Here We Go**UK & Ireland All Time Heavyweight Survey (poll NOW CLOSED)***

Nah, come on. I would even have Lewis above him in the all time list, so it would be pretty silly to put Fitzsimmons above Lewis based solely on his heavyweight credentials.

 

1 Lennox Lewis
2 Bob Fitzsimmons
3 Tom Sharkey
4 Tommy Farr
5 Frank Bruno
6 Joe Bugner
7 Henry Cooper
8 Don Cockell
9 Herbie Hide
10 Henry Akinwande

Mentions: Charlie Mitchell, Peter Maher, Billy Wells, Bruce Woodcock, Joe Erskine, John L. Gardner, Horace Notice, Gary Mason, Alex Stewart, Michael Bent, Julius Francis, Danny Williams and Matt Skelton

Hopefully Haye will in due course knock Akinwande out the top ten, so as such, I decided not to give him a mention for the moment.

 

i was wondering should i pick him or gary mason..

 

Remember, these are HW not P4P rankings. Overall Fitz may have achieved more but at HW Lennox is the greater fighter.

 

right this is off the cuff

Fitzsimmons moved up to Heavy and Knocked out the top contender Peter Maher in 1 round this is a good win. He was then controversially DQ'd vs Tom Sharkey when he was winning. He later avenged it with a 2nd round KO.

After being DQ'd he KOd James J Corbett in the 124th to take the Heavyweight title. Corbett was/is regarded as one of the better champions of this time as he was a very scientific and 'modern' boxer.

Fitz then lost his title to the great James J Jeffries who until the 50s was regarded as one of the if not the best champiosn ever.

He then started trying to regain his title 2 years later by launching a comeback he fought the decent Jim Daly (records werent complete but he had just fallen short at the top level) by stopping him in the first. He then beat another fighter who had failed to get to the top class but was a decent level below fighter in Ed Donkhurst. He then beat the contender Gus Ruhlin by KO in the 6th. Ruhlin was a major player in the division and what would now be a top contender. Then there was the Sharkey remtahc win (another top contender)

He then lost to Jeffries again and went in a downward spiral.

So in round up

cleared out his division on the way to the title from Corbett then lost in his first defence but then cleared out the top contenders to gan another shot.

 

really?

please explain

i know i think Lewis is ahead im just debating why Fitzsimmons could be number 1 and definitly number 2

i have Lewis 1

 

Thats for another time and place

 

Hide and Akinwande both 'won' WBOgus titles..... I'd be tempted to rank Cooper above Bruno though.

Cooper beat some solid Euro level guys, plenty actually.

Bruno's list of decent wins is pretty threadbare if truth be told, some of his better displays came in losses, the Lewis one especially, which was by miles his best showing in the ring.

 

your right

Id agree

Cooper is probbaly above Bruno

Britain is really lacking Heavys

 

Harrison ??????




JOKE!!! lol

 

I think I would generally agree with this list at least down to number seven. Lewis has got to be top its not even questionable. I agree with Fiz at no.2, his wins over Peter Maher, Jim Corbett, Tom Sharkey etc. mark him out as a top heavyweight at the time although his title reign was extremely brief. It seems weird putting Sharkey on this list but if Fitz is in I suppose Sharkey has to be as well according to the criteria. Generally the top three British heavyweights for me are Lewis, Fitz and Tommy Farr so Farr in after the Irishman seems fair enough. Bruno, Bugner and Cooper are all nailed down as top tens although you could probably mix them about. After that it starts getting difficult.

 

theres a lack of deabte in here


right this is off the cuff

not much i can argue with here

Fitz was trailing on the cards, and maybe hadnt earned his world title shot

Lacks a long title reign

didnt fight the top black contenders

wasnt the best of his day

 

jack peterson, anyone got any thoughts on him

 

Fitzsimmons is far higher in a P4P sense when you take into account his 160 & 175 achievement, but in terms of heavyweight standings, Lewis is definately the #1. No question about it.

 

I'd still say Lewis is Britain's best P4P of all time.