BoxRec

I did a search and turned up no other threads like this.

I'm thinking Jerry Quarry.

Harry Wills

I seem to recall this topic being discussed several times before, but whatever.

If you don't count the black HW title:

Langford
Wills
Jackson, P.
Jeanette
Sharkey, T.
McVey
Quarry

I think Harry Wills, Elmer Ray from all acounts was a real talent.

Frank Slavin sounded like a tough old SOB and perhaps under other
circumstances could have held the title, which as an Aussie would have
been cool.

Jerry Quarry is up there most certainly.

Earnie Shavers and Ron Lyle in another era would most likely
would have won the strap but I doubt wither would have held
onto it for very long.

Kym

Sam Langford.

Well, if we're just talking about the linear title (which is the only one that matters) you'd have to toss in the following names for contention...

Kenny Norton
Jerry Quarry
Jimmy Young
Ron Lyle
Sam Langford

The one who I think would do the best overall against these guys I think is Norton. So I'll say him.

PFP Sam Langford
Head To Head Ike Ibeabuchi

Sam Langford was not a real heavyweight.

I will go with Joe Jeannette, Harry Wills or Jerry Quarry

He did alot of work at LH also , but Jimmy Bivins was a helluva fighter.

Earnie Shaver
For Ken Norton I don't think you can count him as the best heavyweight fighter to never win the title because he was awarded the WBC title after Leon Spinks was stripped for refusing to fight Norton in the first place.

Ali was still the linear champion, though. So Norton doesn't have a place amongst the championship tree, hence he's eligible.

I'm not too impressed with Earnie Shavers. He didn't have anything serious beyond his punch. Those others like Langford, Quarry, Ibeabuchi were multi-skilled & had other talents. Shavers didn't.

Of course, he cleaned out Norton in a round. But both were old by then.

mcrow wrote:I did a search and turned up no other threads like this.

I'm thinking Jerry Quarry.

Quarry is as good as any who never won a belt. And better than a lot who did.

Some Heavyweight champions Quarry might've beaten...

Jimmy Braddock
Tommy Burns
Primo Carnera
Marvin Hart
Hasim Rahman
Jack Sharkey

Robinson wrote:Frank Slavin sounded like a tough old SOB and perhaps under other
circumstances could have held the title, which as an Aussie would have
been cool.

Slavin is an excellent choice. A few others from that era would be Killen and Godfrey.

jerry quarry

Sam "Blue Balls" Callahan comes to mind.

Jerry Quarry DEFINITELY.

But then you'll also have to look at Rex Layne.

I think the top choice would have to be someone who displayed championship calibre ability but never got his big shot. Quarry was an excellent fighter but he had NUMEROUS attempts to break out of his stigma as "the guy who can't win the big ones" and he never did . . in the case of the Ali and Frazier fights, he didn't even get close.

It's hard to judge but I'd say Willis is #1. I'm not sure if he could've defeated Dempsey but he certaintly had the credentials to get his shot, and at his best would've certaintly been Dempsey's toughest career opponent.

If we're only counting linear fighters I'd put Norton up there as well. I reckon in legit fights George Godfrey could've beaten several of the "caretaker" champs of the early 1930s (Schmeling, Carnera, Braddock, Baer) . . .possibly all of them.

Seamus wrote:PFP Sam Langford
Head To Head Ike Ibeabuchi

Ahh.. seven posts until he was mentioned...

Decagon wrote:I've always thought that "holding a belt" isn't much of an indicator of greatness. Jerry Quarry never "held a belt," but some extremely weak fighters whose records don't come anywhere near Quarry's did, like Frank Bruno, Vitali Klitschko, and anyone who's held a WBO belt at heavyweight besides Bowe, Moorer and Byrd.

Whats wrong with Tommy Morrison?

Decagon wrote:

elmersalsa wrote:Sam Langford was not a real heavyweight.

I will go with Joe Jeannette, Harry Wills or Jerry Quarry

He had no trouble beating two of those three fighters.

Wills beat him about 8 times though.

kovit wrote:Earnie Shaver
For Ken Norton I don't think you can count him as the best heavyweight fighter to never win the title because he was awarded the WBC title after Leon Spinks was stripped for refusing to fight Norton in the first place.

He never won it. Was awarded to him.

Oscar Bonavena
Joe Bugner
Gerry Cooney
Luis Firpo
Arturo Godoy
Ike Ibeabuchi
Joe Jeannette
Doug Jones
Sam Langford
Roland La Starza
Rex Layne
Ron Lyle
Gregorio Peralta
Jerry Quarry
Niño Valdés
Harry Wills

wsbuf wrote:

kovit wrote:Earnie Shaver
For Ken Norton I don't think you can count him as the best heavyweight fighter to never win the title because he was awarded the WBC title after Leon Spinks was stripped for refusing to fight Norton in the first place.

He never won it. Was awarded to him.

Isn't that the definition of winning something? ;)

Hmmm I wouldn't say so. But won't argue the point.