Pick The Darkhorse Heavyweight GOAT.

This is cool, I’ll try and think of something is it just ranking purely based at HW or could we use say Patterson / Holyfields fights against bigger guys to angle them for a higher “overall” ranking?

 

My vote is for this guy. Three time Olympic gold medalist that had size, speed, power and the amateur pedigree to make legit noise. Savon was also a hell of a good fighter but it's Stevenson for me.

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Here I go Wladimir Klitschko:
Dominated his competition no close calls or competitive fights like other champs

In terms of resume the fighters he beat were mostly all prime and imo the toughest H2H of any long reigning champ

Beat all styles proving he would do well in any H2H

Is proven against Southpaws unlike many other HW champs

I can go on but thats my pick

 

John L. Sullivan as the GOAT, if you’re being liberal with what’s defined as a title defense during that period then Sullivan would have like 50.

Would I personally argue him as GOAT or even being close? No, but it’s a darkhorse thread ain’t it?

 

I don't know enough but John L but he doesn't seem to even show up in a discussion.

 

Rocky Marciano. No I DONT really think he’s the GOAT.. But if we have to find an unlikely candidate to make a case for then he’s the only undefeated linear champion to ever live. Had the highest KO percentage for decades before wilder broke it. Has a great record against hall of fame opposition as well. And yes I know his best opponents were in the twilight of their career and his reign as champion was short. But there are worse candidates

 

Wlad has a better argument as the GOAT than he does being outside the Top Ten.

 

In my youth John L. Sullivan, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano and, of course, Joe Louis were often mentioned as the greatest all-time heavyweights. Since then we have Ali, Holmes, Tyson, Lewis, W. Klitschko and Usyk to add to the list of those sometimes mentioned in GOAT conversations. Eliminating those eleven and trying to find a dark horse is difficult.

I am going to go with the "Little Giant of Hanover", Tommy Burns. Burns won the heavyweight belt in 1906. Like Ali and Louis he was an active champ who made 13 successful defenses over a 30 month span. Like Usyk, the 5'7" Canadian was almost always at a size disadvantage but was able to get the job done. Burns didn't enjoy home cooking, winning title fights in the Unites States, England, Ireland, France and Australia. At a time when it was almost unthinkable Burns gave a Black man, Jack Johnson, a chance at the championship. Johnson took Burns title via 14 round decision.

Tommy Burns was a boxer to be admired and I nominate him as the dark horse heavyweight GOAT.

 

Would either be Lewis or Marciano because both men beat everyone they ever met at the highest level. Both had power in both fists and the skills necessary to compete w anyone.

 

How long before the Foremanics come out of the sticks to hype up being Holyfields punching bag and beating Moorer?

 

Would you be opposed to Lenny Lewis?

 

If I’m trying to make Lennox the HW #1 guy…You can argue Lennox Lewis has the best single win at HW of the top HW champions? He was 37 and Vitali basically never lost a round afterwards in the post LL division, that was whilst being largely perceived as the best HW in the world till he retired, imagine if Ali beat idk Holmes? I mean Ali’s best win is… a Shot Frazier 2? Then it’s Foreman and Old apparently busted Shouldered Liston? Id take Klitschko, Tua and 90s Holyfield x2 over those guys H2H and in terms of value for “greatness” Louis has… Walcott, Schemling and Baer? Holmes has a lot of good B tier wins similar to Louis, Ali and Tyson but 0 of them have win like Klitschko. His demolition job on Ruddock, Golota and Briggs are all just as valuable as Norton, Lyle, Young… I actually think the case for LL > Ali is stronger than I originally thought, McCall is plain as day premature IMO and Rahman? Ali was basically stopped by Cooper, Angelo technically cheated, Ali was beaten by Norton x3 in some people’s eyes, Young and Shavers… LL unlike Ali set the record straight conclusively Ali never rematched Young, didn’t beat Frazier without illegally holding on like a Greco Wrestler and loads of people again thought he lost to Norton 3x - Ali has a bunch of guys like Ellis, Williams, Terrell, Folley, Patterson and Bonavena but I wonder what they’d be ranked in the 80s-90s? Are any of them any better H2H then say Tucker? Bruno? Morrison? Tua? Rahman? Briggs? Grant? Mercer? Mavrovic? Etc I wrote this walking my dog as a bit of a stream of consciousness so it might read a bit weird but I think the outline of the point is there but he isn’t an “unlikely” candidate I think he’s the “outstanding” contender.