broad in 86/87 - I have that fight on tape and Tucker widely outpoints him. Have I missed something?

To watch Tony Tucker against a peak Iron Mike Tyson and then seriously question whether a man of that elite calibre might lose to.... Alex Povetkin? It seems insane to me. It's insane how insane it is.

Tucker? Losing to Povetkin? The old man who boxed Hide and Ruiz, sure, that's Povetkin's kind of opponent, but the 80s guy? Come on.

How long does Povetkin last against Tyson?

Good point, although I was refering to the 32yo that was given a gift against Norris, not the 38yo one who later lost to Norris. Tucker did perform very well in the first half of the fight against Tyson before fading, but I don't think that the version that struggled with Norris in their first fight was markedly declined from the Tyson version. While it was almost 4 years later, Tucker hadn't had a difficult career up to that point, so I don't think we're talking about someone who was on a serious decline. And the Lewis fight was about 2 years after Norris, so yes he would have had some decline over those two years.

Who picked Potsy over Tucker? I think the majority are going with Tucker but expecting a competitive fight and I think that seems reasonable.

After the Tyson fight Tucker laid off three years whereupon he became an obese and drug addled wreck. Athletes never get over problems like that, he came back in 1990 but visibly wasn't the same man of the 1980s, even though as you correctly say it had not been a taxing career.

As for a peak Mike Tyson versus Povetkin? First round KO. Different worlds.

loaded_gloves wrote:As for a peak Mike Tyson versus Povetkin? First round KO. Different worlds.

Yes, and the opening bell would still be rining.

So comparable to Carl Williams, Marvis Frazier, Berbick, Tubbs, Spinks...

Tucker would win by close UD over Povetkin. He had good skill, not on Greg Page's level, but more than enough to deal with Povetkin.

I agree with everyone picking Tucker. Tucker UD

loaded_gloves wrote:...an obese and drug addled wreck.

Couldn't the same be said for most of the HWs in the past 30 or so years?

Ezzard wrote:So comparable to Carl Williams, Marvis Frazier, Berbick, Tubbs, Spinks...

What incredibly flawed reasoning you're employing.

So, Smokin' Joe Frazier is comparable to Ted Gullick and Miguel Paez because George Foreman KOd them all in two rounds?

For a user who has adopted the name 'Ezzard' you seem to have incredibly naive views on boxing.

The Great John L wrote:

loaded_gloves wrote:...an obese and drug addled wreck.

Couldn't the same be said for most of the HWs in the past 30 or so years?

I think a 300lb, sky high Tony Tucker wandering dazed out of the crackhouse in 1988 could be handed a pair of gloves and defeat most the guys in the current top 10.