I just watched Razor Ruddock fights with Tyson,Morrison and Lewis,do you think he was overrated?

I think Golota would box Ruddock’s ears off, then have a mental breakdown and get himself DQ’d.

That’s usually the safe pick.

 

“About on that tier”

 

Not if you bothered to go to their fights live,

 

Maybe, sure. But Dokes was no pushover. Knocking Dokes unconscious for 5 minutes was absolutely BRUTAL!!

 

Well he was on a winning streak going back to his loss to Coetzee. And I do believe he got the rating off his loss to Holyfield, but there probably wasn't anyone else deserving after Tyson cleaned house. Maybe Witherspoon?

I wouldn't say Ruddock was carefully managed. He decimated dudes and passed his biggest tests in spectacular fashion.

Ruddock was a genuine threat to anyone at the time.

 

Yeah he was still a lively one. People forget he was a champ. Not a lineal one but champ nonetheless.

 

I've always liked Dokes. He had some wicked fast hands for a heavyweight. Plus you hadn't seen many fighters, if any at the time, with corn rows!

Still it would've been nice to see him against more of the lost era. Holmes, Spoon, Thomas, Page all would've been interesting.

 

Good post.

Not sure who could've replaced Dokes at #3 back then after all the bodies Tyson left on the cutting room floor.

Perhaps Witherspoon who had solid victories over undefeated Mike Williams and that nasty KO of Anders Eklund?

Maybe Douglas who was making a tiny bit of noise?

Orlin Norris? He was ranked #6 after a few wins over Greg Page, Jesse Ferguson and Renaldo Snipes but had the no-contest against Tony Tubbs and loss by KO to Bert Cooper.

Ahhh, I know, the Italian pastry pig Francesco Damiani!! Or the newest British Hope Gary Mason!!

Maybe Dokes shouldn't be ranked #3 but who should have?

 

Damiani would have been a nice choice for #3.

He was undefeated, had the WBO title which at that time was not respected but still,m a title is a title, and had that 1984 silver medal.

 

No, people know what he is, a limited slugger with murderous power.

 

Interesting time at HW . Tyson aside I always wondered how mason or Damiani would do against the likes of Dokes or some of the above. I hoped that Gary didn't fight Spoon as I didn't think that would end well .

 

lewis-ruddock was on halloween. between rounds one and two, a lot of trick or treaters came to the door. after sending them away with candy, i was like, "what the hell? fight is over? what happened?"
ruddock was good. think tyson took some of his soul in the rematch.

 

It was legit. The Ring was consistent about knocking down guys who Tyson destroyed. Dokes and Holyfield had maybe engaged in the best high profile heavyweight fight of all time. Dokes hadn't lost in years heading into that. And the others contenders hadn't done much.

There was also the odd situation where Tubbs beat Norris and failed a drug test afterward, so neither of them deserved it.

 

Dokes vs. Ruddock was in 1990.

As I posted before (while he did beat a lot of C and B- or below class fighters over that span) at that time his last win over a contender was a split technical decision over Tex Cobb in 1985 in a bout stopped after four rounds due a cut from a head butt.

Before that, his last win over a contender was when he stopped Mike Weaver in one round in a very controversial stoppage (and got a bit of a gift draw in a rematch) — in 1982.

There’s not a lot of ‘there’ there on Dokes’ record between being a belt holder and fighting Ruddock. I suspect The Ring took into account that he wasn’t exactly beating world-beaters during that near decade of ‘success.’