Question: Who do you think is the WORST Heavyweight Champion In History?

I totally agree. Frustrating though that both Douglas & Ruiz showed such great potential in winning the belts in the way that they did only to pretty much throw it all away.

That for me personally is a more defining reason for using the term "worst" Champion rather than fighters who just never really made the grade for reasons other than that.

 

lol! Wilder landed 75 punches on Fury in their first match compared to Fury landing 85 shots,Wilder landed counter jabs on Fury, no way Could Valuev could have done that, Wilder has more one punch KO`s than Valuev had and would have destroyed him, no way could Valuev have knocked Fury down and nearly finish him.

 

Parker is far quicker than Valuev was.

 

If Wilder tries to KO Valuev he will gas and get KOed himself. He could stun him temporarily, but the blue print to beat Valuev is to move in land quick punches and move out. Wilder can't box and will never execute this game plan.

 

post joe louis, since i don't know the old timers. but would probably consider Canera (of those who succesfully defended at least once) just based on his suspicious career and low esteem among experts at the time.

i consider based on the following critera:
championship resume
h2h potential
entertainment value (or more lack thereof)

champs who SUCCESFULLY defended at least once post joe louis who i think are in the discussion. no secondary champs bc those aren't the champ:

John Ruiz (mostly for just being ugly as hell to watch but h2h he would be able to win stinker decisions too much to be the worst)
Nicholai Valuev (also ugly to watch, some shady decisions, and unimpressive resume but still his physical gifts make him h2h better than some of the others imo)
Francisco Damiani (wasn't considered a real champion at the time by most though now retroactively is considered one. h2h pretty low on the list but he wasn't terrible to watch)
Henry Akinwande (definitely a contender)
Sultan Ibragimov (beat briggs, defended once then got dominated by wlad. h2h bottom of the barrel for me)
Joseph Parker (i think he lost to ruiz, ugly boring fights against Hughie and AJ)

For me, I think it's gotta be Ibragimov, Parker or Akinwande

 

Haye hurt Valuev, Wilder would hit him at will, Valuev benefitted from his huge reach but Wilder`s reach is far longer than any reach of Valuev`s opponents, Wildder is superior to prime Valuev in every department, Ortiz would have handled Vluev with ease and is far beter than anybody Valuev beat.

 

Akinwande maybe, probably not Parker who is ordinary but not that bad, and definitely not Ibragimov, who is actually underrated and often beat men much bigger than himself.

Sultan had excellent boxing skills, developed in the amateurs fighting in the "under 200" category. He won a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics. However he was somewhat too small for pro heavyweight (or amateur super heavyweight).

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I am shocked nobody has mentioned Bentt.

 

Deontay Wilder is the obvious choice here.

 

Stiverne

 

That's not saying much. Telephone poles are quicker and more mobile than Valuev.

 

Indeed.

When you have a champion who held the belt that long, ducked undisputed against a fairly average unified champion and spent most of his reign knocking out journeymen... It's got to count for something.

Normally longevity is a sign of strength, but when your longevity comes as a result of cowardice in matchmaking it suggests a deep seated disbelief in your own ability to step up.

 

But he had title defenses. I'd say Braddock.

 

Haye stunned him for a split second in the 12th and Haye is a much better boxer than Wilder.
In which department is Wilder superior to Valuev? Only speed.

 

Poor Wilder believed in himself but he's not an intelligent man. His handlers Jay Deas and Shelly Finkel were well aware of his shortcomings, and matched him very carefully.

I've always said Wilder is very similar to the heavyweight boxer in the movie The Harder They Fall (1956). He's a simple-minded schmuck who was managed by some sleazy con men who were not honest with him.