Worst HW title challangers ever?

I agree.

In some ways this fight says more about Holmes than Cobb.

 

Exactly. Cobb was limited but quite effective vs some styles of opponent. Turns out he was absolutely made for Holmes who did a huge number on him. Reminds me a little of Hagler - Sibson.

 

Stefen Tangstad (v Michael Spinks)

 

Scott Ledoux

 

Jean-Pierre Coopman gets my vote.

 

Cobb was indeed a worthy challenger for Larry, in my estimation. Tex had dropped split decisions to Norton and Dokes which he arguably deserved to win. He also posted a ten round win over deadly puncher Bernado Mercado, consecutive stoppages over lethal Jeff Shelburg, and prevailed over eight in his legendary brawl with Shavers. After Holmes shut Cobb out, Tex dropped a majority decision to Buster Douglas that he may well have deserved the verdict in also.

Gerry Cooney could well have squared off with Tex in a title challenge eliminator for the right to face Larry. If such a pairing had taken place before Holmes/Cooney, Gerry would have never fought for the championship.

Entering the bout with Cobb, there were questions about Larry's endurance, and ability to perform consistently over the 15 round distance. Although Tex harped on the idea that he was more susceptible to cuts by virtue of being white, he really wasn't a bleeder. This match was expected by most to go the 15 round distance. Would Holmes get fatigued and slow down as the contest progressed into the championship rounds?

Tex did indeed make his move late, trying to go inside and step up the pace. And when Cobb fought harder, so did Larry! In fact, Holmes was so much better in the championship rounds that the case could be made for some two point periods during that stretch, when Larry finished as strongly as he ever did in a distance performance.

Larry Holmes-Tex Cobb is in many ways one of my favorite displays by both, as it demonstrated Larry's ridiculous superiority to the rest of the heavyweight division in 1982. Holmes was not a true knockout artist, but a boxer first, and no heavyweight in the 1982 ranks could have been truly competitive with him in the Astrodome that Thanksgiving weekend. But thanks to Tex, the fans were not cheated by an abbreviated exhibition. It was a satisfying demonstration of persistence, toughness, endurance, skill, conditioning and courage.

Regarding Cosell's attempted self-serving upstaging of the proceedings, I gave no credence to his ulteriorly motivated rantings against the continuation of it. Howard was merely angry that it did not end quickly enough for him to catch an early flight to spend Thanksgiving with his wife, Emmy. If that bout had been scheduled for the preceding Monday, as Cosell had hoped, or if Emmy had been with him in Houston, instead of at home in NYC (as she often was on the road with him), then Howard would not have been clamoring for referee Steve Crosson to end it, but would instead have been waxing poetic over the skill and conditioning of Holmes, and dogged persistence and heart of Cobb. Had November 22 been the date met in Houston, no protest from Cosell would have been heard, and I regard it as Malcolm "Flash" Gordon did, with gushing praise for both combatants.

 

Leon Stinks, Oh, I mean Spinks.

 

Tony "The bum" Galento

Thats my number 1.

 

Well, he did better against Ali in winning the title than a well conditioned Earnie Shavers and Ken Norton did against the post-Manila Greatest. An argument might be made that Leon was the worst to ever win the undisputed championship, but for one match, he, like Buster Douglas, performed very well in dethroning a historically prominent kingpin. With disciplined training habits and some lifestyle self restraint, he might have held the title for a couple of defenses. Ditto Douglas.

 

It's crazy to suggest Tex Cobb, a many who could take a shot and had wins and good results against contenders, as the worst challenger ever.

It's also crazy to suggest Tony Galento, a guy who could hit like a freight train and soak up a load of punishment, and who KO'd some decent fighters.

There are far worse challengers.

Lucien Rodriguez was rubbish, so were Jean-Pierre Coopman, Richard Dunn.
Peter Rademacher was making his pro debut, I actually think he was already better than Coopman though.
Tom McNeeley, Terry Daniels.

 

Crawford Grimsley

 

It was even misery listening to it on the radio. Thing is, Akinwande was not that bad a fighter, just out of his depth. He must have been well paid, so he just did what he had to in order to survive in one piece.
Going out guns blazing would be more fitting for a title challenge though....

 

Yeah, Akinwande was awful.

But I do seem to remember he wobbled or floored Lewis briefly on a rare moment when he actually threw a punch. I might be wrong, but I recollect something like that, and in the mess of the "fight" it was ruled a slip.

 

Very good post. Tex Cobb was indeed a very good fighter, and had he not been side tracted with lifestyle problems and an acting career, he might have gone a bit further. Although I agree with most of your post, I'm not sure that I'd bet money on him beating Cooney between 1980-1982, especially if they only fought a standard 10 rounder. Cooney wasn't particularly known for having great stamina or a solid chin, but I think he definately could have gone 10 rounds with Cobb to take a decision. Cooney would have had a sizeable reach along with better skills and enough power to at least force Cobb to keep his distance.

 

Possibly, but Holmes described Tex as the strongest man he ever faced in the ring, and Larry outmuscled Cooney in the clinches at times. Gerry wasn't as physically strong as his size might suggest. Many considered Cobb's slow but heavy jab as his best offensive weapon. Norton was weary from having to continually counter it. Despite Cooney's reach, he would have to come within range of Tex's physical strength and shorter reach to deliver his bread and butter hooks.

Of course there's no way Gerry could have hurt Tex, especially considering that Cobb later stood up to the lethal kicks of Big John Jackson in a nationally televised PKA main event. But would Tex's punches be sufficient to stun the more vulnerable Cooney? Cobb would be the one advancing forward, whether Gerry liked it or not.

A situation where Cooney was unable to hurt his opponent would have been a fascinating scenario, one which Jones and Rappoport may have been wise to insert Gerry into before challenging Holmes. (Cooney himself was concerned about how well he could perform over an extended distance, a trepidation Gerrie Coetzee suffered from himself through most of his career.)