Wlad: Best way any Heavyweight ATG has gone out?

Larry Holmes UD Butterbean.

 

Lennox Lewis retiring was way more satisfying than Wlad's.

 

Think this was a great/best way for a heavyweight to go out....Gave us one of the best and interesting heavyweight fights for many many years between two of the best heavyweight of the division....

 

Vitali's lead was hardly an unassailable, especially considering the shape his face was in. I've never understood why people get so hung up on that fight.

 

Not the best, but admirable for sure. I think Lewis having defeated ALL of his opposition speaks volumes and Marciano's undefeated record would be considered the "best".

 

At 41 to be going toe to toe and losing a very game effort is up there. Dempsey vs Tunney 2 it reminds me of. Lewis was good too but he was trailing and not as old as Wlad but he did win on the cut.
It's up there it's better than Tyson vs McBride
Or Ali Berbick
Or Louis Vs Marciano. Or Foreman vs Briggs (although Foreman won he really lost to Schulz and was not viewed as a top 3 heavy anymore

It's a great exit maybe the best one ever in a losing effort

 

But he was losing before it got stopped on a cut...which is very unfortunate and leaves the fans feeling the need for a rematch... which Lewis ducked...

 

Jack Dempsey went out about as well as one could in a fight it was arguable he won by KO.

 

There is also how the cut occurred. A rematch was both ordered and offered for good reason.

 

Hard to argue against Lewis being better, given that he'd beaten Rahman, Lewis, and VK, but in a sense Wlad's departure was way better for the division since he handed off the lineal title, and he did it in a thrilling fight.

Also, it was kind of the best possible ending for Wlad. For his post Brewster career he was plagued by complaints that he was safety first and boring and then he goes out and loses in the best heavyweight fight in generations. In a way it was extremely cathartic to see him go out on his shield against a probable future great.

 

Winning would've been the best way to go out but losing in a valiant effort isn't bad either.

 

Joe Louis... both times

First retirement, on top, after 25 defenses, leaving it to the division to figure out having mopped all of them up, especially appropriate after WWII sort of stalled the whole sport/division for years. Redeemed his only controversial victory over Walcott by leveling him in brutal fashion in the rematch. The next HW champ after Louis? Yep; Walcott. EDIT: Nooo, it was Ezzard haha. But Walcott after him!

Second retirement, after losing to Ezzard, he wins in unspectacular but convincing fashion against a good ten or so opponents including a couple aged or former fringe contender types. Then faces young Rocky Marciano as Marciano is preparing for a launch into stardom. Looking more than his age, he gets knocked out of the ring by who will go down as one of the best HW's ever, leaving the next heir apparent clear as ever.

 

If Bruno had suffered a cut and it was stopped in the sixth do you think it would have generated such debate?