Were former world heavyweight champions Riddick “Massive Daddy” Bowe and Gene “The Fighting Marine’ Tunney has one loss too many to be on anyone’s top ten heavyweight champions list.
In 1988, Bowe had a 104-18 amateur record and lost to future world champion Lennox “The Lion” Lewis, who represented Canada in the finals of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, winning the silver medal in the super heavyweight division.
Bowe, 43-1 with 28 stoppages from Ft. Washington, Maryland, held the WBC title from November to December 1992 before relinquishing it. He held the WBA and IBF titles from November 1992 to November 1993. He held the WBO title from March 1993 to January 1996.
After turning professional in March 1989, Bowe won his first 34 fights, winning the vacant WBC Continental Americas title by defeating Elijah “Phoenix Steel” Tillery (23-4) in his twenty-seventh fight by disqualification in October 1991.
In his previous fights, Bowe stopped former WBC and WBA champion Pinklon “Pink” Thomas, 30-4-1, in eight rounds. He then stopped 1984 Olympic gold medalist Tyrell Biggs (19-3). He defeated former WBA champion Tony “TNT” Tubbs in his next fight, 29-2. Three fights later, he knocked out former WBA champion Bruce “The Atlantic City Express” Seldon (18-1).
In November 1992, Bowe defeated 1984 Olympian and WBA, WBC, and IBF world champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield (28-0) to improve his record to 32-0. In his first two title defenses, Bowe stopped former WBA champion Michael “Dynamite” Dokes (50-3-2) and Jesse “Thunder” Ferguson (19-9).
In his next title defense, he lost for the first and last time to Holyfield 29-1 via majority decision in November 1993. He again won the WBC continental title by defeating 1992 Olympian Larry “The Legend” Donald (16-0).
In March 1995, Bowe won the WBO world title by knocking out champion Herbie “Dancing Destroyer” Hide (26-0). In his first defense, he knocked out Cuban Jorge Luis Gonzalez (23-0).
In the next fight, their third, Bowe defeated former champion Holyfield 31-2, and two months later he was stripped of the title.
In his next two fights, Bowe won by disqualification against Andrew Golota (28-0) and retired. He returned eight years later and won three fights before retiring. That one loss to Holyfield, whom he had defeated in two other fights, seemingly kept him from being ranked in the top ten in his division, despite being 43-1, with his only loss being to Holyfield.
If we look at Gene “The Fighting Marine” Tunney (65-1-1), who had 48 stoppage fights under his belt, from Greenwich, Connecticut, we see that he lost only once in his career – in May 1922, to legendary former world middleweight champion Harry “Pittsburgh Windmill” Greb (196-12-5) for the U.S. featherlight heavyweight title.
He then defeated Greb twice more before the fight ended in a draw, and in the fifth fight, Greb was victorious.
Tunney won five straight fights and captured the heavyweight title by defeating NBA champion Jack “Manass Mauler” Dempsey (57-5-8) in front of a crowd of more than 120,000 in Philadelphia.
A rematch was held a year later, and Tunney was knocked down in the seventh round. Dempsey ignored the modern rule that he had to go to a neutral corner—it took about fourteen seconds for Tunney to get to his feet, a result that was later dubbed “The Long Count.”
Tunney won a decision. He defended his title a second time by stopping Tom “The Tough Rock from Down Under” Heeney (32-8-5) of Novel Zealand in eleven rounds in July 1928, retiring after the fight with a score of 65-1-1. This one loss to Greg cost him a place in most people’s top ten heavyweight champions.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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