Most underappreciated HW champ?

BBB of C Yearbook 2006; page 253; Early gloved championship boxing the 'true' facts by Harold Alderman

30 May 1892: Peter Jackson WCO10 Frank Slavin

"Slavin was billed as world champion and holder of the Richard K Fox Police Gazette Championship belt"

Page 254

25th November 1896:

"The Mirror of Life stated Peter Jackson is the World Heavyweight Champion"

 

He deserved it.

 

Probably a place for Jack Sharkey here.

 

Yea, you are proberly right, the man when 100% gave the great Joe Louis a few KD's and some sneaky pinpoint punchers, Dropped a steel chinned Marciano, KO'd Charles(one of the best hooks ever) Walcott was a late bloomer but had great hands (power and speed both hands) and was the first fighter to shuffle. I think on a Good night Walcott would have really been trouble for Ali and Dempsey and Foreman and could have upset anyone on a GIVEN night

 

Most underappreciated HW champ:
Mike Weaver...
Weaver was a hard puncher & he always showed up in shape & ready to go 15 rounds. Walcott is another excellent choice, but most people have heard of Walcott. Unless you were a HW boxing fan in the 1980's, you probably would not know who Mike Weaver was.

Weaver knocked out John Tate, a young Carl Williams, a young Quick Tillis, Coetzee & he probably beat Dokes in their re-match fight in 1983.

 

Lennox Lewis was never appreciated by the Americans.

 

I America, and I appreciated Lewis. Lewis is a great fighter though I feel hard hitting punchers like Louis or Dempsey would have been a nightmare for Lewis. I think Lewis has the talent to give any boxer, say Tunney, Ali, some one in that mode problems because of Lewis's long reach and height.

 

King thought he could capture the Latino market with a "Latino HW champ." What he didn't count on was that Latino fans are some of the most knowlegable in the sport, and they know a talentless fraud when they see it.

With Ruiz, it's not just the gift decisions, or King's manuevering of the ratings either - it's the blatant and continuous violation of the rules against excessive holding; and even worse, the faked "low blows" in several fights. Why did Ruiz do this? He didn't have the ability to compete legitimately at the world class level. And King helped him get away with it.

What's all this talk about Ruiz in this thread for anyway? All he ever was was a paper titlist - and a fraudulent one at that.

 

I never meant every single American. The vast majority. Thats good you appreciate Lewis, he was a great heavyweight and deserves to be a top 10 ATG, maybe as high as number 5.

 

By lineage rights the Police Gazette title belonged to Sullivan, since he beat Kilrain for it. From thence, Corbett. Then again, Fox never took to Sullivan, so he likely stripped him.

 

I think top 5 is pushing it. I belive the likes of Louis, Ali, Johnson, Marciano, and perhaps Dempsey FIRMLY lay a claim as the top 5 imo and over Lewis if they dont make the top 5.

 

Floyd Patterson. :good

 

Top 10 is pushing it for Lewis.

The most under appreciated HW Champions were Larry Holmes and Ezzard Charles.
Simply because the skills and talent they had didn't warrant the unfair criticism they both received.

 

Holmes, IMO.

 

That's changed a fair bit in recent times.
But I remember as recently as the late ninties, Larry wasn't getting his due.