These fellas were not top 100 all-time Hwts.

Thompson fights Saturday against Carlos Takam perhaps wait and the results of that fight may push him in? He had 10 year run where his only two defeats were to Wlad. His resume is still a little soft, but two wins over espn prospect of the year Price and former gold medalist Solis, an underachieving overeater, do help.
Schreck very interesting choice! Kind of out of left field but I like it.

 

I am not a big fan of Clarke (dont really know why) so i am going to repush Dooley.

I have read that Mick Dooley beat (though i admit the details are very sketchy and perhaps not 100percent reliable)

Peter Jackson, Bob Fitzsimmons, Larry Foley(old), Joe Goddard, Paddy Slavin, Tom Lees, Jim Hall, Dan Creedon, Admittedly, most of these were pre prime and sometimes in 4 rounders that were avenged, but that is a pretty good record, i would have thought.

 

I hope you will both be very happy.

 

If names like Dooley and Schreck are up for consideration ,I think Larry Gains should be.

He beat two future heavyweight champions in Schmeling and Carnera,both are in, another nominee, George Godfrey, and also Bud Gorman and Phil Scott,Rojas, Renault , and McCorkindale.
Jack Sharkey would never fight him.

 

Larry Gains was a fine fighter who often gets overlooked even though I don't place too much stock in his win over Schmeling. Schmeling was very green and not a fully developed man yet. I think he was still a teenager at light heavy. He does have a Dq win over Godfrey who was dirty fighter so it was probably justified. He also cleanly beat Primo. Tough call maybe on the back end it's fair to include him with the Dooly's and Schreks as a candidate.

 

I dont know if Gains was under orders in any fights but he entitled his autobiography" The Impossible Dream",an allusion to his not getting a title fight. I found it a very good read ,but made the mistake of lending it to someone ,never seen it since.
Gains was a very nice man whom I briefly met.I asked him about Carnera and he just chuckled, he said Dempsey was murder to spar with, couldn't pull punches and didn't try.

 

I agree on the guys I colored green for top 100.

The tough one is Valuev, as he received at least two gift decisions on fights on my card.

Pulev is still too new to rate.

 

I would not vote for the guys in orange.

 

of this list

Loughran--can't see a good case for keeping him off. Defeated more champions and top contenders than any other non-champion.

Denver Ed Martin--I don't see either what he did to get on a top 100 list.

McCarty--Good point. His record is very short and rather spotty. Putting him on is on the basis of potential, not achievement.

John Tate--His only top win was against Coetzee, but was really crushed by Weaver and Berbick, and vanished from the competitive heavyweight scene. Has a good won-lost record but only because he simply stopped fighting not only top men but even journeymen. I don't think he belongs.

Young Stribling--good call also. He would rate at lightheavy, but at heavy didn't really beat many good men. Risko seems his top heavy scalp. Has a great statistical record because he fought so many second-raters and set-ups, and even rumored tank jobs. His one win over a champion, Carnera, was a probable fix. I honestly don't think he belongs.

I think Gains, Uzcudun, Valdes, Schreck, and, by the way, Firpo, have stronger cases for making a top 100.

 

Mike Schreck--can't argue that Phil Jack O'Brien has a better case, as he beat Schreck several times,

Begs the question of how Schreck rates against the field for a top 100 pick.

He has these fights on his resume-

11-29-1902 Tommy Burns Won 10
1-16-1903 Tommy Burns Won 10
2-24-1904 Tommy Burns Draw 6

3-5-1906 Marvin Hart Won 4
5-30-1907 Marvin Hart KO 21
7-26-1909 Marvin Hart KO 4

So he fought six fights against heavyweight champions and went 5-0-1.

I think that probably should earn him a top 100 spot. Can anyone think of any other non-champion who had six fights against champions and did this well.

He also KO'd George Gardner in 20. Schreck has his share of messy losses, especially late in his career when he was getting pretty shopworn, but he is an interesting candidate.

*There is no doubt that his very name meant terror to many.

 

Melio Bettina

I think deserves a discussion.

He moved up into the heavyweight division in early 1941 and over the next six years would go 24-1-1 and rise to the #1 contender ranking in 1944. For some hard to fathom reason, for he was not losing to anyone and fought every year, The Ring only put him in the top ten one other year, 1946.

His only loss and only draw during this run were to Jimmy Bivins. He also had a win over Bivins. So he went 1-1-1 against a prime Jimmy Bivins.

During this run, he defeated Buddy Knox, Red Burman, Pat Valentino, Harry Bobo (2), Gus Dorazio, Lou Brooks, Buddy Walker, Curtis Sheppard, and Eddie Blunt among the heavies, and Mose Brown and Booker Beckwith among the lightheavies.

In 1947 he was blown out in 59 seconds by Gus Lesnevich, the probable reason he has vanished from consideration for a top 100 spot.

I think he is a fair candidate. Other opinions?