There have been several attempts to create genuine pro boxing tournaments. Who would you favor to be the GOAT in a form of competition with multiple pro tournament fights in one night rather than a single title defense match every so often?
Honestly, some pretty great names from the 60s or earlier come to mind. Jake LaMotta (For sure) Jack Dempsey John L Sullivan Bob Fitzsimmons (Good at facing any weight if it was like an open weight grand prix) Sugar Ray Robinson Archie Moore (Honestly, this guy would run the whole bracket in a day) Henry Armstrong Harry Greb Rocky Marciano George Foreman (fought 6 in an exhibition if I remember correctly in a night) Joe Frazier (Would be an Underground King) Ray Mercer Tyson Fury Fun **** honestly. These guys just scream not just endurance, but adaptability through grit by facing potentially a lot of boxers in secession. Interested in other people's thoughts too.
One night tournament formats and the mentality most pro boxers have don't seem to go together really well for some reason. Maybe pro boxers get into a mindset where they know they have time and if they have a plan it's usually designed to "wear" people down, not necessarily land as many as they can over a couple minutes. Who was always fascinating to me was Audley Harrison. Won the Olympic Gold. As a pro, started off fine but he eventually floundered. But he entered two of those one night tournaments and won them both. And he beat a guy in one of those one-night tournaments who he lost when he previously fought them in longer fights. Maurice Harris won one of those tournaments beating Tony Thompson in the final. When they fought outside that tournament, Thompson stopped him pretty easily. And then guys like Bonecrusher Smith, James Toney, Tim Witherspoon ... they enter them and lose fairly quickly to people you'd never imagine them ever losing to. You have to have a certain mindset, more than anything, I believe. It doesn't suit everyone.
I would favor someone who can get some early knockouts and save themselves for future fights that way. Foreman or Tyson or someone similar.
Versatility is the key. In recent years we have seen guys like Andre Ward, and Uysk win these type of tournaments. What do they have in common? Deep amateur backgrounds where they faced a wide range of styles.
I like Sung Kil Moons chances. Just one plan go in and be as aggressive as possible and throw bombs no science or anxiety. He has the endurance, chin, power ect to take advantage of them at there most nervous in the first bracket when they are thinking about how they should make work of the fight in consideration of all the possibilities afterwards and Moon will most likely win quick enough to hold onto his stamina for later.
Since they'd be facing fighters in their own eras and context, Wilde and Liston might be good picks for this. And Joe "I can literally fight all night" Louis, although he might be vulnerable to some skinny tapper who can run for 4 rounds. Though he wasn't known for his adaptability in a single fight, which might be an issue.
Haven't seen Carlos Monzon mentioned. He'd be rather handy. Class, stamina, toughness, versatile, great jab and just mean. Peak Hopkins would be a beast as well. Pre exile Ali too.
