Rematch GOAT

Perhaps unsurprisingly, every candidate listed in the current poll for "rematch GOAT" also happens to be a consensus top 50 ATG.

 

Greb's record in rematches, stripped of newspaper decision results W/L/D:

47-6-3 (15)

Still formidable.


The loss to Joe Chip was their first encounter and he never avenged the injury TKO loss to Kid Graves. His legitimate defeats in rematches - excluding newspaper decisions - were to Flowers x2, Loughran once, Norfolk once by DQ, and Tunney x2.

He fought to fifteen draws via newspaper decision, but all three of his "regular" draws came in rematches - to Loughran, Jeff Smith, & Jackie Clark.

 

...and that's still only ten fewer bouts (56) than in B-Hop's entire pro career.

 

:nod

...and Slapsie Maxie, and Jimmy Bivins, and Hank Armstrong, and Kid Azteca...

 

I've considered it from the angle of each one, and they all have reasonable arguments in their corner if you apply divergent but still valid criteria.

• Louis - unbeaten in rematches, is the ATG with 2nd highest KO % (81) in rematches of ATG's, only prime loss avenged, single best rematch victory in history (Schmeling) buttressed with a few more of excellent vintage (Conn, Walcott, Baer). Not just the "most significant", but perhaps the greatest rematch victory h2h, taking into account the opponent's quality and the savagery and definitive nature.
• Hagler - unbeaten in rematches, is the ATG with the highest KO % (91) in rematches, avenged four of his five career blemishes (Monroe & Watts losses, Seales & Antuofermo draws), all except the one to SRL (which came well past his prime and which many consider him to have won as well despite the stacked deck :deal). Half a dozen forgettable/insignificant opponents beaten in rematches, but just as many world class ones.
• Monzón - unbeaten in rematches, staggeringly high # of them for the modern era - fought in more than Ali, Louis & Hagler combined, is the ATG with 3rd highest KO % in rematches (53), avenged every blemish except for one draw. Lots of rabble padding that number, but at the upper end there are multiple HOF inductees.
• Ali - unbeaten in rematches, is the ATG with the 4th highest KO % in rematches (45), and holy mother of pearl look at those names. Unlike with Louis, Hagler, or Monzón there isn't a single rematch opponent who isn't absolutely world class (let alone half or a majority of them, as with those guys). Frazier II and III alone rank short of Schmeling II as individual victories but well ahead of most others.
• Greb - Not unbeaten. Extremely low KO % (26 if you don't include NWS results; 9 if you do). A lot of time-wasters, no-marks fought multiple times for no good reason. Despite all that - numbers, Jack. The sheer volume is astounding. To have fought in that many and still have that high a winning percentage (84) is a feat unto itself. He spent more of his prizefighting career in rematches than not. He fought more than double the amount of rematches of Ali, Louis, Hagler and Monzón all combined. And, he isn't without a few quality names under his belt, either (though he did get spanked in his most important rivalries, Flowers & Tunney, and wasn't perfect against Loughran, going 2-1-1...) such as Mike & Tommy Gibbons, George & Joe Chip, Battling Levinsky...

 

Far-fetched, but if he managed to pull out Bradley III, Mayweather II, and Marquez V before he retires (so, that would be most likely Bradley in April, Marquez in September, and Mayweather next May) he would be sitting at 9-1, and despite not cracking double-digit rematch W's and still having the humiliation of that iconic knockout loss as perhaps the biggest lingering memory associated with him in rematches - he would probably deserve inclusion on the poll and have a strong argument for being neck & neck with the rest. :think

That would be just way too much quality to ignore - Barrera, Marquez thrice, Morales twice, Bradley twice and the holy grail, Mayweather.

 

Jimmy Bivins:

23-15-1 (5)

Joe Sutka - WUD8 in the rematch.
Nate Bolden - WUD10 in the rematch.
Paul Frazier - WUD8 in the rematch.
Johnny Barbara - WTKO7 in the rematch.
Anton Christoforidis - LMD10 in the rematch, WUD15 in the rubber match.
Curtis Sheppard - WUD10 in the rematch, WUD10 in the rubber match, WUD10 in the fourth installment.
Melio Bettina - WUD10 in the rematch, D10 in the rubber match.
Bob Pastor - WSD10 in the rematch.
Joey Maxim - LSD10 in the rematch.
Tami Mauriello - WMD10 in the rematch.
Ezzard Charles - LUD10 in the rematch, LKO4 in the rubber match, LUD10 in the fourth installment, LUD10 in the fifth installment.
Watson Jones - WTKO6 in the rematch, WKO2 in the rubber match.
Pat Valentino - WUD10 in the rematch.
Lee Q. Murray - WUD10 in the rematch, LUD10 in the rubber match, LUD10 in the fourth installment, WSD10 in the fifth installment.
Johnny Flynn - WUD10 in the rematch, WMD10 in the rubber match
Archie Moore - LRTD8 in the rematch, LMD10 in the rubber match, LKO8 in the fourth installment, LRTD9 in the fifth installment.
Yancey Henry - WKO10 in the rematch.
Johnny Haynes - WTKO4 in the rematch.
Sid Peaks - LUD10 in the rematch.
Willie Bean - WUD10 in the rematch, WUD10 in the rubber match.
Leonard Morrow - WUD10 in the rematch.
Clarence Henry - LUD10 in the rematch.
Tommy Harrison - LUD10 in the rematch.


Spiderman paid a hefty price for notching a W over both Archie Moore & Ezzard Charles in his first meetings with them. Both proceeded to make a hobby of licking him and exacted plenty of revenge, in a Robinson vs. LaMotta sort of mold. Take away those rivalries, with Bivins quitting them while he was ahead without ever having to pay the piper, and his record in rematches improves to a yeomanlike 23-7-1 (5)

 

Nope, just Firefox.