Who is the UK's best boxer of the last 30 years?

yeah so how would you rate EUBANK

is he considered brit in the boxing sense?

 

In a way he definitely is, because his first influences in boxing were probably his older brothers (Peter and Simon) who were already professional boxers in the UK.
Eubank pretty much spent his entire pro career in the UK after those first fights in the US.

But he can also be claimed as a product of the New York gyms, trainers and amateur circuit.

 

that is fair, i can agree with that

even though he is quoted saying pretty much that he had to learn how to fight in the US bc the gyms in Britain sucked.

 

Lennox Lewis is a more clear-cut case of being a non-Brit in the boxing sense, because he was an international level amateur for several YEARS, representing Canada in two Olympic games and did not have anything whatsoever to do with British boxing until he signed with a British promoter in 1989. He was almost 24 years old by then.
All his leading trainers in the pros were American too.

 

lewis has the best resume and longevity against top ten opponents of any british boxer in the last 30 years.

calzaghe had the hardest style to beat but his resume v so many opponents was c
class when it had no need to be so he cannot be ranked above lewis despite being unbeaten.

honeyghan had the best win in this time period v p for p no 1 on the road.

 

but yet the the UK will claim him as if he fought for britain in the olympics as opposed to canada.

 

lewis.. of course you picked calzaghe because you're a racist lil **** hans.

 

Eubank or Benn, they are the stalwarts. Eubank just seemed like he had mastered professional boxing, for a long while. And what Nigel Benn did to Barkley and McClellan, the two guys Tyson rated as the baddest (Iran) and best (G-Man) of any weight, the two guys he (and we all) warned Benn not to have anything of, was extraordinary, world-shocking stuff.

 

Kell BROOK..

 

Eubank was phenomenal against Benn and Watson at middleweight, he completely outboxed Benn in rounds five, six and seven, didn't take a punch in round one, very nearly stopped him in round two, and finished him in round nine. He completely outboxed Watson from round one to round five, didn't take a punch in round seven and wobbled him a few times in round nine with single shots. Won both fights fair and square, beating a 26 year old Benn and 26 year old Watson. Incredible really.

That left uppercut against southpaw Stretch, and those composed counter combos from close against come-forward Cronin; breathtaking ability.

 

Lloyd Honeyghan & Lennox Lewis both undisputed champions

 

joe was "undisputed" champion too (or at least unified), but only for one bout, not for any defences like they were. for some reason joe ran from making non-wbo wassen-selected defences

 

Lennox doesn't do it for me, losing to run of the mill guys in McCall and Rahman, at varying stages of his career (he was at least in his 'prime' at one end or the other?), and got a gift against a shot Ray Mercer. Rumour has it he struggled with a super-middleweight in Graciano Rocchigiani in sparring in Kronk, the guy Eubank completely dominated.

Holyfield was 10 years past his best, Tyson 15 years past his best. That's hideous. He struggled with Holyfield inside in the second fight, and with Tyson in the first round (rocked by a jab etc) - John Ruiz and Danny Williams did better jobs!

Don't get me wrong, Lennox was very big and strong, with a huge right hand, as Razor Ruddock and Golota will attest to (both shells of themselves post-Tyson and post-Bowe brawls)... but there was too much of the 'chess player' in his make-up most of the time. Even when he was punching holes in Tyson he looked too scared to blow him out in a few rounds like he should've, or blew Holyfield out of the ring... reaching touching left hand, leaning back, occasional cross or uppercut (while holding the back of the head), and relying on size, reach, height, movement. Not for me. Not great.

 

Top 3 for me
Calzaghe
Hamed
Lewis

My personal favourites were Benn and Hatton as well