Fitzsimmons Against Todays Heavys

Yeah, Fitz killing three people has always stuck out in my mind when I think about him.

Scary.

 

One point I will make is that Fitzsimmons knocking out 200lb + heavyweights was seen as much an aberation in his own time as it would be today.

People just couldnt believe it.

 

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Re: Fitzsimmons Against Todays Heavys

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Re: Fitzsimmons Against Todays Heavys
I advise you all to read the entire article but if you dont at least read this.

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IMO he's just too small to compete with modern heavyweights. He'd be a deadly serious Middle/Light Heavyweight though. While I'm not sure how well his technique would go down today, he certainly would have the power to ensure the vast majority of his fights would not go the distance, even with modern gloves.

It's obvious he's a very hard puncher but could he adjust to the modern game?

 

Chris Pontious was right in calling Fitz's style outdated. It simply wouldn't work for him in todays HW division. I remember watching a video on youtube that showed Fitz fighting Bill Lang and it demonstrated how his style left him vulnerable. Granted Fitz was past it but it still illustrated the flaws inherent in that way of fighting. Combine that with the fact that Fitz would be giving away anywhere from 40-60lbs and considerable height and reach disadvantages against todays modern HW's and I think that Fitz would be in way over his head. And while Fitz could punch you have to admit that knocking out a man 165-185lbs isn't quite the same as knocking out a man 220plus, assuming that he's good of course. I have a hard time seeing Bob ko'ing the likes of Liston, Foreman, Tyson , Ali, Holmes, Vlad, Haye etc... Size DOES matter if you're good. Combine that with a superior style of boxing(Jab,Combination punching,higher guard) and I think Bob is better off in his own era, an era when boxing was still progressing and developing as a sport.

 

Fitz was 40 something years old, when he lost to Lang, I would not judge Fitz's style on that fight. Or how effect flaw it is.

I veiw Fitz like a Tony Caniz in style, if you take Fitz and over lap him with Tony, You get mostly the same style, hands dangling down, the lean back style, and doing more body blocking than head blocking, and no one says Tony is outdated, and he fought in the 1930's with Ross and McLarin.

 

Fitz didnt have a style from a given era.

His style was unique to any era.

 

That is what everybody said at the time in the run up to the Corbett, Rhulin, Dunkhorst fights.

 

Fitzsimmons would get slaughtered. ANY counter puncher, accurate puncher or fighter with pure boxing ability would take him out and brutally at that. The guy was a middleweight and he would be facing heavyweights with better defense and pound for pound better punching power as well. Hes a big puncher of course, but punches actually have to land in order to do damage and i can't see him lasting with even top 30 contenders of today. I respect him of course and he was a legend in his respective era, but lets not be stupid here.

 

Fitz was a blacksmith and that is where he got his freakish power.

In the Jefferies' fight he broke his hands pounding on Jeff's jaws.

Up to about 210 pound opponents. Fitz would have a puncher's chance.

Above that the "mass" is just too much.

 

Good post.

 

There are a lot of things that people here dont understand about Fitzsimmons and I understand why because I had a fairly long hard road to grasp them myself.

Is Fitzsimmons a 167 lb fighter like Jef Lacey?

Yes in terms of weight, but saying it in those words is like dismising Joe Louis against big heavyweights by comparing his weight to Jean Mark Mormeck.

Is Bob Fitzsimmons a top 20 all time heavyweight?

Well if he isnt then-

A. There is a lot of hyperbole in most contemporary acounts of him.

and.

B. There was a much bigger gap between the quality of middleweights an heavyweights in his era than there is today.

Is Bob Fitzsimmons an all time heavyweight finisher?

Absolutely.

The more you learn about him the closer you will come to this conclusion.

Guarantee it.

 

Opinions in the general forum going int Fitzsimmons Sharkey 2.

Please compare this article to the one on Fitzsimmons Rhulin.

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Bob Fitzsimmons didnt skin a lion and eat it he had one as a pet.

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