Who’s the best of these great heavyweight upsetters

Let's stick to the facts. The 1 knockdown that Wlad faced against TOS was a picture perfect example of a flash knockdown. Wlad was not hurt at all. Why are you bringing these other fights into the discussion? Wlad gave Purrity a severe beating, but didn't have the necessary clinching / holding guidance under Fritz Sdunek.

 

Because they all show Wlad's vulnerabilities at the time Sanders beat him. He wasn't the finished article and many were speculating if she retire after Brewster

Then there's 2 knock downs against Sam Peter he'd later suffer yet come back from.

 

With this specific field I think Jimmy Young wins. Hes the least likely to get knocked out by Sanders(or anyone). I think Young beats Buster and Schmeling regardless. But either way that gives him the edge. Buster 2nd, Schmeling 3rd, Sanders 4th and McCall 5th for me.

Marshall is like the Esipenko in the chess candidates of this group. If anyones watching that. Marshall record at LHW is 11-1-1. His record at HW is 13-13-1. Marshall barely beat Liston in a 8 rounder. Your tournament I imagine is 12 rounds. I don't see him beating anyone here.

 

The longest winning streak of Jimmy Young's entire career is five wins, but he's supposed to beat these five guys in a row. That's Classic at its finest. Zero chance.

 

I'd go with Schmeling

 

I'll back my man Sanders against any in that field.

And for those that think Douglas was the standout boxer here, I still think Corrie was the better boxer. People seem to remember him only from Wlad onwards. That was OLD Sanders, guys. He'd become slower and fatter and had lost all of his footwork. Look at his movement when he was younger and in shape. The dude could move around and around the ring all fight long. He had a machine gun jab, he went well to the body and head and he had blistering combinations.

 

You are an excellent poster who is great at understanding context. The moment George Foreman is in any way involved with a conversation this changes.

 

Wladimir Klitschko was a different fighter when Seward became his trainer. You can't hold a loss against him when Seward wasn't in his corner because its not prime Wladimir Klitschko. Ghost of Kiev Ross Purrity was a different fighter that night super motivated. 23 is not yet a fighters physical peak so it doesn't count. Neither is 26. 27 is a fighters peak and thats when losses start counting.

I don't believe any of this but rest assured this manual from the Mike Tyson defense league tells me this will work.

 

And he had a terrific right hook for a southpaw back then. And that is a difficult punch for opponents to train for back then. Literally almost impossible.

And he went to the body more back then. He really was a hard body puncher in the division in a field of headhunters.

 

He had a vicious and underrated right uppercut. Levi Billups had just taken Lennox Lewis the distance and given him a tough outing. Here was Sanders employing precisely that punch to knock the daylights out of him. See how light he looks on his feet here ... a far cry from the almost Joe Louis like shuffle he used later on

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Yes but look who Young was fighting in his prime years between 1974-1977 Ali, Foreman, Norton, Lyle, Shavers.

Alot felt Young beat Ali.

The Norton fight was also very controversial.

You big up Sanders alot but he wasn't fighting anywhere near that level of competition. So its easier to have a cleaner padded record against considerably weaker opposition.

Even the notable fighters Young fought past his prime in the 80s most of them would be no worse than 50/50 against Sanders.

 

I smell more intellectually dishonest bracketing from you. Sanders never even came remotely close to losing to any light hitting fighters. Young wouldn’t beat him.

 

My point isn't about a hypothetical match up between Young/Sanders.

My point is you discredit Young's win streak but don't take into account the opposition he was facing during that period.

How many ranked top 10 Heavyweights did Young fight throughout his whole career ? Well over 10 I'd guess off the top of my head.

So there's a big difference in the overall quality of opposition that both fighters were fighting against.

So I don't understand your confidence in Sanders outside of Wladimir he doesn't have much of a resume at all and was 1-2 against top 10 Heavyweights.

PS if you're suggesting Nate Tubbs was a big puncher then that would be reaching.

Yes he had 14 stoppages in 18 wins but his only stoppage against a fighter with a winning record was Sanders himself.

So let's not pretend Nate Tubbs is the next coming of Mike Tyson.

 

Tubbs was a 260 pound underachiever and Tyson’s chief sparring partner.

Douglas and Sanders would do better against guys like Norton, Shavers, possibly 76 Ali, some guy named Aird, and Ocasio and Randy Neuman, both of whom you conveniently bracketed out.

 

Tubbs was a fighter who never amounted to anything the fact Sanders lost to him by getting 1 shotted when Sanders had over 20 professional fights and was in his prime is quite alarming.

If Shavers landed a right hand bomb on Sanders it would be lights out.

Of course Sanders could also blitz Shavers himself.

But that's not really a fight I'd be overly confident in Sanders winning.