I found the concept of the "Marciano vs. Charles" thread to be interesting. Rating a fighters victories based upon their difficulty/significance. So lets hear some comments/debate, using Frazier win over Ali say as a 10 and perhaps Patterson Rademacher as a 0 (you guys can probaly come up with a more mismatched fight as the bottom reference). Here are a few- Johnson/Jefferies (7)- significant in that Jefferies was considered the fighter capable of beating Jack and was undefeated coming out of retirement. Argubaly the two best HW fighters of the turn of the century. Cannot give it top rank though as Jefferies had not fought in years and was fighting a top condition Johnson. Ali/Foreman (10)- As crucial a win for Ali as his loss to Frazier was for Smokin' Joe. Ali beat a prime ATG, unbeaten and having destroyed his last three opponents (Frazier, Roman, Norton). Despite being past his best, he brilliantly stopped a fighter only a handful of histories fighters would have been able to overcome. Dempsey/Williard (6)- A great win in that it began Dempsey's legend and marked a startling moment in sports history. Overrated in that Williard was not an ATG at best and had been made more vurnerable by a long period of inactivity. Williard injuries are often citied as evidence of Dempsey's power, but are rather the result of the period's rules and their inability to protect downed fighters. Can you imagine the type of injuries Tyson or Liston could have caused if allowed to hit their opponents as they rose from canvas unguarded? Lets hear some others?
Liston-Patterson I gets a chin. Destroying an incumbant champ in that fashion deserves the full marks, I think. And Patterson was a fine fighter.
"I knew after that fight that I would be okay, because if I had a weak spot on my body or face that guy would have found it in the first round. He punched me awful hard." Liston liked Williams, I think.