Who were the most undeserving challengers for the heavyweight championship?

bxrfan · Jan 19, 2008

Sonny's jab said:

Jersey Joe Walcott got a shot at Ezzard Charles on the back off a loss to Rex Layne, who was a big underdog.

All these guys getting shots on the back of losses is not only often ridiculous in a sporting sense, but a little bit suspicious too.
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Jersey Joe has to be up here, as great as he is. I mean, he lost to Rex Layne clearly in a title eliminator, then he's the guy that gets to fight Charles? Then, after he clearly gets beat by Charles for the second time, he gets another shot at Charles just a couple months later, after losing twice in title shots to Ezzard, and losing twice right before his 5th title shot. Something's not right with that picture.

Longhhorn71 · Jan 19, 2008

JohnThomas1 said:

You had me convinced i tell ya!

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My fellow Texan Terry Daniels had absolutely no chance against Joe Frazier.

SteveO · Jan 19, 2008

Leon Spinks.

Ron Stander.

Some of the guys Holmes fought, of course.

heerko koois · Jan 19, 2008

Marvis Frazier......

barneyrub · Jan 19, 2008

what about Brewster challenging for Wlads IBF title after a year out, coming off a loss and a serious injury which it transpired caused him not to be prepared mentally at least to fight.

Sonny's jab · Jan 19, 2008

dmt said:

i am only joking mate
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Yeah, I thought you might have been. But I wasn't sure.

:good

Sonny's jab · Jan 19, 2008

barneyrub said:

what about Brewster challenging for Wlads IBF title after a year out, coming off a loss and a serious injury which it transpired caused him not to be prepared mentally at least to fight.
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You're right.
Brewster didn't deserve.

Dempsey1238 · Jan 19, 2008

How about Patterson's defense against the Gold Medal winner in his pro bout?? Fresh off the games and in a title fight lol.

Sonny's jab · Jan 19, 2008

Dempsey1238 said:

How about Patterson's defense against the Gold Medal winner in his pro bout?? Fresh off the games and in a title fight lol.
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Yeah, that was the FIRST guy I thought of !

:good

Really the ultimate insult to all the professional fighters struggling up the ladder.

Pete Rademacher was pretty good though I've heard.
He was kind of rushed into a title shot without giving him time to develop - to understate it ! :lol

ChrisPontius · Jan 19, 2008

It would be interesting to make a list and categorize every title challenger as "deserved" or "undeserved". I'd be surprised if there would be more deserved ones than undeserved ones.

Longhhorn71 · Jan 19, 2008

Sonny's jab said:

Yeah, that was the FIRST guy I thought of !

:good

Really the ultimate insult to all the professional fighters struggling up the ladder.

Pete Rademacher was pretty good though I've heard.
He was kind of rushed into a title shot without giving him time to develop - to understate it ! :lol
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But as usual, Falling Floyd made his obligatory trip to the canvas
during the fight.

TBooze · Jan 19, 2008

Jack Palmer and Jem Roche have to be up, sorry, down there...

mcvey · Jan 19, 2008

Sonny's jab said:

Let's just keep the discussion to credible versions of the championship, where there was a champion who was generally considered the champ. No ridiculous alphabets, like WBO or whatever, or vacant alphabet farces, like Seldon-Tucker for example.

WHICH FIGHTERS IN HISTORY WERE THE LEAST DESERVING OF A TITLE SHOT?

Preferably, looking for fighters with awful recent form, or fraudulent records, AND a severe lack of ability.

I think Pete Rademacher must be considered among the least deserving, since he was an amateur with ZERO professional fights !

ChrisP and JT will mention Billy Miske, so I'll mention him first. Miske's recent record going in to the title shot with Dempsey was 1-2-2, and on top of that he was sick with kidney disease !

According to the record books, Alfredo Evangelista "earned" a shot at Muhammad Ali with a points LOSS to Lorenzo Zanon ! In an 8-rounder ! The guy had never gone over 8 rounds in his career, and beaten no one of note in 16 fights. He went the distance with Ali, mind you.

Leon Spinks went 15 rounds with Ali and beat him, to his credit. But did he deserve a shot ?

Ali has a few bad ones. Even George Chuvalo didn't really deserve a shot, coming off a loss against Eduardo Corletti.

I think Abe Simon was coming off losses to Lem Franklin before BOTH his fights with Joe Louis !

Joe Louis must have a few more bad ones too.
Larry Holmes to some extent too.

I actually think standards rose with Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis over who it was - and was not - acceptable to give title shots to.
Tyson wasn't lining up defences with such men as Wimpy Halstead and Bobby Crabtree.
The worst on Holyfield's defences are Bert Cooper, a THIRD CHOICE substitute, and Vaugh Bean.
Lewis fought Botha, who was 1-1-1 in his last three, and Golota, who was coning off two DQs. I dont think Golota deserved it all, no fighter should be rewarded for that level of fouling, but Golota had looked like an elite fighter against Bowe so there's a case for him on ability rather than desert.

There are obviously fighters with impressive win-loss-draw records on paper who never came close to championship quality who were given shots. Maybe like Tom McNeeley, Scott Frank.
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Good old Smokin Joes two after Ali ,Stander and Daniels.Disgraceful!

Dempsey1238 · Jan 19, 2008

Yeah, Pete at least knock the Champ down lol.

mcvey · Jan 19, 2008

Dempsey1238 said:

Yeah, Pete at least knock the Champ down lol.
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Who didnt?

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