Best I've faced: Joe Bugner

I like Joe. After his first fight with Ali in Vegas he was so happy just to have been in the ring with him that he ran over to hug him after the fight and his manager had to pull him away.

 

Ali said to Bugner, "Man, you're ugly. Bugner said, "Wait until you see my sister."

 

Fighting one generation of guys then another and having some success against the younger gen , Joe is certainly underrated by some.

 

Joe was a big, durable heavyweight who had one major weakness: he didn't punch his weight.

 

Twenty years old Bugner sparred once with Liston ,when Sonny was training for Wepner.
The Sticky End: Did Sonny Liston’s failure to throw the Chuck Wepner fight cost him his life? | Boxing News

 

Did this guy really bring up a sparring session with Liston in a thread totally unrelated to Liston to discredit him ? My goodness the hate obsession is real.

As for the thread I thought Bugners answers were very honest.

 

Still he didn't mention Liston while Foreman and Mac Foster did.
Both of Foreman and Bugner didn't say Liston is the strongest man while both they claimed Lyle is the strongest.

 

But he sparred once, and he never mentioned Liston.
I know that it hurts you Liston fanboys but Bugner and Foreman both stated Lyle is the strongest even tho they had sparring with Liston.

 

Yet you Liston fans would pull Foreman sparring Liston to prove Liston was the strongest.

 

Not a fan of Liston i'm just pointing out you're obsessed with hating on a fighter that's not even alive my advice get a hobby.

 

My issue with Joe was always along the lines of 'Which Joe was going to show up?' He could be a complete conundrum in that vein. He fought well against Frazier and Ali in their first fight. He fought well against Lyle. I understand he fought with some fire against Ellis and Jose Luis Garcia and he showed some vitriol against Richard Dunn. But on the flip side, I heard his bouts (in his prime) against Bepi Ros and Dante Cane (or maybe it was Mario Baruzzi) were complete bore-snores. The second fight with Ali and especially the Jack Bodell fight, he stood there like a statue for 15 rounds each. And his fight with Henry Cooper, which is his signature win, I scored a draw, and what bothered me most in that fight was when he body-punched, one could see that Cooper couldn't take it, but Joe would then go head-hunting. There was an early round where he almost caved in Cooper late in the round before the bell rang. If I was watching it live I would have said Joe was going to finish Coop the next round. I would have been wrong, because he wouldn't touch the body after that assault. He just made me shake my head.

 

And Bugner wasn’t even a substantive sparring partner of Liston’s, that was just an opportunistic one off. Somehow the forum’s very own Bible of Boxing has erred again.

 

This type of info is GOLD. A belated thanks Swag.

Bugner’s candour is impressive.

Shavers committed quite a few flagrant fouls during their fight and he was swinging for the fences from the outset.

Just imo, if not for the cut causing the stoppage, Bugner would’ve been another guy to survive and outlast Earnie.

Bugner was an extremely intelligent and articulate guy and remained so for a good period after retiring - no hint of deterioration in sight.

Sadly he is now in decline and in care.

 

I am not perhaps all of you use Liston sparring when it benefits your side of the story but when I said that Bugner never mentioned Liston you go crazy.