New book - A Brief History of the Heavyweights 1881-2010

I placed an order and will be interested to read Mr. Callis's thoughts. Thanks for the notice, apollack.

 

I correspond with Tracy from time to time via email. He is a well respected historian and one with direct links to past historians, authors, and fighters that have passed. He is one of the most respected guys in the IBRO.

If you ask the casual fan who knows boxing history they might say Sugar, Merchant, Kellerman, Lampley, etc... Callis knows more about the history of the sport than all of them combined. He does favor the old timers, but his point is many of us know so little about them. I have his personal rankings, and some extra bonus stuff. I’m more than sure his book will be outstanding.

 

Just looked on amazon in the uk and can't find the book

 

Got to say I like Tracy too, good guy, knows his stuff-maybe he's too nice if anything. Good luck to him.

 

I found Callis' rankings. They look pretty decent to me. It's a welcomed change from the Ali lovers.
Here are the Heavyweights:

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Interesting stuff

Ricardo Lopez , Aaron Pryor and jimmy Barry are well ranked

 

O,I love Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey. My two favourite heavyweights.
In a fantasy bout between Jack Dempsey and joe Louis, both at their zenith, I am perplexed as to who would win this titanic match...Dempsey the faster starter had a somewhat similar style that the later Arturo Godoy had bobbing and weaving crouching low, but with twice the hitting power
than the Chilean Godoy who gave Louis all he could handle in their first bout...Against the slower, more deliberate greatest combination puncher ever Joe Louis, this fight result outcome puzzles me to this day...
But I take heed of the fact that in 1950 ,hundreds of veteran boxing writers who went back to Jack Johnson chose Jack Dempsey as the greatest fighter up to that time by a great plurality...So I lean to Dempsey purely on this poll of veteran boxing writers and historians who chose the Manassa
Mauler....If I am wrong i will be in good company of people who saw them both ringside...

 

My thoughts exactly. I've spent the last 25 years reading about boxing and nothing is covered more than the heavies. If I haven't heard the anecdote or fact, it probably was made up yesterday.

Sorry to be the curmudgeon here, and I am not saying I am the best read and researched (not by a long shot), but many probably think the same.

How about a lightweight history or a definitive middleweight history. Far more fascinating, deeper divisions over time.

 

Interesting. Incorrect, but interesting...

 

N.P. never weighed above the ww limit? That's something I never knew.

As for his ratings, I think old fighters get a benefit of doubt that modern fighters do not as their ratings are based largely on the written word as opposed to the eye test.

if we were do the same with modern fighters and ignore the footage, instead base everything on the best writeups we can find, I'm sure his rankings would look a lot different.

 

If it is 'incorrect', what is the formula for correctness, and empirical theory to back this up?

 

this, a list is a list, is a list. we all view boxing differently and our lists should reflect those differences.

my new top 10 is:

Muhammad Ali
Joe Louis
Lennox Lewis
Evander Holyfield
Mike Tyson
Larry Holmes
Sonny Liston
George Foreman
Joe Frazier
Riddick Bowe

with a special emphasis on h2h, riddick bowe might have had a short prime, but i don't care, i think he does better against the best of the rest than say dempsey or wlad.