Best ever long time HW contender?

Those guys were real class. Trained like champions. Looked like champions.

 

He had the WBO belt.

 

Bugner was too clever a guy for his own good. Although he never said it, I think he realised really early pro boxing was a business and he treat it like one. He would fight as hard as anyone to get to “big money” then once he was there he wasn’t going to put his life on the line to win a fight. Then he would retire. Relaunch. Do the same thing. Kept his marbles. But you look who he fought. He sparred Sonny Liston. Fought Frazier, Ali, Ron Lyle, Jimmy Ellis, Greg Page, Frank Bruno, Bonecrusher Smith. Henry Cooper. Ernie shavers. He held his own.

 

Id say Tami Mauriello, Earnie Shavers, Arturo Godoy, Luis Firpo, Harry Matthews, Roland LaStarza, Cleveland Williams, Jimmy Young , Chris Arreola, Andrew Golota, Carl Williams and Gerry Cooney should also be considered

 

Great Group, yes.

throw British hope, Woodcock into the mix, from 1944 to 50, he and Mills were the British injection into HW hopes... in fact Mills was even presented as such as early as 1941.

 

Povetkin would have ruled heavyweight if the Klitschkos had not been around.

 

Archie Moore?

 

I wonder how he rates guys like Liston, Lyle etc compared to Bonecrusher Smith. In terms of power, in terms of boxing you have to also wonder with guys like Page and Ellis on his resume.

 

Yeah - good summary if you didn't really follow Bruno.
No glass jaw, just didnt know what to do when he got tagged.
Didn't get busted up by Witherspoon, he was winning until he gassed out
Later career was told not to box due to the potential of completely losing his eyesight due to a detached retina in a previous fight, hence his poor performance in the second Tyson fight - which was ultimately down to the fear created by the thought of going blind.

 

No, although unfairly denied a title shot for years, then broke & still holds the RECORD for longest time as LHW champion!

But nominate him for the Greatest Hybrid of boxing endurance + talent + humanitarian.

 

Funny how when Tommy Morrison held the WBO trinket it suddenly became a major world title.

 

Who did Mills ever beat to be considered a heavyweight contender,let alone a longtime one?

 

You make a very valid observation re: Mills he was a very poor LHW champ ( one of the worst in history ) so no way was he considered a HW contender in any shape or form, what's more he took frightful career ending beatings from many of the HWs he fought, what on earth he was doing sharing a ring with London, Woodcock, and the huge and powerful Baksi, is beyond me, he had a very brave manager, it was criminal what happened to Mills, all those around him should hang their heads in shame .
stay safe buddy.