By their era. Not who do you think is the scariest.
Glaukos should get a mention. Being the first, oldest, champion associated with a heavy punch and folks being afraid of that punch is pretty cool and worthy of note. Of course jabronis like me are still mentioning Glaukos, but unlike the vast, vast, majority of ancient champions Glaukos's name never stopped being cited. There's maybe a handful of men who can join him on that list, but of them only he is feared for the pain he'd bring you. That's pretty cool.
Tome Pancha is really the only name I have ever found with any consistency across the medieval period. That's mostly due to boxing being a form of dueling and illegal at the time across all of Christendom. There are other area who box of course but their versions of boxing tend to not have anything we could consider champions. Team boxing doesn't have individual stand outs in win/loss records. They have clan records, like clan X defeated clan Y. Show boxing also doesn't have champions because it is exhibition for the purpose of exhibition, like a kata. Tome was the most feared one vs one fighter during the era of the battagliole. He fought unarmed against dudes with daggers and that is dope. He'll KO you and drop your ass over that bridge, also dope.
John L in the bareknuckle era. One has to acknowledge Deaf Burke, without the unreasonable fear around him the British would not have been forced to create American boxing. The whole entire nation was afeart of the man. Tom Cribb's dominance was one of the most influential in boxing. Folks don't talk about him much today but Hyer was feared by America. Of course in another thread I point out Delaney was so feared he shut down boxing in England for a year. Then of course we get ol Sully. I could be wrong here but I do not think any fighter prior to Sullivan achieved as much public support and fear or respect. The clear stand out is Sullivan. I just felt the others are worthy of mention.
Early sanctioned era is easily and by a lot Johnson and Dempsey but between the two I think Dempsey was the one more feared for what he will do to you physically. Johnson's fear is tied to social fears more than physical. I think, at the moment. There's heaps of black men who were feared for their skills and the social implications to a racist audience but I'm not so sure they had any kind of Tyson-like mystique. I'll go with Jack Dempsey. Just surviving some rounds with the champ meant a lot when Dempsey was king.
Sonny Liston comes next. I could be wrong here but I don't think Carnera's size or Baer's power or Louis's dominance ever crossed over to an audience discussing their fears of those men. Maybe I just never saw those pressers though.
Legitimate question, how feared was Big George? The pressers by then are hyperbolic and full of bull so it is kind of hard to tell. Did the golden era achieve that Dempsey/Tyson fear or was that more respect for skills? If everything is surface value George or maybe Shavers.
Mike Tyson - we was all there, we all know what's good. I was afraid of him in punch-out bro. That level was hard AF for a little ****.
I don't think anyone else has achieved the mystique since Mike Tyson lost it. No disrespect to Wlad, no one was scared of him. Joshua, Wilder, and Fury, respected, but not really feared. They all three have a claim to being more feared than the others but none of them ever captured the public, despite Joe Rogan's number one podcast on the planet really pushing Fury, no one's scared of Tyson Fury. Or even Usyk, fab champ, seems like almost everyone respects him, no one is scared of him.
Glaukos should get a mention. Being the first, oldest, champion associated with a heavy punch and folks being afraid of that punch is pretty cool and worthy of note. Of course jabronis like me are still mentioning Glaukos, but unlike the vast, vast, majority of ancient champions Glaukos's name never stopped being cited. There's maybe a handful of men who can join him on that list, but of them only he is feared for the pain he'd bring you. That's pretty cool.
Tome Pancha is really the only name I have ever found with any consistency across the medieval period. That's mostly due to boxing being a form of dueling and illegal at the time across all of Christendom. There are other area who box of course but their versions of boxing tend to not have anything we could consider champions. Team boxing doesn't have individual stand outs in win/loss records. They have clan records, like clan X defeated clan Y. Show boxing also doesn't have champions because it is exhibition for the purpose of exhibition, like a kata. Tome was the most feared one vs one fighter during the era of the battagliole. He fought unarmed against dudes with daggers and that is dope. He'll KO you and drop your ass over that bridge, also dope.
John L in the bareknuckle era. One has to acknowledge Deaf Burke, without the unreasonable fear around him the British would not have been forced to create American boxing. The whole entire nation was afeart of the man. Tom Cribb's dominance was one of the most influential in boxing. Folks don't talk about him much today but Hyer was feared by America. Of course in another thread I point out Delaney was so feared he shut down boxing in England for a year. Then of course we get ol Sully. I could be wrong here but I do not think any fighter prior to Sullivan achieved as much public support and fear or respect. The clear stand out is Sullivan. I just felt the others are worthy of mention.
Early sanctioned era is easily and by a lot Johnson and Dempsey but between the two I think Dempsey was the one more feared for what he will do to you physically. Johnson's fear is tied to social fears more than physical. I think, at the moment. There's heaps of black men who were feared for their skills and the social implications to a racist audience but I'm not so sure they had any kind of Tyson-like mystique. I'll go with Jack Dempsey. Just surviving some rounds with the champ meant a lot when Dempsey was king.
Sonny Liston comes next. I could be wrong here but I don't think Carnera's size or Baer's power or Louis's dominance ever crossed over to an audience discussing their fears of those men. Maybe I just never saw those pressers though.
Legitimate question, how feared was Big George? The pressers by then are hyperbolic and full of bull so it is kind of hard to tell. Did the golden era achieve that Dempsey/Tyson fear or was that more respect for skills? If everything is surface value George or maybe Shavers.
Mike Tyson - we was all there, we all know what's good. I was afraid of him in punch-out bro. That level was hard AF for a little ****.
I don't think anyone else has achieved the mystique since Mike Tyson lost it. No disrespect to Wlad, no one was scared of him. Joshua, Wilder, and Fury, respected, but not really feared. They all three have a claim to being more feared than the others but none of them ever captured the public, despite Joe Rogan's number one podcast on the planet really pushing Fury, no one's scared of Tyson Fury. Or even Usyk, fab champ, seems like almost everyone respects him, no one is scared of him.
Mr Mitts
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