Ten Most Intimidating Heavyweights of All Time

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 20 Jan 2007, 02:37

..joe louis...he had plenty of tough veteran fighters terrorized before they even stepped into the ring....and if they got that far without messing up their foul cup when they saw that deadpan all business no emotion destroyer coming at them, or even during the introductions they were sorry they hadn't chosen a carreer in real estate instead of prize fighting.

most well known example....king levinsky...not a great fighter by any means but he had mixed with some real punchers and had been around. he was matched with louis...before the bomber was champion...and it was an outdoor fight...and he was so terrified of even leaving his dressing room that the fight had to be put on earlier than scheduled because his handlers were afraid he'd just bolt. so...on a clear starry night the announcement was made that the main event was going on early because of the threat of rain!!! so..levinsky gets in the ring...and as soon as the bell rang he went to the ropes..sat on the middle one... and started sliding sideways....one reporter said he heard him saying to the ref "please don't let him hurt me". even it he didn't say it, he was in panic and louis hit him a couple of times and the kingfish went down and out.

HomicideHenry · Post by **HomicideHenry** » 20 Jan 2007, 03:25

I don't see Muhammad Ali being that intimidating myself. As far as Liston goes, he thought Ali was a nutcase. Mind you nobody had ever played that much theatrics in boxing until Ali came around and for someone to just start yelling and screaming like that made many think that not only was he a loud mouth, but that he had a screw loose.

A maser of psychology? Yes. Intimidating? No. His tactics didnt scare Frazier, his tactics didnt scare Foreman, didnt scare Shavers, didnt scare Norton. And Sonny obviously couldnt have been afraid of Ali else he wouldnt have agreed to fight him again---to his own testimony Liston figured that ALi was a nutcase and didnt get off the canvas until he had moved far enough away, so he wouldnt get exposed to a great shot.

If anything all Ali ever do was just make his opponents all the more pissed off at him---not scared of him.

Edit Note- Thought this list was 'most intimidating fighters', but I see that it is a HW thread, and not a list on all fighters of diff weight classes, because I was going to add Roberto Duran.

registered · Post by **registered** » 20 Jan 2007, 04:12

IrishRufusMurphy wrote:I don't see Muhammad Ali being that intimidating myself. As far as Liston goes, he thought Ali was a nutcase. Mind you nobody had ever played that much theatrics in boxing until Ali came around and for someone to just start yelling and screaming like that made many think that not only was he a loud mouth, but that he had a screw loose.

A maser of psychology? Yes. Intimidating? No. His tactics didnt scare Frazier, his tactics didnt scare Foreman, didnt scare Shavers, didnt scare Norton. And Sonny obviously couldnt have been afraid of Ali else he wouldnt have agreed to fight him again---to his own testimony Liston figured that ALi was a nutcase and didnt get off the canvas until he had moved far enough away, so he wouldnt get exposed to a great shot.

If anything all Ali ever do was just make his opponents all the more pissed off at him---not scared of him.

Edit Note- Thought this list was 'most intimidating fighters', but I see that it is a HW thread, and not a list on all fighters of diff weight classes, because I was going to add Roberto Duran.

In terms of "skills"...He sure was intimidating
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW8D6q2ChyM

in terms of "crazy" , "killer" kinda intimidation...
I'd say Tyson...then again , all of this is bullshit cause if the skills aren't there...the rest doesn't really matter.

And as good as Tyson was..He sure wasn't near ali's equal / skills..
or foreman's , lennox etc...

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 20 Jan 2007, 12:22

Earnie Shavers said in an interview that he never thought Ali was intimidating until the moment they faced each other and he was face to face with him. That has been said by a few people in way that puts Irish Rufus Murphy's statement in context. Facing him WAS intimidating but watching as a fan made it seem hard to imagine.

I will agree that Joe was not intimidated Joe's anger at Ali trumped any fear that might have manifested. Pissing Joe off was a bad idea. Joe was able to get his friend Kenny Norton into the same frame of mind from what I have read.

Foreman says he was not intimidated until George hit Ali with a body shot that George KNEW was about to send him to the canvas and nothing happened. Ali must have felt something or read George pretty well because at that exact moment he asked George twice "Is that all you got? Is that all you got?........Georger says he thought to himself "yeah that's about it" and the fight took a turn decidedly in Ali's favor from that moment on.

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 20 Jan 2007, 14:05

A decent list but dont think Willard or Baer belong.Baer normally didnt get "decent" fighters out of there quick so one can assume contenders didnt freeze against him and his skills on fights I have seen of him seem average , a good right hand but poor ring movement and a slow jab.Agree the guy could hit but if as you say a guy making his debut can beat him how intimidating is that? Willard seemed a nice big guy with little skill from fights I have seen infact I think Carnera would have beat him! To be fair ,I imagine you have read up on reports and quotes of the time and perhaps its unfair to judge from todays view point but you have to wonder about some of these old timers "Sullivan turning up drunk to fight!" why would a top fighter be intimidated by a drunk?

ebeneezer · Post by **ebeneezer** » 20 Jan 2007, 15:01

You think Fraizer,Willard and Baer were more intimidating than Dempsey?

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 20 Jan 2007, 15:01

..every time i ride the el i overhear the buzz of conversations, and 90% of them are about max baer losing to a guy making his pro debut......and now with the proliferation of cell phones i hear it even more...as i am walking along the street or in a store. i hear it most in flower shops.

re: sullivan....if a fighter is known to be drunk in many of his fights and still knocks out just about everyone he faces, i'd think that would be highly intimidating.

HomicideHenry · Post by **HomicideHenry** » 20 Jan 2007, 15:38

I was thinking last night, where is Jack Dempsey on the list? Surely Jack showed no fear against Willard, yet he's on the list.

I guess it would be intimidating facing Ali because of his skills, but for my money I think it would be more frustrating than actual intimidation, because alot of guys he faced would lose their cool because they couldnt hit him, yet he could hit them any time he wanted.

Seamus · Post by **Seamus** » 20 Jan 2007, 16:23

1. Definitely Andrew Golota if you were planning on having sex that night.

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 20 Jan 2007, 18:59

[

re: sullivan....if a fighter is known to be drunk in many of his fights and still knocks out just about everyone he faces, i'd think that would be highly intimidating.[/quote]

Perhaps it shows most of the guys he fought were rubbish! like John L.himself

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 21 Jan 2007, 04:18

...ah..yes indeed...i suppose a lot of those guys who fought to the finish under the hot sun were of little or no value at all....so the guy who beat them would have none either... yet somehow i don't feel i should stand to be corrected....

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 05:59

ok it was a tongue in cheek remark (see wink?) but . . . . . . Im sorry ,I really do think these old timers were more wrestlers than boxers.I dont wish to upset anyone on these boards ,as I know a lot of you guys respect and admire the old timers. I agree, Sullivan and his like had a ton of guts ,were tough as anything and came to fight but in my opinion thats where the similarity and comparison with "modern" fighters ends.Whatever way you look at it ,turning up drunk to fight is a bit of a joke,how good could these blokes been not to take advantage of a bad living ,unfit champ?

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 06:08

Jaclem wrote:..every time i ride the el i overhear the buzz of conversations, and 90% of them are about max baer losing to a guy making his pro debut......and now with the proliferation of cell phones i hear it even more...as i am walking along the street or in a store. i hear it most in flower shops.

re: sullivan....if a fighter is known to be drunk in many of his fights and still knocks out just about everyone he faces, i'd think that would be highly intimidating.

Ref. your mention of Baer as one of the most feared ,i was looking at you tube last night ,theres a documentry on Earnie Sahvers and Bert Gorden said only Max Baer compares in his opinion as hard a puncher.Must say this surprised me ,but then like most here I have only seen 5 or 6 of Max,s fights.I know against Galento for example,you could see Galento was hurting big time and wanted out.The thing with Baer is though ,there was always the chance Max the clown would turn up , so because of this for me personally the intimidating factor drops. Agre Joe Louis should be in ,and I would place him at no.3 in place of John L.!!

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 21 Jan 2007, 07:58

1970's Heavyweight contender Roy Tiger Williams was by all accounts a very intimidating fighter. Neither Larry Holmes or Earnie Shavers were in any rush to fight him.

Earnie Shavers himself the atom bomb fisted destroyer has stated himself that when he was staying in Philly he was nevous walking the streets in case he bumped into Big Roy.

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 08:38

KOJOE90 wrote:1970's Heavyweight contender Roy Tiger Williams was by all accounts a very intimidating fighter. Neither Larry Holmes or Earnie Shavers were in any rush to fight him.

Earnie Shavers himself the atom bomb fisted destroyer has stated himself that when he was staying in Philly he was nevous walking the streets in case he bumped into Big Roy.

Blimey! what the yanks would give to have a bloke like him now! sounds exciting!

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 08:42

icejack wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote:1970's Heavyweight contender Roy Tiger Williams was by all accounts a very intimidating fighter. Neither Larry Holmes or Earnie Shavers were in any rush to fight him.

Earnie Shavers himself the atom bomb fisted destroyer has stated himself that when he was staying in Philly he was nevous walking the streets in case he bumped into Big Roy.
Blimey! what the yanks would give to have a bloke like him now! sounds exciting!

KO JOE! ITS ALL BEEN RUINED ! Just checked out his record and our own "World beater" Richard Dunne beat him,come on mate its not April the first yet!!

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 21 Jan 2007, 08:53

icejack wrote:
icejack wrote:
KOJOE90 wrote:1970's Heavyweight contender Roy Tiger Williams was by all accounts a very intimidating fighter. Neither Larry Holmes or Earnie Shavers were in any rush to fight him.

Earnie Shavers himself the atom bomb fisted destroyer has stated himself that when he was staying in Philly he was nevous walking the streets in case he bumped into Big Roy.
Blimey! what the yanks would give to have a bloke like him now! sounds exciting!
KO JOE! ITS ALL BEEN RUINED ! Just checked out his record and our own "World beater" Richard Dunne beat him,come on mate its not April the first yet!!

Yeah, thats a bit of a strange result really. I heard Dunn just boxed a smart fight and outworked Williams. maybe it was a southpaw thing as well?

However Roy Williams was still an very intimidating fighter from what I have read and seen of him and to be fair Sonny Liston lost to Marty Marshall and nobody doubts Listons ability to intimidate.

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 09:14

Fair point,but as you say very odd, Always thought Bonecrusher looked a real intimidating guy ,stood near him when he was in London to fight Bruno, he was a massive man ,Bruno was big but with bodybuilding ,Bone crusher was just a huge man. And a real puncher

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 21 Jan 2007, 09:19

icejack wrote:Fair point,but as you say very odd, Always thought Bonecrusher looked a real intimidating guy ,stood near him when he was in London to fight Bruno, he was a massive man ,Bruno was big but with bodybuilding ,Bone crusher was just a huge man. And a real puncher

Not a Heavyweight, but do you remember Andy Till the Britsh Light- Middleweight? I always thought he looked really mean and intimidating.

Jaclem · Post by **Jaclem** » 21 Jan 2007, 15:00

..icejack......i just want to clarify one point....while i think max was a hard puncher and on a good night was formidable i don't think he belongs near the top of a "most intimidating" list....

re: sullivan....okay....i'm not into the pioneers all that much...my point was that in his time he scared many of the guys he fought. i'm not comparing him....or them.....to the more modern boxers. that's a subject for a different thread..

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 16:00

KOJOE90 wrote:
icejack wrote:Fair point,but as you say very odd, Always thought Bonecrusher looked a real intimidating guy ,stood near him when he was in London to fight Bruno, he was a massive man ,Bruno was big but with bodybuilding ,Bone crusher was just a huge man. And a real puncher
Not a Heavyweight, but do you remember Andy Till the Britsh Light- Middleweight? I always thought he looked really mean and intimidating.

Andy Till ? he was my mates milkman! evil looking bloke ,i remember saying to my mate ,"I bet you pay him on time!" my mate was a bit of a sod for not paying back loans!! He came from Northolt and he was tough but a bit one paced and limited in skills see him fight at a hotel in London .On the bill was another intimidating looking guy ,black fighter from Preston called Ian Bayliss,remember him?

icejack · Post by **icejack** » 21 Jan 2007, 16:02

Jaclem wrote:..icejack......i just want to clarify one point....while i think max was a hard puncher and on a good night was formidable i don't think he belongs near the top of a "most intimidating" list....

re: sullivan....okay....i'm not into the pioneers all that much...my point was that in his time he scared many of the guys he fought. i'm not comparing him....or them.....to the more modern boxers. that's a subject for a different thread..

OK Jac ,point taken mate

hebrew_hammer · Post by **hebrew_hammer** » 23 Jan 2007, 17:30

Actually, I always thought Shavers was intimidiating. He was a pretty mean looking guy, and you always knew he could finish someone with one shot.

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 23 Jan 2007, 18:03

The most intimidating fighters in my opinion are guys who have the best conditioning and stamina.
The big bangers are preceived by the fans as being very ferocious and they are dangerous ,but some could slow down as the fight went on or didnt always have the best chins or recuprative powers.
A guy like George Chuvalo who was hard to hurt or discourage , who kept coming round after round , who tested your will and conditioning , could be a real drag to fight.Ya cant relax.
Just another opinion.
Some of the huge punchers with the bully type personnas could fall apart a bit psychologicaly if you can take them into deep water. Some cant adjust.

HomicideHenry · Post by **HomicideHenry** » 24 Jan 2007, 17:50

Max Baer: He killed two men, so they say. He hit harder than anyone, so they say. A year after losing the World Heavyweight Championship, he got outboxed by a guy making his pro debut, so they say. Max Baer was a fighter of myth, a showman, a killer. He was feared

Yeah but take into consideration that Baer had fought 25 men in a 3 month period of time, sure most were mediocre, but that's sure as hell to burn out someone. Plus, I think maybe Max could have thrown it, I mean with his power and all, I don't think he would want to hurt someone who was just starting out---and he was also doing his exhibition tour.

It might go down in the records as a loss, but there's alot to consider.