Bob Fitzimmons vs. Sugar Ray Robinson 15 round Middleweight bout I find this dream fight really intriguing, because they're both tough as nails. One has a punch that is almost inhuman and the other hits hard as hell as well. I'll let you boxing pundits figure this one out.
Bob Fitzimmons is really the hardest puncher P4P of all time? How do we know that? Sometimes the era bias gets a little ridiculous on this site with regards to the mystique of these old time fighters.
I think Ray would wear him down with an accumulation of punishment. By most accounts Fitz' footwork was unspectacular and I think Ray would walk him into shots. Nowdays the fights would be stopped in the late rounds, but in Fitz' era, the fight would go the full 15.
Robinson easily. We're dealing with different eras of boxing here, the modern and pre-modern eras. Fitz simply wasn't skilled enough based on the footage we have of him, or any fighter of his era really.
Bob Fitzimmons was the bigger man with great stamina, footwork, power and had "freakish" physical skills. Got to go with big Bob the the heaveyweight in a middleweight's body (BTW was the first man to win world titles in three divisions: (Middleweight, Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight).
What? How do we know? How about what every historian, referee, journalist, and fighter from that time has said. The International Boxing Hall of Fame says outright "Bob Fitzsimmons was the deadliest hitters of all time". That's enough for me.
At middle, Robinson would be cagey enough to stay out of trouble and box his way to a one sided-decision.
Langford, Wilde, and Walcott could all be called the P4P hardest hitter and have as much claim to the title as Fitz. (Robinson also isn't the guaranteed greatest fighter ever, although I have him at #1) Anyway, Fitz era-for-era was one of the best ever, however H2H he is beaten quite easily IMO by Robinson, despite the size difference.
Just thought I should throw these stats out. Fitz was 5'11" and fought aprox. around 158 to 170. He also knocked guys out that were 60 to 90 pounds heavier than him, and he does rank in the top 10 P4P punchers' list (actually he is ranked 8th by The Ring magazine). http://www.***********.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-37960.html Also Sugar was 5' 11" and weighed aprox. 158 to 163 as a middleweight, so there is not much height difference.
I think Robinson would beat Fitz at middleweight. Langford on the other hand might be a different story.
