Best five wins thread. Lineal / Ring Magazine heavyweight champions.

So what about the George Godfrey win?

Godfrey was on a long winning streak through 1925, appearing in the end of year rankings 24 and 25.

His only blemish is a DQ loss to Chuck Wiggins, in which Godfrey seems to have thrown the fight.

Jack Sharkey brings that streak to an end in 1926, and Godfrey embarks on another winning streak, that sees him ranked at #2 in 1928, when he is outpointed by Johny Risko.

 

Nice I had exact line up. Should of played the exacta lolx

 

Ok I'm making some revisions to previous post. I didn't chime in on the pre-Dempsey champions and was unaware that all controversial wins are accepted, so with that in mind It will Schmeling to the top spot. It will also put Godfrey in play and even Delaney maybe.

1. Schmeling
2. Loughran
3. Wills
4. Carnera
5. Godfrey

I bumped Stribling from the list for Godfrey and not much separates 4 and 5 imo. Godfrey was Dq'd against Carnera in a fight he was ahead in, rumor of a fix abound in that bout but overall Godfrey has some good wins but no great wins. Carnera imo resume if taken on the level is deeper. Wills at 3 although past his best days stays ahead as he was much more proven to be a better fighter.

 

I think that these stats are in part down to the fact that he had a disproportionately high number of fights against world class opposition.

You certainly can't compare his resume to that of Braddock or Spinks as if it is a like for like comparison.

 

The rumour was Godfrey sometimes wore the handcuffs against white opponents.Very hard to get a defininitive fix on him,imo.

 

Is it true? Sharkey wasn't know for his punching power and most people know about his few KO wins.

I don't think it does, the most important thing is to win fights, not to knock opponents out.

He beat him two other times anyway.

You could also mention that he should have won Dempsey fight by DQ.

I disagree, he fought better competition than Hart and had better wins than him.

He was very skilled boxer that was tough to land on. Sharkey was very tricky fighter and nobody felt comfortable fighting him. About his strengths:

- he had excellent head movement,
- he had unreal reflex for someone as big as him,
- he had long and strong jab,
- he was strong man in clinches, very hard to push around,
- he was versatile offensive player who didn't rely on one punch or his power.

He had some weaknesses: I don't love his footwork at times, he could be a bit sloppy at times and he didn't have a lot of power. Overall though, I think that you're selling him short. Comparing him to Leon Spinks or Jim Braddock doesn't make any sense. He was much better fighter at his best than them and he faced much stronger competition.

 

good points but I favour Jack. Godfrey, Wills, Loughran and outboxing Schmeling the first fight and the Dempsey affair plus Carnera 1 is a heavy resume. I don't factor the King Levinsky fight, Jack was done. Not to disparage Walker, an underated P4P guy and as you have stated also under appreciated at heavy. He seems to have edged Sharkey in their meeting but not clear enough to balance Jack's deep redume and longevity at the weight, for me.

 

Sharkey;
Wills
Godfrey
Loughran
Schmeling
Carnera

 

Braddocks top five is going to be awful, when the time comes!

 

Lies, damn lies and statistics. Sharkey's record is decieving. He had no amateur experience but in his SEVENTH fght he was defeating Floyd Johnson, whom many were extoling as one of Willard's best wins in this very thread. A few fights later he was mixing competively with world class fighters like Rojas and Weinert. Now how is this for a run by the inconsistent Boston Gob; from August 1925 until Carnera took the title from him in June 1933 he had 33 fights, losing to Dempsey, (dubious?) Risko, a previous victim on a split decision and to Schmling on a foul in a fight he was winning. Almost all his wins were against rated or near rated fighters, Wills, Godfrey, Loughran, McTigue, Stribling, Risko, Gorman, Hansen, Maloney, Carnera, Scott, Renault, Delaney, Stribling, Draws with Heeney, Walker, an insane level of opponents, sure he got lucky here and there, he got unlucky here and there too but it a hell of a resume. He wasn't much of a puncher but he hit hard enough that you couldn't walk him down, His durability wasn't questionable only Rojas-a murderious puncher kayoed him as a novice until the losses to Dempsey and the questionable one to Carnera. I don't think any champion so far in this thread has the depth that he has.

 

This is how I see it.