Calzaghe also fought in Denmark and Germany. Hopkins also fought in Southern America Jones only fought in other countries at the very end of his career.
But Hopkins and Jones didnt defend in other countries as champs and that is what I noted, same as Ottke
I like Ottke, but one thing springs to mind and i just want to see if your on the level. WHO WON OTTKE OR REID? i personally view as well as the entire planet as one of the worst home decisions ever made and apparently the germean crowd were booing. :deal
Only problem is all REAL boxing fans know that Ottke's main goal in life was to stay the hell out of the US, where he would have gotten slapped around and dethroned right quick.
Ottke and his talent are underrated for good reason. When you win robbery decisions and turn down a chance to fight the other dominant champion in your division, being able to collect everything except 1 euro from the purse it generates, you can't be taken seriously as a fighter. But regardless of the bad decisions, 22 title fights without being knocked out, without being beaten so badly they couldn't rob someone, it has to be looked and it has to impress, It's a better achievement than most will muster.
yep, that's Ottke's legacy. "Somewhat better than the average euro champ, on his good days." ATG is a laugher.
Better than the average American champ too. Let's face it, Eubank, Calzaghe, Ottke, Lennox Lewis, DM, Benn and a fair few other fighters heralded what we're seeing now, European dominance across the divisions where fighters are 6'0 or greater. It's no surprise these guys were winning the fights they were winning and the resulting impact of that is that boxing has gotten better and better in Europe while fading in America. Arguably, the two best practitioners of the sweet science are American but ultimately, look at guys like Dawson, Lacy, Cunningham, Williams, etcetera. These are guys considered to be dominant champions when they got the title belt, only to be beaten by European fighters no one else had really heard of at the time.
Ottke is a lot better than he gets credit for but he got a lot of gifts and avoided many fighters. I'd rank him in the top 15 SMW's of all time for sure but that's the only ATG list Ottke will ever make an appearance on.
who gives a **** about all that noise? We're talking about Ottke, who would have had about 6 losses on neutral territory to only decent Americans like Brewer and Mitchell and who pissed down his leg whenever he heard anyone talking about Calzaghe.
Ottke retired unbeaten which means that he was unbeatable. Ali, Tyson, SRR, Hagler et al are considered ATGs yet they were beatable. Think about that when you dismiss Ottke's ATG standing :deal
Wanna see something that will make you throw up in your mouth a little bit? [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXmSPbWJ2_4[/ame]
I suggest you Ottke fans go rewatch the Reid fight & come back & honestly tell me he 'won' that fight. ****en disgrace that decision. But I will applaud him for KOing mandy mundine.
Have I ever defended Hopkins or any American? No, you are talkin about them and their fights in America. Im just sticking to the fact that Ottke never fought outside Germany. BTW Hopkins have been I Canada twice now?
Ottke said in an interview he learned the "home town" strategy from his old buddy Henry Maske. Maske always looked down upon the "Ballyhoo" of boxing in America. The hype for the winner and the public slaughtering of the loser. That's why Ottke always boxed in his own sheltered nest, at home. He was fearful of losing and just boxed for the money, for a safe income. Ironically he declared personal bankruptcy in 2008 after a costly divorce with his former wife. He said all of his 10+ million EUR net worth was gone.