Better All-Around Fighter: Primo Carnera or Riddick Bowe?

The bottom line is Riddick Bowe was a more formidable heavyweight. A better puncher and a 'natural fighter'.
I'd hesistate to say he was much better than Primo in "all round" skills, as much as I liked Bowe's style, as I mentioned a couple times already he proved way too easy to hit, so not much on the defense side of things. "All around" would mean quite a bit of emphasis on defense but against his better opponents who went a few rounds Bowe tended to out-fight them, out-punch them and out-last them.

 

Primo stepped out of that stage long before he was a real contender beating Neusel, Laughran, Uzcudun, Sharkey, Godfrey, Seal Harris, Laskey, Maloney and many others. It's total Hollywood hogwash to say that it isn't.

 

Yes, joshua was the house fighter for each of those 18 build up fights. He barely took a punch in anger, and neither would any world class fighter from any era. They we're glorified build up learning fights. Same as most unknown 20-0 prospects fight in their first fights.

 

Yeah, Primo probably beats all of them.
But the question was who and how many "super-heavyweights" did Carnera actually beat ?

 

I've corrected about 3 posts in which you've given false info ,you haven't even acknowledged it! Loughran,Sharkey ,Uzcudun were title fights Neusel was after he had been champion.Godfrey likely had the cuffs on,Seal Harris was Carnera's sparring partner! Do you even look at what you type?

 

That may or may not be the case but in either event how does that address my question about how many "super" heavyweights Carnera faced?

 

I will tell you how I think superheavyweights past and present stack up against each other, and some people might not like what I have to say. I am omitting Fury and Joshua, because they are still works in progress.

In terms of resume I rank them thus:

1. Lewis
2. Wlad
3. Bowe
4. Carnera
5. Willard
6. Vitally

Head to head I rank them thus:

1. Lewis
2. Wlad
3. Vitally
4. Bowe
5. Willard
6. Carnera

In terms of technical completenessI rank them thus:

1. Lewis
2. Carnera
3. Vitally
4. Wlad
5. Bowe
6. Willard

In terms of optimising their use of their physical advantages I rank them thus:

1. Lewis
2. Carnera
3. Wlad
4. Vitally
5. Willard
6. Bowe

So there you have it. There has been an advance in superheavyweights, but it is not what people think it is. Carnera stacks up well against anybody from a technical standpoint, but he finishes low on the head to head list, because neither his power nor his durability was outstanding. Willard for contrast might be as strong as anybody in terms of power and durability, but he lacked killer instinct.

 

He fought a lot of men over 220 and Paulino Uzcudun was 229 in their title fight but as well as that Primo fought guys like 6'7" Ray impellitierre 270lb, 6'9" Jose Santa 265lb, 6'6" Vittorio Campolo 235lb, Seal Harris, big boy brackey, 240lb George Godfrey, big boy Peterson, Bear cat Wright who were all SHW boxers by any standard.

Altogether including men over 220lb it must be 30 or so of his opponents but I can't check all of them because boxrec is not what it was.

 

I applaud this post. Very brave and very true.

 

How many of them were any good?

 

Do you think Fury and Klitschko also "paw" and "slap?"

Because both guys often don't shoot the jab sharply from the shoulder. When a big SHW even sticks their arm out and taps you with their fist, it can do lots of damage.

I think most of your post is a super poor analysis. Undeservedly harsh against chamionship level fighters. And one sided towards modern fighters, whom I can do an easier job at picking apart in this manner, had I been motivated by unjustified bias.

But so we don't get bogged down, would love to start with your "paw and slap" point.