Best ever European heavyweight ?

No, with all due respect to Cooper.

 

Lewis, Schmeling, Wlad and Vitali...
Johansson, Tommy Farr definitely deserves a mention ....Frank Bruno and Cooper...

 

By the 90's and into this century, many 'continent' fighters were US/Europe hybrids. Lewis (Brit/Canada) really doesn't qualify as a 'European' fighter among others.
I'm an old cuss, in the late 50's thru the 70's the lines were clearly drawn between Yanks and Europeans. Only the occasional 'over the pond' fighter could give a contender a scrap.
Kudos to the few that mentioned that overrated Bugner!
I loved him until the Kwala Lampur 'I just want to survive' effort against Ali.
Cooper notched a tough decision against Zora Folley in 1958; that ALONE trumps Anything gutless Joe did against anyone....his best effort may have been against Frazier (in a losing effort and Joe after humiliation)
To the other posters...Farr may be the man or Cocknell...
more later...
and let's not forget Ingo!

 

I think Walter Neusel deserves to be on that list.

 

atsch How could I forget Sup-Bri?! (As the Danish press calls him )

WHAT?! A-Force puts the Euro-Smack down on Ingo, and all of those other little men. Easy. Bell rings, A-bomb drops, KO1 for Harrison. There's no other conceivable outcome.

 

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That's Don Cockell.

 

Cockell is better than you give him credit for. He was no world beater, but he would have given tommy farr all he could handle in his prime. I, personally, don't think Cockell was one of the better 1950s contenders. In fact, hes not even in my top 15 from 1950-1955, which shows you how talented the era was. Cockell could not compete with good fighters like Clarence Henry, Bob Baker, and Nino Valdes let alone Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis.

 

My Top 4 would be

1. Lennox Lewis
2. Wladimir Klitschko
3. Max Schmeling
4. Ingemar Johannson

Vitali Klitschko
Frank Bruno
Joe Bugner
Tommy Farr
Primo Carnera
Bob Fitzsimmons all fall into place

 

That looks like a light heavy version of Dandy Don.

 

Cockell sure put on a lot of weight.

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He went from a fair boxer to a sloppy brawler but he actually seemed to do better after this stylistic and physical change.

 

Based on his '36 ko of Louis alone..not counting his other career achievements, it has to be Schmeling..

 

:goodwell put sir.losing 145 pints of blood in his career doesn't make him a legend.best ever euro hevy..........no problem lennox lewis.