SHOULDN'T have been world champions.

Michael Bentt. Completely cherry-picked and then destroys Morrison in a fluke KO.

 

Mike McTigue, Al McCoy, Georges Carpentier, and Battling Siki. All among the worst champions in history.

 

The worst champion has got to be Bruce Seldon

 

Freddie Cochrane
Luis Santana
Al McCoy
Billy Backus
Jorge Vaca
Derrick Gainer (thinking about the manner in which be beat Norwood...)

 

Mike was a worthy champ with victories over Loughran, Siki and Berlenbach.

 

great post.

McTigue was not a worth a champion. His victory over Siki was a total robbery and he only got the shot at the title because Siki's original opponent was injured. His win over Berlenbach came AFTER he lost the title and at that point Berlenbach himself was an ex champ and on the slide. His "win" over Loughran was highly disputed. The New York press which was often paid by McTigue's manager backed him and it was their wire reports that often appear as proof that McTigue won. Newspapers outside of McTigue's backyard felt Loughran won. Two months later McTigue was involved in one of the most scandalous robberies in history against Stribling. He tried to make that fight a ND fight and when he couldnt he tried to back out. When the fight actually came off he lost every round but his hand picked referee (who travelled to the fight with McTigue) said it was a draw and damn near got lynched for it. A rematch was granted but of course it had to take place in New Jersey where McTigue couldnt lose a decision. He lost that fight as well. He then fought two bums before losing a newspaper decision to WELTERWEIGHT Mickey Walker. Finally he was forced into a decision match against Berlenbach who had gotten his shot by annhilating Siki. He lost. the whole time he steadfastly refused to defend his championship against Greb who had already beaten him twice. He Greb actually signed to fight McTigue in June of 1923 in a match promoted by Rickard but McTigue demanded far too much money, effectively pricing himself out of a fight he knew he couldnt win. If you read about McTigues fights from his early days on up he was a pretty pathetic fighter in the mold of Al McCoy. All he cared about was hearing the final bell. He didnt give a **** if the fans saw a good fight or even if he won a ND. He sure as hell didnt want to fight anyone with a pulse while he defended his title. Even the press of the day reflected this.

 

I find in my limited research that "the robbery" in the Dublin fight was a more recent contention. Do you have any contemporary accounts that suggest this? I have read that it was a fairly handy victory by McTigue's defensive skills after early successes by Siki or that it was a close but deserved decision due to McTigue's defensive skills. I have read the Irish Times and New York Times versions. He did damn near KO Siki in the 17th. I know SI did a nice little recap from a film of the fight. Opinion seemed split. Then again, films from that era are not always good accounts of subtleties. Either way, I do not find compelling evidence that it was a robbery. Hometown cooking? Maybe, but not overwhelmingly so.

And remember Siki was a terror coming into that fight, being suggested as an opponent for Dempsey, while Mike was a boxing instructor who was closer to a middleweight than lightheavy.

 

No way ever should Paddy DeMarco have been the lightweight champion.

 

Keith Mullings

 

Primo Carnera

 

I have that film. One of the most amazingly clear and lucid films that I've seen from that era(if only ALL were shot like this!). Siki made the fight and clearly should have been given the decision.

McTigue just pecked and poked lightly with his jab and clinched. That was his strategy. He throws few punches of any consequence. Siki landed the harder shots and at least TRIED to make a fight of it. Mike just seemed like he was trying to survive.

 

Post that ****.

 

carnera knocked out sharkey, then defended the title twice. he was not as bad as baer made him look. he beat guys who beat baer and fared slightly beter against Louis than baer did also.
if carnera dosnt deserve to be a champ what does that make sharky and baer?

 

I'm not sure he was that carefully matched. He was thrown in as a huge underdog against up-and-comer Billy Arnold in 1945, he was meant to be a stepping stone for Arnold but he knocked the man out in 3 rounds.

He may not have earned his shot at Zale but he was a box office favourite. And he gave Zale hell in that first match and the public were hungry to see a rematch, and Graziano won the title in that second fight.