Walcott: the most skilled HW ever?

I'm going with Archie Moore.

I sort of agree with the grain to the extent with Unforgiven and Seamus. You know, it's like at times skills can mean some visceral thing that doesn't quite translate in wins. But it has to do a little better than that. And I love Walcott....

I think Moore, Charles, Patterson, and Tyson had better skills than Walcott.

 

He obviously let himself get hit too much against Layne, and Ray, and just about every fight he lost or won on close calls against more basic opponents.

If skillful boxing means anything it means getting hit less than the other guy when the other guy isn't known to be highly skilled. Or I suppose it could mean you're losing rounds in a grand skillful ploy where you fool the opponent, take away his strength, figure him out and you come back to score the KO, something Walcott was NOT known for doing.

 

Walcott beat

Joe Louis- First fight
Ezzard Charles 2x
Harold Johnson
Jimmy Bivins
Elmer Ray 2x
Joey Maxim 2x
Lee Q Murray
Joe Baksi
Tommy Gomez
Hatchetman Sheppard
Lee Oma
Hein Ten Hoff
Omelio Agramonte
Willie Reddish
Lorenzo Pack

This list is filled with

1. 5 Hall of Famers
2. 12 different Top 10 Ring Magazine contenders
3. Most of the Decades top big punchers
4. Top Fighters in their primes coming off huge winning streaks
5. Many different styles and sizes


His win resume is incredible any way you look at it.

 

No one here is calling Walcott a "consistent" fighter. In fact, quite the contrary. but on his best night, he is capable of beating ANYONE.

 

Do you think Archie Moore and Floyd Patterson beat Walcott at his best?

 

Charles could outbox Larry Holmes.

Believe that ****.

 

Joe Louis by some distance. There are far better judges and historians with a more extensive and complete view than mine, though. You'd do better to ask them.

Archie Moore, Patterson.

I also have some unhealthy fascination with Tim Witherspoon.

 

Let's take a peak

A. He knocked out every single rated contender/champion he ever faced. No one in history has ever done that.

B. He is 6-0 with 5 knockouts against Hall of Famers.

C. 43 knockouts in 49 fights. 88% knockout percentage.

Need I say more?

Perhaps you should take a look at this

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUzJaokX_N8[/ame]
Looks like he still has got "it" to me, even if he has declined a little bit. Still a better finisher than most in history. Checkout that combination he nails Mauriello with, just unreal.

 

Yeah, if you think Holmes doesn't really impose his size that much on opponents, a technical battle might favour Charles.

 

:good

 

I wish Baroudi hadn't died. It would be interesting to have seen a more killer instinct oriented Charles, packing an apparently legitimate knockout punch.