Best heavyweight to never win a world title?

The obvious answer is David Price

 

For some reason I actually didn’t think Briggs ever won a world title.

 

Some of the names that suggest themselves:

Peter Jackson
Joe Chonyski
Sam Langford
Sam McVea
Joe Jeanette
Harry Wills
Larry Gaines
George Godfrey
Elmer Ray
Jimmy Bivins
Nino Valdez
Zora Foley
Eddie Machen
Cleveland Williams
Jerry Quarry
Ron Lyle
Earnie Shavers
Jerry Cooney
Razor Ruddock
David Tua
Ike Ibeabucchi
Alexander Povetkin

I am sure I missed a few

 

Povetkin.

 

Not only Ruiz, but Briggs was knocked out cold that night. And he was laid out not by a monster like Tua but by Darrol Wilson.

And yeah, it's crazy that two guys that got demolished that night eventually won the titles while Golota and Tua didn't

 

Axel Schulz.

 

Shavers

 

I think the question is kinda irrelevant these days with sooo many belts about. In theory Wilder was a belt holder with about 10 defenses yet doesn't even have one respectable win and lost badly every time he stepped up. Povetkin fought in the same era and had a complete Mickey Mouse belt (does that count?) yet he has a very impressive cv.

Belts all in all get massively overrated among the boxing community I think. Look at Ali vs frazier 2. There was no belt on the line then. And that's one of the most important fights ever.

 

I know but Wlad had the super title.

 

I'd probably go with David Tua.

Tua stopped four heavweight champions - John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Oleg Maskaev and Michael Moorer.

Tua also only received one title shot - against Lennox Lewis - and lost a 12-round decision.

Guys like Jameel McCline got four title shots (one at each title) against four different champs. Tua should've had more than one crack at it, all things being equal.



Povetkin is certainly in the mix. But, unlike Tua, Povetkin was offered and agreed to a lot of title shots. He just didn't win or even bother to show up for some.

Wlad offered him mandatory shots in 2008 and again in 2010, the purse bids were completed, the dates set, and both times (which his trainer Teddy Atlas admitted to) they faked an injury/backed out because Atlas didn't think Povetkin could win. Povetkin was offered a third shot at Wlad in Russia in 2013, and Povetkin was dropped four times and humiliated. Povetkin was offered a fourth mandatory shot, this time against Wilder in 2016 in Russia, Povetkin blew his drug test for that fight (as well as his drug test for his next fight that same year) and the title fight was cancelled. Povetkin got a fifth title shot against Anthony Joshua in 2018, where he was floored twice and stopped.

If Tua had received five title shots, I'm pretty sure he would've made it to the ring for all five (unlike Povetkin) and likely would've won something.

Tua was pretty ferocious until he got too old. At one point, he was 52-3-1.

Povetkin didn't get ferocious until he clearly started dabbling in PEDs after the Wlad loss to extend his career.

Povetkin had his chances. Tua really only got one.

 

Zeljko Mavrovic in with a shout?

 

Seems like everyone is mentioning Tua. Well if put Tua out there you gotta put Ron Lyle and Ken Norton.
Norton was the WBC champ, but he never won it in a fight, as in "he never won a title fight".

 

No. His resume in winning column was awful. If Francis and Saleta are your biggest wins, you can literally find about 300 former HW contenders with far better resumes.

Guys like Francis and Saleta wouldn't make top 10 wins in Tua's or Quarry's resumes