BBC poll: Greatest British post-war fighter

why does nobody say hammed????

 

Lewis. Until Joe signed to fight Lacy, he was utterly ridiculed on any message board you care to think of for his safety first defences and a CV that boasted Reid has his best win, with a past his best Eubank as worth a mention too.

Lacy was a fantastic performance, but in hindsight not as great as many felt at the time due to Lacy being far from the fighter many felt.
Kessler is a brilliant win, and Hopkins a good close win.

RJJ was totally irrelevant.

Lewis fought far better opposition.

Ruddock
Mason
Bruno
Mercer
Holyfield
Tua
Tyson
Morrison
Golota
Briggs
Vitali

Compared to...

Eubank
Starie
Reid
Mitchell
Sheik
Lacy
Kessler
Hopkins
RJJ
Veit
Bika

 

In a poll asking who is the greatest british post war fighter :think Yes

 

Agreed. He should have hung them up in 1975, but the poor ****er had to come back to pay the bills.

 

Co-sign :happy

 

The lions den in the sense of conditions (and also Lagunas residence)...a fight outdoors, in the tropical heat of the day, with Ken having no shade in between rounds and still pulling off a stunning win...this is light years ahead of anything that Calzaghe has achieved.

Watch the 2nd Laguna - Buchanan contest at MSG 18 months later, it is even better.

 

:yikes

 

EDIT: Misread.

 

Ismael Laguna was past prime....thats a fact. I agree the conditions give greater significance to the victory, but this win alone can't warrant a rating above Calz....Prime Laguna beats Ken IMO and i'm sure many of the knowledgable guys on the classic would agree, from what ive read his speed against Ortiz in the mid 60s was greater then when he faced Ken, i can maybe accept that it is a better individual win then what Calz had acheived, Laguna was coming off a loss to a nobody before the 2nd fight...He would have been labeled completely shot by all on this forum if we were around then...The one thing that Calz gets slated for (beating past prime greats), means nothing when discussing Ken :huh

But Ken over Calz with everything considered......all wins considered, no way....I just can't see it.

Ortiz would have owned Ken prime for prime as well.

But both magnificent british fighters with great careers :good

Just that Calz edges Ken :yep

 

I think that we are going to have to agree to disagree here.

Laguna was 28 years old when Buchanan beat him 2nd time around, whether he was in his absolute "prime" is debatable but he was certainly not shot. I honestly think that these two victories are way better than anything that Cal has achieved. He retired Laguna, and he also retired another south american LW great in Ortiz, being the only man ever to stop Carlos...even though he was certainly past his best. This linked with the fact that Ken had no qualms at all about getting his passport out IMO makes Buchanans career more significant than Calzaghes. I would even venture to say that a late career win over Jim Watt is comparable with a top 5 Calzaghe win.

 

carlos ortiz
ismael laguna twice
jim watt
roberto duran

 

Lennox Lewis
Ken Buchanan

Are in a diffrent league IMO

 

Lewis