10 greatest title reigns

[-CANE-]

Certainly no argument there. It wasn't on par with the 1970s or 1990s which I think are the two strongest eras for the Heavyweights. My point is that people hear "Bum Of The Month Club" and actually assume they were really bums without investigating the truth. Too many posters especially younger ones assume that if they've never heard of a fighter then they must not have been any good. That wipes out 99% of pre-1980 fighters since most of the younger posters weren't even born until after 1980 and they are almost uniformly ignorant of boxing history since they couldn't be arsed to do any research on the fighters they are so glibbly dismissing (no, a 20 second clip on You Tube does NOT constitute "research").

Poet

Totally agree with that Poet. 70's then the 90's are the two strongest eras for the heavyweights.

40's wasn't as strong as these but it was by no means as bad as the 80's and now.

[warp1432]

Wow, there is no other fighter I enjoy watching more. His speed, precision and power are a thing of beauty.

His footspeed is pretty slow, but his combinations and power are good, but overall I don't enjoy his style. Walcott-Louis II was probably one of the worst fights I've seen besides the KO.

[them_apples]

Louis' run at HW is probably the best.

his competition was average though, not great like some people are saying.

It was better than Rocky's era but not as good as Ali's.

I'm also going to point out that Abe Simon looks like a comical giant in robin hood and probably would have been knocked out by any half decent heavyweight.

Tony Galento is also an overrated bum, leaving his face open and being 70 lbs overweight doesn't classify him as a legit HW champion.

all in all, Louis rightfully deserves to be at the top of this list, he is the epitome of a boxing champion.

[andrewcuff]

Louis' run at HW is probably the best.

his competition was average though, not great like some people are saying.

It was better than Rocky's era but not as good as Ali's.

I'm also going to point out that Abe Simon looks like a comical giant in robin hood and probably would have been knocked out by any half decent heavyweight.

Tony Galento is also an overrated bum, leaving his face open and being 70 lbs overweight doesn't classify him as a legit HW champion.

all in all, Louis rightfully deserves to be at the top of this list, he is the epitome of a boxing champion.

I've come into this debate late. Could you summarise the pro's/cons of Louis's run at HW. I've heard some say he defeated a lot of HOF'ers whereas others say he only fought bums. As I'm not particularly knowledgable about his opposition, could you fill me in on the details?

[Slimey Limey]

The so-called "Bum Of The Month Club" officially refers those fighters Louis fought between December of 1940 and March of 1941. They are:

1940-12-16 Al McCoy
1941-01-31 Red Burman
1941-02-17 Gus Dorazio
1941-03-21 Abe Simon
1941-04-08 Tony Musto
1941-05-23 Buddy Baer
1941-06-18 Billy Conn

Al McCoy - 115 career wins including wins over Tommy Loughran and Nathan Mann.

Red Burman - 76 career wins including a win over Tommy Farr.

Gus Dorazio - 73 career wins including a win over Bob Pastor.

Abe Simon - Outweighed Louis by 50 pounds and had a win over Jersey Joe Walcott.

Tony Musto - The only true bum of the bunch.

Buddy Baer - Outweighed Louis by 35 pounds, 52 career wins including wins over Lee Savold, Nathan Mann, and Tony Galento.

Billy Conn - Light-Heavyweight Champion, 64 career wins including wins over Fritzie Zivic, Vince Dundee, Teddy Yarosz, Fred Apostoli, Gus Lesnevich, Melio Bettina, Bob Pastor, Lee Savold, and Tony Zale.

Poet

Sorry mate but it's very very sad if that's all it is. You can't actually believe your own words if you believe this is the greatest title reign ever. That's a fookin bum of the month club alright.

Only Conn was great but he wasn't even a true heavyweight. And lets not forget, he almost had Joe(just like a few other fighters almost beat Joe). A few OK names like Simon and Bear, but that's it.

Again with the hypocrisy mate. You're doing a Boxrec here, and you're only mentioning their wins and not their losses, which I know they have a ****load of.

Somebody just got owned! Nice work Poet.

When you're done with Poet's cornhole maybe you can start actually answering my posts instead of ducking me as usual mate.

Please, why don't you tell me about MY stance on Tyson and Lewis since you think you know it?

Bottomline is tht there have been worse eras than Louis in every weight class including heavy, and nobody has made 25 defenses EXCEPT Louis. That is greatness, my friend.

I already did.

And name me which eras were worse than that of Louis', and which fighters wouldn't have had so many defences with a bum of the month club. The real Bottom line is that Tysons title reign(Tucker, Williams, Spinks, Thomas, Holmes, Tubbs, Biggs, Bruno) and Lewis (Tua, Tyson, Grant, Holyfield, Briggs, Golota) were much better. Ali's too.

[-CANE-]

Sorry mate but it's very very sad if that's all it is. You can't actually believe your own words if you believe this is the greatest title reign ever. That's a fookin bum of the month club alright.

Only Conn was great but he wasn't even a true heavyweight. And lets not forget, he almost had Joe(just like a few other fighters almost beat Joe). A few OK names like Simon and Bear, but that's it.

Again with the hypocrisy mate. You're doing a Boxrec here, and you're only mentioning their wins and not their losses, which I know they have a ****load of.



When you're done with Poet's cornhole maybe you can start actually answering my posts instead of ducking me as usual mate.



I already did.

And name me which eras were worse than that of Louis', and which fighters wouldn't have had so many defences with a bum of the month club. The real Bottom line is that Tysons title reign(Tucker, Williams, Spinks, Thomas, Holmes, Tubbs, Biggs, Bruno) and Lewis (Tua, Tyson, Grant, Holyfield, Briggs, Golota) were much better. Ali's too.

Look Louis' era was by no means the worst, but it wasn't great either.

I think its pretty obvious that the 70's was the greatest era, only the 90's comes close to that IMO. But I do think and this is only my opinion that it has never been worse than it is now, also the 80's was ****, but could of been much better. With the exception of Tyson and Holmes they were all fat and lazy. Shame because Tubbs,Dokes and Witherspoon wasted their talent and Bruno trained the wrong way he could also of been a lot better.

[Thunder Lips]

Ill give you that Galento looks better, but he still has the obvious problems Ive stated above.

He aint garbage, but hes not as good as the guys Ive said before. not a chance.

That is fair. But Carl Williams and Ruddock had their defensive lapses as well.

Ruddock was hurt and knocked down multiple times throughout his career, even in his biggest win against Bonecrusher:



Ruddock exposing himself to Lewis' right.



A wreckless Ruddock leaves himself open for Morrison's left on the inside.



A fresh Tyson frequently landing on Ruddock in their second fight. Ruddock, often caught standing upright with his hands down or in a lazy half assed guard.

Williams was even more knockdown prone than Ruddock, often rising off the canvas in even his better performances against fighters like Cooper and Ferguson.

They were all flawed but dangerous sluggers at their best. Galento was easily the most durable and sturdy of the three but ultimately the less successful since he really didn't take his career very seriously outside of his big upset over the well regarded favorite Nathan Mann and shocking outing against Louis.

[StarshipTrooper]

Louis' run at HW is probably the best.

his competition was average though, not great like some people are saying.

It was better than Rocky's era but not as good as Ali's.

I'm also going to point out that Abe Simon looks like a comical giant in robin hood and probably would have been knocked out by any half decent heavyweight.

Tony Galento is also an overrated bum, leaving his face open and being 70 lbs overweight doesn't classify him as a legit HW champion.

all in all, Louis rightfully deserves to be at the top of this list, he is the epitome of a boxing champion.

My point wasn't that Louis' resume was littered with ATGs but rather that it wasn't made up of so-called "bums" that certain posters are making out.

Sorry mate but it's very very sad if that's all it is. You can't actually believe your own words if you believe this is the greatest title reign ever. That's a fookin bum of the month club alright.

Only Conn was great but he wasn't even a true heavyweight. And lets not forget, he almost had Joe(just like a few other fighters almost beat Joe). A few OK names like Simon and Bear, but that's it.

Again with the hypocrisy mate. You're doing a Boxrec here, and you're only mentioning their wins and not their losses, which I know they have a ****load of.

BoxRec is a useful tool for those who actually know what they're looking at. Sadly, it seems you've closed your mind to quality of any fighter prior to the color TV era. There isn't a whole lot I or anyone else can say that is likely to penatrate your willful ignorance toward boxing prior to your own lifetime.

I would hazzard to say that you have an agenda: That is, to make Mike Tyson's mediocre resume look better than it was by desparaging the records of others. People who actually KNOW boxing are not going to be fooled: They know the 1980s were probably the weakest era for Heavyweights on record with the possible exception of that which we are currently in. No amount of rhetorical agitprop is going to make the likes of Trevor Berbick, Tyrell Biggs, and Carl Williams anything other than jokes that were only contenders because the had the great fortune of fighting in such a weak era.

Poet

[TheGreatA]

Heavyweight ratings by Ring ****zine:

1937:

1. Max Schmeling
2. Tommy Farr
3. Nathan Mann
4. Alberto Santiago Lovell
5. Tony Galento
6. Jimmy Adamick
7. Lou Nova
8. Bob Pastor
9. Roscoe Toles
10. Andre Lenglet

1938:

1. Lou Nova
2. Max Baer
3. Bob Pastor
4. Tony Galento
5. Maxie Rosenbloom
6. Len Harvey
7. Clarence (Red) Burman
8. Roscoe Toles
9. Gus Dorazio
10. Tommy Farr

1939:

1. Tony Galento
2. Bob Pastor
3. Lou Nova
4. Tommy Farr
5. Max Schmeling
6. Johnny Paychek
7. Red Burman
8. Gunnar Barlund
9. Roscoe Toles
10. Lee Savold



1940:

1. Max Baer
2. Arturo Godoy
3. Red Burman
4. Abe Simon
5. Buddy Walker
6. Buddy Baer
7. Pat Comiskey
8. Lee Savold
9. Otis Thomas
10. Lem Franklin

1941:

1. Billy Conn
2. Lem Franklin
3. Bob Pastor
4. Melio Bettina
5. Abe Simon
6. Turkey Thompson
7. Buddy Baer
8. Lou Nova
9. Arturo Godoy
10. Roscoe Toles

1942:

1. Jimmy Bivins
2. Tami Mauriello
3. Turkey Thompson
4. Roscoe Toles
5. Harry Bobo
6. Big Boy Brown
7. Lee Savold
8. Lou Brooks
9. Tony Musto
10. Joey Maxim

1945:

1. Billy Conn
2. Tami Mauriello
3. Jimmy Bivins
4. Elmer Ray
5. Bruce Wood****
6. Lee Oma
7. Freddie Schott
8. Arturo Godoy
9. Jersey Joe Walcott
10. Joe Baksi

1946:

1. Tami Mauriello
2. Elmer Ray
3. Jersey Joe Walcott
4. Bruce Wood****
5. Lee Q Murray
6. Curtis Sheppard
7. Melio Bettina
8. Joe Baksi
9. Joe Kahut
10. Joey Maxim

1947:

1. Jersey Joe Walcott
2. Elmer Ray
3. Lee Q Murray
4. Pat Comiskey
5. Joe Baksi
6. Tommy Gomez
7. Joey Maxim
8. Turkey Thompson
9. Bruce Wood****
10. Phil Muscato



Those who Louis fought are boldened.

[andrewcuff]

Heavyweight ratings by Ring ****zine:

1937:

1. Max Schmeling
2. Tommy Farr
3. Nathan Mann
4. Alberto Santiago Lovell
5. Tony Galento
6. Jimmy Adamick
7. Lou Nova
8. Bob Pastor
9. Roscoe Toles
10. Andre Lenglet

1938:

1. Lou Nova
2. Max Baer
3. Bob Pastor
4. Tony Galento
5. Maxie Rosenbloom
6. Len Harvey
7. Clarence (Red) Burman
8. Roscoe Toles
9. Gus Dorazio
10. Tommy Farr

1939:

1. Tony Galento
2. Bob Pastor
3. Lou Nova
4. Tommy Farr
5. Max Schmeling
6. Johnny Paychek
7. Red Burman
8. Gunnar Barlund
9. Roscoe Toles
10. Lee Savold



1940:

1. Max Baer
2. Arturo Godoy
3. Red Burman
4. Abe Simon
5. Buddy Walker
6. Buddy Baer
7. Pat Comiskey
8. Lee Savold
9. Otis Thomas
10. Lem Franklin

1941:

1. Billy Conn
2. Lem Franklin
3. Bob Pastor
4. Melio Bettina
5. Abe Simon
6. Turkey Thompson
7. Buddy Baer
8. Lou Nova
9. Arturo Godoy
10. Roscoe Toles

1942:

1. Jimmy Bivins
2. Tami Mauriello
3. Turkey Thompson
4. Roscoe Toles
5. Harry Bobo
6. Big Boy Brown
7. Lee Savold
8. Lou Brooks
9. Tony Musto
10. Joey Maxim

1945:

1. Billy Conn
2. Tami Mauriello
3. Jimmy Bivins
4. Elmer Ray
5. Bruce Wood****
6. Lee Oma
7. Freddie Schott
8. Arturo Godoy
9. Jersey Joe Walcott
10. Joe Baksi

1946:

1. Tami Mauriello
2. Elmer Ray
3. Jersey Joe Walcott
4. Bruce Wood****
5. Lee Q Murray
6. Curtis Sheppard
7. Melio Bettina
8. Joe Baksi
9. Joe Kahut
10. Joey Maxim

1947:

1. Jersey Joe Walcott
2. Elmer Ray
3. Lee Q Murray
4. Pat Comiskey
5. Joe Baksi
6. Tommy Gomez
7. Joey Maxim
8. Turkey Thompson
9. Bruce Wood****
10. Phil Muscato



Those who Louis fought are boldened.

Cheers Manchine!