Corrie Sanders: best wins and career analysis

It wasn't the peak version of Wlad, yes, but it was VERY good version of Wlad. Kinda like the version of Lewis that was KO'ed by McCall. Both weren't as good as they have become under Steward guidance, but both were already elite level heavyweights that shoved glimpses of their future greatness.

OK, you may use other arguments like Sanders caught Wlad by surprise, Wlad underestimated him, and that was probably true. But nobody else was able to do it before or after, in his other 68 fights.

Also, nobody was able to demolish usually durable Alfred Cole as quicky Sanders did. Years after, at 40, Cole went full distance against 30 y.o. Rahman and never was hurt or buzzed in that fight. He also shoved good chin in many other fights, but he was blitzed by Sanders, as were a lot others decent fighters like Du Plooy, Czyz, De Leon, Cooper, Mike Williams, Sprott. Points wins over Puritty and Nelson were also dominant, and demolishion job he did to Levi Billups who went the full distance against Lennox Lewis was downright brutal.

No, I'm not saying Sanders had a great resume, but his resume (in winning column at least) was far better than Botha's, Briggs' or Mavrovic's ones.

 

Agreed the version Sanders beat wasn't a bum that's clear by the guys he had beaten up to that point but he also wasn't prime or the same version that would go into dominate. The Brewster loss coming after the Sanders loss proves that.

I don't agree with the idea that he was caught by surprise or Wlad underestimated him. Sanders was stylistically just a horrible style match up for that version of Wlad. Wlad then would stand in front of his opponents after throwing and so was open to be countered and Sanders had a sniper like straight left counter. Wlad would eventually learn to move after throwing or clinch after throwing to prevent anyone else repeating what Sanders did. I think peak Wlad would with these new skills would of beaten Sanders.

No doubt Sanders was a banger and dangerous early the Cole fight and many other prove that. But then again Ortiz KO'ed Jennings like nobody else could do and look what he went onto do, lose twice to Wilder, lose to Ruiz and barely scrape by Martin. Micheal Bentt also KO'ed Morrison in a round a feat nobody else repeated, not even Foreman or Lewis, but that doesn't mean Bentt was some monster heavyweight that was ducked and was a H2H nightmare. Just because Sanders blasted Cole out so easily doesn't distract from the fact he lost to Tubbs and Rahman. Sanders was a very dangerous but also very vulnerable heavyweight.

As for his resume yeah it's better than Botha's and Briggs and Mavrovic due to the Wlad win. But then nobody is claiming Botha, Briggs or Mavrovic were feared by top fighters at the time and ducked like Sanders.

 

WHO exactly avoided Sanders? And when did this avoidance occur? Answer those simple questions.

 

And yet Usyk a southpaw heavyweight is on top of my P4P list and Jalalov is my pick of the new crop who will likely be the best top heavyweight, another southpaw heavyweight.

My issue isn't with southpaw heavyweights, it's with the myth you propagate regarding Sanders standing as a heavyweight.

 

True!

And i would have loved to see him against Michael Moorer. And in a mythical matchup against Zhilei Zhang.

Why? Because they are both southpaws too.

I think Sanders would blast Moorer away like Czyz. But for some reasons i think Zhang would really give him much trouble. It seems Zhilei has a very good chin and Sanders didnt like ppl with strong chin s so much. Vitali had one, but also Puritty and N. Tubbs.

 

Great guy, and a hero. Put himself in front of his kid during an armed robbery. Paid the highest price.

 

Had he won against Rahman, he likely would have gotten his shot at the title. As it was, he really was not into boxing. Didn't fight often enough, had some hiccups when he stepped up, and dropped the ball when he caught the lightning in the bottle.

I reckon Lennox fought majority of murderous puncher his era could offer. Gary Mason, Razor Ruddock, Michael Grant, Frank Bruno, Shannon Briggs, David Tua, Hasim Rahman, Tommy Morrison. Doubt Sanders would fare better, though a scary left hand sniper shot landing is not out of the question. Ultimately his gas tank and poor whiskers held him back.

 

Suggesting that Lennox Lewis has a deficiency in his record just cause he didn't fight any dangerous southpaws does not compute with me lol.

Sanders absolutely blasts Zhang out & fights a great give-and-take with Moorer ala the Cooper fight & after many knockdowns by both fighters, the result is a dual-KO with 2 perfectly timed sniper counter-counter left hands

 

You're making assumptions just because Usyk is top of my P4P list just means he's the best P4P in this era, doesn't mean he's actually the best heavyweight, I've always thought Fury would beat him if they fought and still think that despite Fury going off the rails in recent months.

Your ability to twist facts to suit your agenda is remarkable. You say Lewis never fought a southpaw, I prove he did by claiming Greg Gorell is a southpaw, you stick your head in the sand refuse to admit Gorell is a southpaw because he what decided to switch stances when he fought Lewis.

I'm negative about those fighters not because they are southpaw, that seems to be your personal fetish in regards to boxers. Boxer his a southpaw and hits hard, everyone must fear them if they don't get every fight they want, nothing to do with them being unmarketable or simply not being good enough to get those shots, just everyone must fear them.

Titlists didn't need to avoid him, because he never got himself in a position to ever be in for a shot. He was never a mandatory and the one time a champion named him as a possible opponent he got KO'ed by Rahman. This constant attempt by you to make him some boogieman that people avoided just isn't true, he was simply an after thought in the division. Yes he was risky and dangerous but fighters have to have a reason to pick an opponent, either by earning it or by being a lucrative option and he did neither.

 

Yes, the word likely implies a speculation. You are right. It is in equal amount a speculation to presume Sanders would not get a world title had he actually: a) put more effort into boxing than into golf b) Stepped up against contenders faster (it took him ten years after his pro debiut to get into the ring with Hasim Rahman and lose) c) Not lose his first important fight, victor of which actually got into the ring with Lewis a year later.

In 2003 when Wladimir got chinned by Corrie, Lennox just fought his swan song against Vitali. He was already heavy, and old, and he fought the entire division (including high-level knockout artists; the two freak lossess he brutally avenged) through the fourteen years of his career. It's silly to scrutinize Lewis, while Sanders and Byrd combined don't have the resume he does. Vitali conqueror got sparked cold by Ibeabuchi, dominated by Wladimir twice, and needed a gift against shot, one-handed Andrew Golota. Sanders was extremely inactive, hardly tried to step up, and lost when he did, only scoring his signature win against Wladimir the year Lennox was retired in fire by Vitali, the man to whom he lost his very first title defense. Were both of them dangerous? Yes, Byrd for plodders and immobile sluggers, Sanders for anybody really, but especially for those with glass on their whiskers. Would they replicate the gauntlet of names Lennox Lewis went through to earn himself a spot in the top 10 of all-time great heavyweights? I doubt that.

Red, you gotta chill. Truth is, you don't know a quarter of what some absolute units in here do -- people who often actually lived through the era, or remember watching Ali beat Foreman. Go to the the Classic where this thread belongs, and make discussion. Have a more open mind.