The weakest lineal heavyweight champ

Floyd Patterson and Ingemar Johansson deserve a mention.

 

Patterson is not really a weak champion in my opinion. He was the first in history who reclaimed the Heavyweight title, had exceptional handspeed and good overall skills. He may not be a top 10 ATG Heavyweight, but in my opinion he is not among the "weakest lineal champions".

 

Now that I think about it as a champion Sharkey is shakey.

The Boston Gob might have been a great contender but for this thread we are asking about what he was like as a champion. To become champion JAck Sharkey was awarded a gift decision against max Schmeling and was then knocked out by Primo Carnera.

I never considered it until just now. I still think Shannon Briggs is weaker though.

 

Seriously, Jack Sharkey’s resume pisses those of a lot of lineal champions.

Even if we hold the circumstances under which he won the title against him, didn’t the reverse happen to him in the previous Schmeling fight?

Despite his inconsistency, he had an incredible run of form at his peak.

He was actually a remarkable fighter.

 

I agree, SHarkey was a remarkable fighter but as a champion it did not work out for him. He had already peaked and was therefore weak winning and losing the title.

 

I am not disputing anything you say, but I thought that we were coming at it from a different angle i.e. a quality fighter with a weak reign would not be a candidate.

 

If we judge them on their reign, Michael Moorer would rank very low. He barely deserved the decision against Holyfield, who was clearly fighting injured. And then KO'd by old Foreman in his first defence.

 

Honestly, I think it was probably Tommy Burns, all 5 foot 7 of him. Or Ingemar Johannson...big right hand, not much else. I think many of the guys being discussed here would beat these two.

 

Burns should not be mentioned nor should Patterson.

By weakest we are talking poorest/least talented correct? The list should include...Briggs, Rachman, Carnera, Braddock, L Spinks.

 

Did Michael Spinks have a strong reighn? Great LH champ but he did not beat old HOlmes that second time and wound up avoiding TOny TUcker then getting blasted in one round against the next world class heavyweight.

 

Michael Spinks had a better reign than Sharkey and Moorer.

 

Floyd's got many defenders here, so I'll address Ingo. I believe he can be argued to have a better professional resume than Patterson at the time he blasted Floyd for the world title. He also regained the EBU HW Title from Dick Richardson after losing the rubber match to Floyd. Johansson also knew when to get out. Machen, Erskin II, Cavicchi, Ten Hoff, Cooper, Richardson, Bygraves and Patterson I represent eight knockout wins which clearly surpass Leon's two quality HW stoppages over Evangelista and Mercado. Had two EBU HW reigns over a span of half a dozen years, straddling his world title win and loss.

While I certainly didn't buy Ingo as an IBHOF inductee, I think he was very clearly stronger than Leon. Head to head, Johansson also would have done to the Leon of Ali I what Coetzee did, and what Ingo himself did to Machen.

 

Yeah, I like Ingo and Floyd.
I just think they are probably in the bottom third of the linear heavyweight champions.

 

Shouldn't you first define for us who is a linear champion ? :yep

 

I think he was a surprisingly good heavyweight. I thought an aroused and infuriated Holmes would have crushed him as Larry earlier did brother Leon when they rematched. And Bob Foster never came close to stopping a heavyweight anywhere near the caliber of Tangstad.

Regarding Moorer, he did thoroughly dominate Foreman until George's dramatic come from behind knockout, and Dundee was prepared to stop it earlier. ["George, are you all right?"] Nobody else dominated Foreman quite like that during his second career. Three times, he claimed HW title recognition. He had far too much success against far too many good opponents over far too long a span of time to be a valid candidate here.

Head to head, no matter how well he trains, and how well he follows the instructions of a Sam Solomon or George Benton, the fact is that Leon's competitive experience and skills never matched those of Schmeling or Sharkey at the time of their rivalry.

Just now, I looked at Sharkey's swan song against Louis. Despite being flat footed, having long lost the spring his legs had in the 1920s, and clearly diminished badly, I still see enough skill and experience necessary to school any version of Leon, even in 1936. Leon does not dethrone the Sharkey of Carnera II.