What Fighters Acheived Greatness In The Shortest Time?

Well Leon Spinks won the Heavyweight Championship in his 8th fight..

Mike Tyson was Heavyweight Champion a little over a year after turning pro.

Evander Holyfield was Cruiserweight Champion after 14 fights.

 

Jung Koo Chang? Took him 6 years to beat the likes of Zapata, Torres, and Chitalada and defend his WBC title 11 times. Would rack up 15 defenses in 8 years.

 

I think Saldivar although having a few years experianced basically became great in 3 fights, as he won the Mexican title at Feather and got a chance against Laguna that then led to him beating Ramos.

That is basically 3 fights from being unknown to world champion within a year. Secured his greatness for a lot of people.

Not the best example but I thought it deserved a mention.

 

Henry Armstrong for his three year run from 37 to 40.

 

Muhammad ali became the best he would ever be in his 27th fight - that's pretty quick - and he'd also won the heavyweight title - shocked the world - (arguably) "beat" his most dangerous opponent he would ever face and already defended the title 6 times and he was still only 25 - and he'd already suffered 2 of the 4 knockdowns he would suffer in his entire career and already beaten 3 sometime world champs - not bad going

 

Brian Nielsen.

Next.

 

Patterson and Tyson

Their styles fit the situation of early success the best

 

Sugar Ray Robinson pinning prime Fritzie Zivics ears back as a one yr pro.
Nothing else compares!

 

WORD!

I am constantly appalled at how UNDERRATED SRR is on this board.

Damn you all.

 

You are forgetting SRL, who had just 40 total and did so much.

I know this doesn't quite go in tune with your desired criteria of "total" fights, but i feel like a ramble. (I see most haven't picked up on your chosen criteria, maybe the wording "total career fights" needed to be used)

The bigger question is do we use hindsight and make our own assumption at what exact time they crossed the "greatness" frontier? Or do we use the public mark? Was SRL great after the Duran rematch, at 28 fights? I'd say yes. Duran with only one top win at the 28 fight mark, tho raw, could have been great already and simply needed time to prove it. If we do include Fenech as a great, he may have reached it winning the Callejas fight in just his 19th stouch.

The public took forever to accept Holmes. Tyson by comparison was welcomes into the club of greatness with open arms due to many intangibles. Boxing and the heavyweights badly needed an exciting saviour, his destruction overwhelming of the division etc.A guy like Curry was accepted (The talk of the time imo, tho premature with hindsight) in a flash, but then had it taken from him.

Then we have guys like Bobby Foster, when did they achieve it? Pretty plain division and sustained success was his friend rather than star studded wins.

We have many that don't qualify that either fought on forever or came back and ran up many fights.

Interesting thread.