Some soft touches top tier boxers have taken

Joe Frazier - Basically, half of Frazier's title fights in his first run ... Manuel Ramos, Dave Zyglewicz, Terry Daniels, Ron Stander were gimmes.

Most also forget that Buster Mathis, who Frazier fought and earned Frazier recognition as champion in New York, Pennsylvania and a couple other States, wasn't even ranked in the top 10 by Ring or by the World Boxing Association (which was the official rankings body at the time) when he fought for a vacant title that wasn't even reconized by 45 of the US states.

Mathis was just the New York-based fighter Cus D'Amato managed who MSG hoped to turn into a champ. When Frazier, who was based out of Philly, bowed out of the WBA tournament (Mathis wasn't ranked and wasn't asked to participate), MSG was quick to make Frazier and Mathis, hoping to get Buster ANY version of a title. New York and Pennsylvania (and a couple others) agreed to recognize the winner. And Frazier was a guy Mathis beat in the Olympic Trials. So NY was confident.

But Mathis wasn't considered a top heavyweight at the time, at all. Dave Zyglewicz and Manuel Ramos were rated higher than Mathis by the WBA when Frazier signed to fight him.

You can even add Bob Foster as a gimme. Foster, who was light heavyweight champion, lost to every name heavyweight he faced before he faced Frazier, which is why he was down at light heavy.

The Ali, Quarry and Ellis fights were certainly his big wins, however. They turned everything around for Frazier when it came to recognition.

 

Not at all. The fight will be in US and it'll probably be broadcasted across the US.

It'll be marketed much bigger than Wardley fight. Nobody knows and cares about Wardley.

 

Well, a lot more people cared about last Wardley's fight than Deontay's. Wilder's career is dead at this point.

 

Yet, Wilder's the only guy Usyk wants. And if you are the only one the champion wants, and you'll receive millions for the opportunity, how dead can your career be?

Seems like, if you're the only guy the champ wants, then your career isn't dead. Right?

Wilder's a legend in the sport.

Like I said before, if Wilder is Usyk's soft touch defense, his credentials are better than just about any other champ's soft touch.

 

Nope. Just because Wilder has a name, doesn't mean he's a "better soft touch" than Zanon or Pianeta. He's barely Top 20 HW at this point.

 

Yes it does. Beating a former name champion is always better than beating a nobody. That's always been the case.

Wilder is known for the being a longtime WBC Heavyweight Champion with 10 successful title defenses over a five-year reign who also has one of the highest KO percentages among champions in heavyweight history, who is now also past his prime.

What's Lorenzo Zanon known for ... other than being a soft touch?

Hell, George Foreman was unranked, past his prime and coming off a loss when Michael Moorer plucked him out of nowhere. Same with Larry Holmes when Ray Mercer's team picked him, unranked. Same with Holyfield when Valuev picked him, unranked ... coming off a loss.

None of this is new. It's as old as boxing. It's also part of the intrigue. Sometimes, those old guys have one good one left in them. And sometimes the older defending champs become old overnight.

 

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Riddick Bowe taking on a crack riddled, sway backed Mike Dokes and following up with scrub Jesse Ferguson.

 

I loved that "Low Risk" Larry Holmes managed to squeeze in THREE defenses against Euro-pastries Evangelista, Zanon, and Rodriquez- none of whom were considered even the remotest of threats.

Shame he didn't complete the circle and talk Bepi Ros out of retirement, fit Al Syben, Rudy Gauwe, and George Butzbach into his title schedule and really establish his "ATG" status.

 

The Ferguson fight wasn't Bowe's fault.

Bowe was going to fight Mercer but he got upset against Ferguson.

 

Evangelista & Zanon were top 10 rated Heavyweights and ranked 7th when Holmes fought them.

Rodriguez wasn't ranked in the top 10 no but Holmes was actively fighting 3 times a year on average and he fought Witherspoon right after that fight.

 

Bowe's entire career was built on avoiding punchers.

 

Usyk,s entire hw career is a soft touch unfortunetly .

Did we ever in history saw a two times undisputed hw champion having 8 fights and 5 opponents at heavy on his counter ???

And of his 8 fights / 5 opponents i would only consider AJ1 and fury1 as a real challange and a great win .

fury2 short before retirenent and nearly loosing to ngannou ? Baby version of dubois1 who quit by a jab ? Dubois2 who was late out of a party to his own undisputed and not even tried bodyshots ? Old chisorra ? Witherspoon ?

And recently ... getting an injury extension by wbo while playing football to manouver around parker ? Dropping wbo belt when no more excuses are possible to manouver around wardley ? Getting the way paved by wbc to manouver around kabayel and call shot and tired wilder a title defence ?

Usyk would retire as a legend at CW and his boxing skills are / were superb but his hw story will not age well .