Great Eight: Tyson Fury leaves no doubt that he is No. 1

Tyson Fury disassembled Deontay Wilder on Saturday to reclaim a major title and leave no doubt that he is the best active heavyweight.

Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

***

Thank you, Tyson Fury. You made our job easy.

The “Gypsy King” disassembled Deontay Wilder on a dramatic Saturday night in Las Vegas to reclaim a major title and leave no doubt whatsoever — at least in our collective opinion — that he is the best heavyweight in the world.

Thus, the colorful and remarkably skillful Englishman supplants Wilder as the heavyweight champ in Boxing Junkie’s Great Eight feature, in which we determine the best boxer in each of the original eight weight classes — heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

It’s difficult to imagine that anyone will have a problem with our decision but hardened cynics are out there.

They might point to Anthony Joshua, who holds three of the four recognized sanctioning-body titles. We roll our collective eyes at that notion. Joshua had his behind handed to him by chubby underdog Andy Ruiz Jr. two fights ago, losing his belts in the process, before rebounding with an uninspiring points victory in the rematch.

We feel that Joshua is still rebuilding what he lost in the first fight with Ruiz, if that’s even possible.

And think about what Fury has done. He stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing seemingly untouchable Wladimir Klitschko to become the heavyweight champion in 2015 only to leave the sport to battle his inner demons for a few years.

Then, after losing about 150 pounds of blubber, he comes back (probably too soon) and outboxes Wilder in the opinion of most observers but has to settle for a draw in 2018. And, finally, with a new trainer and a new, aggressive style, he pummels and then stops his then-unbeaten rival in less than seven full rounds.

That’s legendary stuff.

The only remaining argument against Fury is that a victory over Wilder is overrated because Wilder is a crude boxer who has only one weapon, his big right hand.

We don’t buy that. Forty-one of Wilder’s 42 victories have come by knockout. He doesn’t have the skill set of, say, Fury, but that punching power ends up being the deciding factor in virtually all of Wilder’s fights. And, in this case, Fury just didn’t allow it to play a role in the outcome.

Brilliant performance, exceptional fighter. Fury arguably is the best big man since countryman Lennox Lewis was at the top of his game a generation ago.

Check out our Great Eight below.

HEAVYWEIGHT – Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)

Degrees of Separation: Connecting fighters from different eras

Boxing Junkie kicks off a new feature — “Degrees of Separation,” in which we connect fighters from different eras.

Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.

In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.

We’re borrowing the six degrees concept — well, sort of loosely — to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”

Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.

To kick off the new Boxing Junkie feature, we were more ambitious than that. We connected the first modern heavyweight champion – John L. Sullivan – with the current No. 1 big man in the sport – Deontay Wilder. And we did it in 15 steps.

Check it out:

John L. Sullivan fought …

James J. Corbett, who fought …

James J. Jeffries, who fought …

Jack Johnson, who fought …

Jess Willard, who fought …

Jack Dempsey, who fought …

Jack Sharkey, who fought …

Joe Louis, who fought …

Rocky Marciano, who fought …

Archie Moore, who fought …

Muhammad Ali, who fought …

Larry Holmes, who fought …

Evander Holyfield, who fought …

Nikolai Valuev, who fought …

Sergei Liakhovich, who fought …

Deontay Wilder

Whew! That took a while. But, in our defense, we bridged more than a century. Sullivan last fought in 1892 and Wilder, of course, is still active.

Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!

Pound-for-pound: The fall of Julian Williams

Julian Williams’ knockout loss to Jeison Rosario on Saturday put a damper on his pound-for-pound hopes.

Julian Williams had said that his goal was to become the No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound. Well, that’s going to be a lot more difficult now.

Williams, who had been an honorable mention on the Boxing Junkie list of best fighters, was knocked out in five rounds by relatively obscure Jeison Rosario to lose his junior middleweight titles Saturday in Philadelphia.

“JRock” probably will get another crack at Rosario because of a rematch clause. However, even a victory would only be a small step toward pound-for-pound supremacy.

Williams rebounded from disappointment before, climbing back to elite status after he was knocked out by Jermall Charlo. But coming back from two knockouts? That’s not easy.

Alas, Williams is off our list after his setback Saturday. Replacing him as an honorable mention is Teofimo Lopez, the unbeaten lightweight titleholder who is coming off a sensational second-round knockout of Richard Commey in December.

Lopez, 22, could face his own Waterloo soon; he’s negotiating to meet Vasiliy Lomachenko, Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter. Of course, a victory would catapult Lopez into the Top 10.

You just never know. Ask Williams.

Check out our pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz
Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter

Julian Williams’ career-defining victory

Junior middleweight champion Julian Williams discusses his stunning upset of Jarrett Hurd.

Great Eight: Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury to decide who’s No. 1

The Feb. 22 rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will determine the Great Eight heavyweight representative.

Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

***

The Great Eight, Boxing Junkie’s list of the best fighters in each of the original eight weight divisions, could look different soon.

On Feb. 22, Deontay Wilder defends his sanctioning-body heavyweight title in a rematch with Tyson Fury at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And Canelo Alvarez could announce that he’s finished at middleweight, although he hasn’t ruled out another fight at 160 pounds.

The Wilder-Fury fight is unusual in that the winner will be recognized as the top big man even though Anthony Joshua holds three of the four major belts.

Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) and Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs), who fought to a draw in December 2018, remain unbeaten. By comparison, Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) was put down four times and stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. to lose his belts this past June and regained them in a convincing, but safety-first manner in December.

Thus, the Feb. 22 winner will be the Great Eight heavyweight. (Boxing Junkie loves when such things are decided in the ring.)

Meanwhile, Alvarez still holds two middleweight titles but – having fought as heavy as 175 pounds – it seems inevitable that he’ll give up his 160-pound belts and settle in as a 168-pounder in the near future.

Who could replace him at middleweight in the Great Eight? No-brainer: Gennadiy Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs).

Triple-G has accomplished a tremendous amount in his career and is only a hair behind Alvarez at 160 pounds right now. He’s the obvious candidate to step in if Alvarez leaves.

That said, Golovkin will be 38 on April 8. We don’t know whether he has begun to decline but that or possibly retirement can’t be far off. Among those in position to replace him: Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Derevyanchenko.

Who knows who might emerge or move up from 154 pounds and make a statement at 160.

And we should consider one last thing: Alvarez could decide to fight Golovkin for a third time at 160 pounds. In that case, of course, they would decide Great Eight matters in the ring.

The others six fighters in our Great Eight seem to firmly ensconced at the moment but, as we know, things change quickly in boxing.

Stay tuned. And check out our Great Eight below.

HEAVYWEIGHT – Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)

Tyson Fury won’t risk opening cut in training camp

Tyson Fury said he won’t risk opening the cut he suffered against Otto Wallin during training camp for his rematch with Deontay Wilder.

LOS ANGELES – The scar is evident above Tyson Fury’s right eye. For Deontay Wilder, it’s a target. For Fury, it’s a risk.

Fury, who needed 42 stitches for a cut suffered in a bloody decision over Otto Wallin on Sept. 14, said the possibility of rupturing the scar tissue is a risk not worth taking in training for his Feb. 22nd rematch against Wilder at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

“If I’m going to get cut, it’s going to be in the fight,’’ Fury said when Boxing Junkie asked him about the condition of the four-month-old wound.

Fury has been in camp, training in Las Vegas, for 10 days. He was asked how it felt the first time a punch landed on the scar while sparring.

Tyson Fury needed 42 stitches to close the cut he suffered against Otto Wallin in his last fight. AP Photo / Isaac Brekken

“I can’t risk it,’’ he said to another question posed by Boxing Junkie.

Wilder is expected to target the scar early in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds.

“If I open up that cut, it’s over,’’ said Wilder, who also said he believed that the Wallin fight would have been stopped because of the cut if not for the prospect of a rich rematch.

Great Eight: Boxing Junkie’s best fighters in each of original divisions

Boxing Junkie has established its Great Eight, in which we determine the best boxers in each of the original weight classes.

Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.

***

Sadly, the proliferation of sanctioning body titles has diluted the value of once-precious championship belts.

If we accept that there are four major sanctioning organizations and allow each of them one “champion,” then we have 68 titleholders. That ridiculous number, which grows when the organizations add even more self-serving belts, drives boxing aficionados who want the best for the sport absolutely mad.

In effect, the sanctioning body titles mean next to nothing unless they’re unified. And even then, they’re value is often limited.

That’s why some of us look back longingly at a time when boxing had only eight divisions and one true champion in each of them. Everyone knew who the champions were and they had tremendous respect.

With that in mind, Boxing Junkie has decided to turn back the clock and establish its Great Eight, in which we determine the best boxers in each of the original weight classes – heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

To be clear, heavyweight includes cruiserweight, light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight … all the way down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

Also, pound-for-pound has nothing to do with this. We believe the fighters selected in each division would defeat anyone else at that weight.

And, finally, this feature will be presented periodically.

Have a look:

HEAVYWEIGHT – Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)

WELTERWEIGHT – Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)

LIGHTWEIGHT – Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)

FEATHERWEIGHT – Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)

BANTAMWEIGHT – Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)

FLYWEIGHT – Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)

Fighter of the Decade: Boxing Junkie chooses Floyd Mayweather 2-1

Boxing Junkie staffers believe Floyd Mayweather’s perfect record and overall dominance earned him Fighter of the Decade honors.

The 2010s gave us a number of future or current Hall of Famers.

Who was the best? Boxing Junkie staffers tackled that question and came up with a consensus winner: Floyd Mayweather.

Manny fighters were worthy of consideration, including Manny Pacquiao, Andre Ward, Canelo Alvarez, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Wladimir Klitschko. However, Mayweather’s perfect record and dominance in the decade set him apart.

That’s why two Boxing Junkie staffers chose Mayweather while one opted for Ward.

Here are our choices for Fighter of the Decade and thoughts:

NORM FRAUENHEIM

Choice: Floyd Mayweather
Record in 2010s: 10-0 (2 KOs)

There’s a good argument for Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez. But Mayweather beat both of them. There might be a better argument for Andre Ward, but it’s undercut by controversy over the scoring in his first victory, a unanimous decision, over Sergey Kovalev, who lost the rematch.

Meanwhile, Mayweather only won. It wasn’t always dramatic, but there was never much debate about what happened, at least within the ropes. In addition to Pacquiao and Canelo, he beat Marcos Maidana twice, Andre Berto, Robert Guerrero, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz.

Forget Conor McGregor. It was a money-making sham and perhaps one reason to vote against Mayweather, who was fighting a MMA star but boxing novice. One reason isn’t enough to say it wasn’t Mayweather’s decade.

Floyd Mayweather’s victory over fellow superstar Manny Pacquiao (right) worked in his favor in the Fighter of the Decade debate. Al Bello / Getty Images

SEAN NAM
Choice: Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather fought seriously for only half of the decade, but clear cut decisions over contemporary great Manny Pacquiao (in 2015) and a young Canelo Alvarez (in 2013) are enough to garner him this distinction.

Those accomplishments seemed to have aged well, too, considering that just this past year Pacquiao beat up a prime Keith Thurman and Alvarez felled light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev. Wins over Miguel Cotto, before Cotto’s physical erosion truly began to show, and a still committed and dangerous Marcos Maidana, twice, bolster an impressive, if minimalist, body of work.

And there is also this: No one else epitomizes the sport’s cash-grab ethos better than Mayweather, who was involved in two of the most successful economic bonanzas ever. The first was against Pacquiao, the second UFC’s Conor McGregor.

Andre Ward (left) defeated Sergey Kovalev twice in the 2010s. AP Photo / John Locher

MICHAEL ROSENTHAL

Choice: Andre Ward
Record: 11-0 (3 KOs)

I think it comes down to Floyd Mayweather (10-0, 2 KOs) or Andre Ward (11-0, 3 KOs), both of whom were undefeated in the decade.

Manny Pacquiao (12-4, 1 KO) had a so-so record in the 2010s and lost to another contender here, Mayweather. Canelo Alvarez (23-1-1, 16 KOs) has a deep resume but never dominated an elite opponent and lost badly to Mayweather. Vasilily Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) might have a stronger case than both Pacquiao and Alvarez but lost to Orlando Salido.

I lean toward Ward over Mayweather because I think his opposition was better overall and his opponents were nearer their peaks at the time Ward fought them than those of Mayweather. Yes, Ward’s controversial decision over Sergey Kovalev works against him but I scored that fight for Ward and, in my opinion, he left no doubt in the rematch.

Special feature: 10 hardest punching heavyweights in modern history

Who are the hardest punching heavyweights in modern history? Here are the Top 10.

Deontay Wilder’s legend continues to grow with every spectacular knockout he delivers. The man can punch.

The Bronze Bomber demonstrated his unusual ability most recently on Nov. 23, when he ended the night of Luis Ortiz with one perfectly timed right hand from hell in the seventh round of a heavyweight championship fight Ortiz was winning on the cards.

But Wilder is hardly the first man to enter the ring with inhuman power. A number of legendary big men over the generations have had the ability to strike down their opponents with one blow as if they were hit a lightning bolt.

Who were the most lethal?

Here is a list of the 10 hardest punching heavyweights of the modern, post-World War II era (from No. 10 to No. 1).

NO. 10 LENNOX LEWIS

KO percentage (of wins): 78
Years active: 1989-2003
Record: 41-2-1
KOs: 32
KOs inside 3 rounds: 16
Notable KO victims: Frank Bruno, Andrew Golota, Oliver McCall, Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman, Donovan Rudduck, Mike Tyson
Background: Hall of Fame boxing writer Colin Hart paid Lennox Lewis the ultimate compliment in British boxing circles when he wrote about Lewis’ knockout of Razor Ruddock in 1992. Lewis put Ruddock down with a monstrous right hand in the first round and then finished the job in Round 2. Wrote Hart for The Sun: “The blow that floored Ruddock in the first round was, without doubt, the best single punch I’ve seen from a British heavyweight since ‘Enery’s ‘Ammer (a reference to Henry Cooper) put Cassius Clay on his backside at Wembley Stadium almost 30 years ago.” Lewis, an Olympic champion who held six major titles over a decade that he dominated, was a complete boxer. He was a good, athletic – especially for a 6-foot-4 man – and clever technician, with one of best jabs of his era. However, his straight right – usually landed from the perfect distance – was his calling card. When it landed flush, his fights generally changed in an instant. The Ruddock punch, the one that ended Hasim Rahman’s night in their rematch and the shots that led to Mike Tyson’s demise stand out but many more are noteworthy. One sparring partner reportedly said: “The man hit like a tank.”
More quotes: Graham Houston wrote for ESPN.com: “There were fights in which Lewis was frustratingly hesitant, but when he stepped in and really let the right hand fly he was one of heavyweight boxing’s most potent practitioners.” … TV commentator Max Kellerman once called Lewis “one of the most devastating right-handed punchers in the history of boxing. You don’t think Lennox has historical power in his right fist? OK, who has ever hit harder? George Foreman? Maybe in his first incarnation, when he had more snap on his punches, but then the 1973 version of big George checked in around 220. Lewis has him by nearly 30 pounds. Earnie Shavers? The champ has him by nearly 40. Foreman and Shavers hit harder for their size, but they were significantly smaller.”

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Special feature: 10 unforgettable heavyweight rematches

Heading into Ruiz vs. Joshua 2, we remember 10 unforgettable heavyweight boxing rematches

The rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Anthony Joshua on Saturday is as compelling as it gets because of their first fight.

Ruiz, a replacement opponent known as much for his paunch as his ability, pulled off one of the great upsets by putting Joshua down four times and stopping him in Round 7 on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Can Ruiz do it again in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the site of the rematch? Or will Joshua have made the necessary adjustments and avenge his career-changing setback?

Of course, we can only imagine whether Ruiz-Joshua II will live up to the original. Some sequels are as good or better than the first fight, some fall short.

Here are 10 heavyweight rematches – or third fights – that remain in our consciousness for reasons unique to each of the fights.

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GENE TUNNEY VS. JACK DEMPSEY II

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OeeCfbahwQ&w=560&h=315]

Date / Location: Sept. 22, 1927 / Chicago
Result of first fight: Tunney UD
Result of rematch: Tunney UD

Background: Tunney, the superior boxer, had no trouble outpointing the once-feared knockout artist to become heavyweight champion in September 1926. Their second meeting – dubbed “The Long Count Fight” – wouldn’t be quite as uneventful. Tunney was winning again after six rounds when, in Round 7, Dempsey put him down with ferocious flurry of punches but Dempsey then made a mistake. He forgot the new rule requiring fighters to go to a neutral corner after a knockdown; instead, he hovered over his wounded prey. The referee got Dempsey to retreat but that process extended the count, allowing Tunney more time to recover. Did he need that time? That debate rages to this day. Tunney won another unanimous decision and Dempsey never fought again.

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