If boxing had a tournament format, who would the heavyweight champs be?

Imagine that instead of a 1 vs. 1 matchup to determine the lineal heavyweight champion, boxing used an annual tournament among the eight best heavyweights in the world, all held on the same night. Each annual tournament would consist of three 4-round matches.

(Think Prizefighter or that Superfighter tournament from the '90s, but projected back in time.)

What would the lineal heavyweight champion list look like? How would it differ from our current list?

 

Right, so...

This calls for several high-energy fights, one after another, within a 3-5 hour period or so. And you have to fight three different fighters on the same night (with random assignments), so you need adaptability.

Oddly enough, it doesn't call for absolutely top-shelf stamina, since the break between bouts allows you some recovery time. But it does require a minimum level of stamina, since you're guaranteed three opponents and shouldn't bank on knocking them all out.

Cherry-picking a few cases from the 1880s onward...


* Sullivan probably still holds the title for a while. He didn't compete against a very deep field. Also, he had the stamina when he was in shape, had some experience with successive short bouts, and had power to spare. His problem would be that I doubt he can sustain peak physical condition every year for a tournament. The title probably seesaws between Sullivan and less talented -- but more dedicated -- contenders.

* Louis lacks adaptability in the ring, but he has a well-rounded style that would serve him well. He conserves energy and hits hard. Oddly enough, he'd probably suffer more from this format than most, since his energy conserving style doesn't translate as well. (The format is closer to three sprints than a marathon). Still, he's consistent and far enough ahead of his contemporaries that he'd stay on top for a while.

* Rocky trained like a maniac, hit hard, and had enough stamina. If anything, this format allows him to swarm even more than he did, since he has a longer time to recover between bouts. Barring multiple 1950s punchers in a row (whom he could probably beat anyway), he'd remain a buzzsaw under this format.

* Patterson's chin is too fragile to consistently make it through three different opponents in the same night, at least one of whom would probably be a puncher.

* Ali remains a force for a long time. Probably even moreso than real life. He fought every sort of fighter in his prime, and he could adapt in the ring. He also had the speed and stamina even in his later career as long as it was confined to short bursts...like three 4-round fights over 3-4 hours.

* Foreman probably never gets the title. We saw him in this kind of exhibition when he fought the Toronto Five, who were fresh but also not very good. Prime Foreman's stamina would probably start flagging by the second fight, and I don't see him recovering enough to beat a top contender in a final match.

* Tyson, by contrast, did have sufficiently good stamina and an aggressive style that would serve him well over three four round bouts. You couldn't knock him out easily over this distance, either, since he usually needed a sustained beating to lose by KO. Oh, and he'd stand a good chance to knock his opponents out early, saving himself wear and tear compared to other contenders. This format would probably help him the most out of all of the champions.

...That's all for now. Will think on it some more. :think