Pick A Era, Year & Path For "Bad" Bennie Briscoe To Win Middleweight Gold

Bennie was as tough as they come. I would have loved to seen how he would have matched up with Graziano, Zale, Zivic, Cerdan, Robinson, Burley and even Lamotta. He certainly would have won and lost his fair sure but it would have been fun too watch.

I also would have loved to have seen him against Giardello and Tiger. He did beat George Benton but that was at the end of Benton's career.

 

What makes this hard is BBB inconsistency

 

That is a very good point and one thing that drives me crazy on this forum. I have seen people that don't no any better just look at a fighters record and see a bunch of losses and just assume that means they were bad. Bennie fought for years against very tough competition and on the road and was only knocked out once. Like Dick Tiger before him and Glen Johnson after him, he was a truth machine. I guarantee every one that fought him, respected him.

 

I wouldn't have him as the favourite in the one belt era to beat any of the past lineal champions to be quite honest.

It would be great to see him take on the likes of Basilio, LaMotta, though I'm sure they would be absolute wars.

PS I just had a look at the lineal Middleweight champions maybe he could beat Paul Bender, Terry Downes, I don't know alot about them though honestly.

 

Agreed. This is a man that had something like 95 fights over 18 years against some crazy completion. Of course he was going to lose alot because he was fighting once every 2 to 2 1/2 months for 18 years on average. That is unheard of these days

 

Personally, I would favor Bennie over Glen Johnson at 160.

 

Bennie Briscoe vs GGG would've been fun.

 

I would too. I was using Johnson as a later day example of a similar fighter that had a bad record but was a beast of a fighter. Johnson, like Brisco would fight anyone regardless of location or even weight class. He gave everyone tough fights like Brisco did.

 

Hi Guys.
As Mary Hopkin might have said " those were the days " of all the good and great fighters that I grew up with : Napoles, Olivares, Hafey, Chacon, Lopez, Bennie Briscoe has left a lasting impression on me, that will never fade, even the name is iconic, and in sync, I was never more in a hurry to get my Boxing News than when Bennie had fought the week before, the star of david on the shorts, the shaven skull, I know it had been done before him, but did it suit anybody better than him, methinks not, standing between rounds, not many favoured that, didn't bother Briscoe, we know that all fighters to a degree have no fear, but Bennie was not only fearless, he himself exuded fear, I can still see the front of BN back in the early 70s with a picture of him playing a piano ? with his hands bandaged, the headline being " Briscoe a fighter that trades in fear " the great but insular Monzon always had time for him, and always greeted Bennie with huge respect and admiration whenever their paths crossed, and is in print saying Bennie gave him his hardest fights, as to whom he would beat, he would beat some, and lose ( points ) to some, but they would all have to bring their A game, and be prepared for a long war of attrition.
Thanks for the post Russell, as with all of yours, it was interesting and incisive.
stay safe buddy, chat soon.

 

In the one belt era it would be difficult for Briscoe to capture a title given the amount of top shelf fighters from the 40s and 50s. Perhaps he could do well for himself to possibly get a title during the 20s or 30s though.

Briscoe would surely win a belt in today's MW era which has become a total drought for some time now.