Hearns is also a good example of this. H2H at 147 he would give anyone fits (easily Top 5 IMHO) but his resume at the weight puts him down the list of ATGs at welter.
From the front page... .S: Can I ask you about David Haye? He has now reportedly called out both you and Wladimir. Would you like to fight "The Hayemaker" one day? Vitali (long pause and then a big sigh) I'm not ready to give you an answer to that. You see, with me it's all about motivation. I have motivation to fight for another belt or to fight Lennox Lewis again, but I really don't think about him [Haye] at all. Maybe, if he becomes a big number payer (money-wise) in the future.... (laughs).
It's true, but Haye - at least two out the pack were willing to take on the biggest all comers - the other in the bunch is only 21.
Not sure what you mean. Hearns was virtually unbeatable at Welterweight. As Muhammed Ali said about Hearns in 1977 "Hearns is just awesome" and boy was he devastating. One of the reasons the Great Sugar Ray Leonard who incidentally I cannot stand as a man is rightly considered a true ATG is because he found a way to beat the unbeatable Hearns. The only people I can put higher than Hearns at Welterweight is Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. I think Hearns might be marginally higher than Tito Trinidad.
If Haye achieved the latter, i.e. he beat the Klitschko's which would do most of the damage, then picked up the remaining belt from whoever just for achievement and official purposes. Then...defended it a few times so we can say he made a certain number of defences of THE heavyweight title... I could see only Fitzsimmons as having a case for being head of him on a British list. That would make him top 30 all-time overall. That being possible in so few fights tells you the sort of obstacles ahead of him, and also the size of the tasks, quite literally.
He beats Barrett, then Wlad, and retires. Britain, folk legend America, Virtually ignored He Unifies at heavy by beating Barrett, Wlad, and Valuev - retires. Britain, legend America, Virtually ignored He becomes undisputed HW champ by beating Barret, Wlad, Valuev, and Vitali...then retires. Britain, folk legend America, grudgingly respected