Worst duck in the history of the heavyweight division?

Disclaimer: I do understand that there are outside circumstances (political, financial) preventing some of these fights from happening, the word "duck" in this case is used as a term describing a scenario where a champion for one reason or another refused to meet his #1 challenger in the ring.

And even though Patterson-Liston did eventually happen, Listons shot was long overdue.

 

For some reason I was unable to make a poll, these are the options:

Johnson - Langford

Dempsey - Wills

Patterson - Liston

Ali - Norton (4th fight)

Holmes - Page

Bowe - Lewis



Feel free to add more.

 

Sullivan v Jackson
Corbett v Jackson
Jeffries v Johnson
Braddock v Schmeling

 

Chicken Bowe running scared of Lewis.

 

http://img.thesun.co.uk/aidemitlum/archive/01770/bowe_1770566a.jpg

 

A boy in a man's body ,trained by a genius ,but unfortunately managed by a pr*ck!

 

I don't see how Ali-Norton 4 is a duck? :roll:

I'm sure there were worse ducks than refusing to fight someone FOUR times.

For example, refusing to fight your number-one contender because of his skin color (Dempsey-Wills) is pretty bad.

But I think the Klitschkos refusing to fight each other - when they were unquestionably the two best heavyweights for nearly 10 years - was one of the worst mutually agreed upon "ducks" for the sport of boxing ever.

I understand why they didn't fight. However, it all but killed heavyweight boxing for a whole generation of fans who came to the sport in the 2000s. They preferred instead to hold all the belts like the heavyweight championship was a tag team title instead of one undisputed champ. If one guy lost, the other would avenge him. And they were happy to leave it at that. Like they were one and the same.

That "duck" (for lack of a better word) on both their parts did incredible harm to boxing.

To me, the Klitschkos' decision for the two best heavyweights over a 10-year period to pair up, split the title, and never fight each other, might be at the top for worst heavyweight ducks in my lifetime.

 

For example, refusing to fight your number-one contender because of his skin color (Dempsey-Wills) is pretty bad.

Wills ducked everybody else in the HW division of the time. Most people would agree that Wills would have been slapped silly by a 165 MW, who beat the HW's Wills didn't fight.
The truth be told, Wills didn't make the case for a Dempsey fight. He had two chances to get the public behind him and failed, in the Firpo and the Sharkey fight. Rickard gave him two shots, one against a hittable brawler, who had been KTFO by Dempsey, in two rds. The Firpo vid tells it all, there was nothing special in Wills. The second fight the winner got Dempsey, and Wills didn't win, Sharkey the winner instead got the shot.

 

lineal title matches that never happened

Sullivan vs Jackson
Johnson vs Langford
Johnson vs Jeannette
Johnson vs McVey
Dempsey vs Wills

 

Seamus's Grandfather was a newspaper magnate?

 

There are plenty of opposing views on the matter, ck those out. Even as far to say in some where Wills and management weren't exactly helpful in making the fight happen.
A Good example, he was given the opportunity to shine vs Firpo, haad he looked like a beast and destroyed Firpo as did Dempsey, he would've had a better case but he didn't he looked mediocre.

 

Tyson running from george like a chicken

 

Peanut vs pinklon thomas