10 best HW fights

His five fights before Schmeling:
TKO6 Carnera
TKO1 Levinsky
KO4 M. Baer
TKO5 Uzcudun
KO1 Retzlaff

His five fights after:
KO3 Sharkey
KO5 Ettore
KO3 Brescia
TKO1 Simms
KO2 Ketchel

All inside 1 and half years.

Please tell me, where is the indication that he wasn´t prime?

 

The Louis that knocked out Baer was the best Louis I ever saw.

Fighters always bring up excuses when they lose, he didn´t liston to his trainer, he didn´t train properly but played golf. All this maybe true. Nevertheless Schmeling was considered the next champion Louis would knock out. And he was considered past it.

 

I haven´t thought about it. Here´s a try:

Frazier-Ali I
Schmeling- Louis I
Ali-Foreman
Douglas-Tyson
Marciano-Walcott I
Patterson-Johannson II
Baer-Schmeling
Holmes-Norton
Johnson-Jeffries
Dempsey-Willard

HM: Toney-Holyfield, Lewis-Vitali

 

Toney-Holyfield is a despressing sight; shot, old Holy losing to a fighter he would have soundly beaten 4 years earlier.

 

Yes and no. Holyfield looked good the first two rounds I think. Toney looked awesome. If he would have stayed at that weight or perhaps a bit lower he really could have made some noise at hw. German commentator called him a "sloppy genius". Very much what I think.

 

Agreed :good

 

Absolutely no way Toney-Holyfield belongs in there :-(
Sad, sad fight. Holy was pretty much done for in there. Holy from the tyson match wouldve beat Toney up I think