Bob Fitzsimmons is to this day a top 20 all time heavyweight.

I sincerely believe this to be the case. Based on his dominence vs the other top fighters of his era the case is strong.

The bigest objection to this claim is obviously his weight. He would have to be a genuine physical freak for this to be the case.

I think that the way he disposed of the top heavyweights of his day, generaly with a single punch or combination justifies including him among the top heavyweight finishers of all time.

I am in absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he is the best heavyweight finisher of the period between John L Sullivan and Jack Dempsey.

Today he is rotinely ranked beneath champions such as Max Schmeling, JKack Sharkey and Max Baer. Virtualy nobody would have considered these men to be in the same league as him while they were champion.

I submit that his record combined with the finishing prowes he displayed while disposing of his heavyweight oponents justify such a ranking.

 

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Fitzsimmons Ruhlin. This article gives an idea of the reaction at the time to Fitzsimmons. The contemporary press saw a fighter his size putting away top heavyweights so decisivley as an aberation. Fitz went into a lot of his heavyweight fights as the underdog.

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Starlight Edward Rollins.

Probably others.

We dont know what colour most of his oponents were and the colour bar didnt wash in Australia.

 

Fitz certainly didnt throw wide flailing punches. He could target pressure points of the body with incredible speed and acuracy. While he did have a low guard he dose not seem to have got hit verry often.

Asking him to fight Liston, Louis or Dempsey is a tall order but I suspect he would make toast of Jerry Quarry in his own back yard.

 

In those days you could get to quite a high level of pugilistic atainment without coming to the atention of boxrec. Say comonwealth level.