Fingers crossed for BJS

No, you're talking generalized averages; it varies by individual for heavyweights. He individually was prime when he got a gift over Comeback Foreman in 1997 (when he was a couple of weeks from his 26th birthday and Foreman a couple of months from his 49th) and he certainly wasn't somehow better or "more prime" years later. He did pick up his biggest legitimate victory in 2006 but that was pure dumb luck; he lost almost every second of every round until Liakhovich gassed and then like an idiot failed to simply get on his bike or clinch.

 

False. Briggs was only a couple rounds down against Liakhovich.

 

On what the official judges' cards? Nice BoxRec research but I actually watched the fight.

Briggs did literally nothing but whiff and get outboxed for eleven rounds.

 

You do realize that was a Don King promotion and that Briggs was King's second most lucrative heavyweight asset at the time (after Sam Peter), right? But yeah by all means trust the official judges' cards on a DKP card to have not been overly generous to a DKP heavyweight. Whatever floats your boat...

 

Liakovich got drilled in early in the 12th and was out of it for the rest of the round. It wasn't a case of him gassing randomly.

Briggs also made Mercer take a dive before that fight and, fwiw, Wlad was the only guy since Lewis to get a W over him in a span of about a decade.

 

It was in Jersey. More homefield than a conspiracy. I vaguely remember both guys looking like **** for most of that fight.

 

Got drilled because he gassed, from circling Briggs and landing pot-shots at will until then. After the knockdown is when he should've either tied up or just kicked into a lateral trot for 2+ minutes. Instead he just plodded away in second gear and tried engaging with counters, stupidly.

 

The White Wolf didn't look great but he was (regardless of the cooked Don King scorecards) pitching a clear shutout until he got dropped (and later in the round stopped) IMO.

 

I had it 105-104 Liakhovich going into the 12th.

Briggs 1,4,8,9 & 11 Liakhovich 2,3,5,6,7 & 10

 

Eh, I'd give it a fresh rewatch/score but really would rather bore through my skull with a power drill than watch a Briggs or Liakhovich fight (let alone the worst of both worlds)

My memory may through the fog of time have come to overstate Liakhovich's dominance as far as the granular RBR breakdown but I do remember thinking he should've been guaranteed a comfortable win (even with the knockdown) if he could've only finished on his feet.

 

Fair is fair bro, I like Saunders but whatever is said he has coming. If for nothing else then how he crucified Canelo after the "tainted meat" bs, it's only fair. So Billy Blow Saunders it is.

 

Regardless, if you put old Briggs up against the opponents he fought when he was young, he wouldn't fare well:
1. Probably takes out Wilson because Wilson spent his career being knocked out.
2. Foreman outworks him. Old Briggs would not be comfortable landing the 15 punches per round needed to have a chance in that fight.
3. Lewis does what Vitali did.
4. Puncher's chance against Botha.

 

Agreed it really was a ho hum fight Briggs was blowing hard and doing very little, but Liakhovich fought nothing like he did against Brewster when he won the title. He was a whirling dervish that night 7 months prior against Brewster.

 

Yeah, bottom line is 33 wasn't his "prime". He may have still been serviceable but it wasn't like that version was an improvement over the '97 version.

 

The only improvement was his ability to not get stopped...same deal with Old Foreman compared to the 70s.