You may be the greatest.....but not tonight.

The theme of this thread has been repeated by many a "Western Movie Hero" and recently by a very annoying football coach by the name of Rex Ryan. The message is the following: "Sure, you're a better fighter than me. Look at your record and look at mine. You've knocked out men in a single round who I've had to struggle with and eventually took me out. But... let me let you in on a little secret. On this night, I'm the GOAT and I'm going to kick your arrogant ass....and there's not a damn thing you're going to be able to do about it. "

Tyson heard this song from Buster Douglass, who on the night he fought Tyson, was one of the most perfect fighting machines in recent memory. The same lazy, fat guy who watched soap operas in training camp got it together for one night. On this night, he was one the greatest boxers I've ever seen.

One hit wonders are dismissed as footnotes in boxing history and that may be justified. However, I'm interested in who would've beat the men, who though they had mediocre careers, fought like hell for one night against seemingly unbeatable champs. For example, what HW of the 90s could've beaten Buster Douglass on the night he fought Mike Tyson? Sure, Bert Cooper's near upset of Evander Holyfield (which I was present to watch) was exciting but what HW champ of the 90s could Bert have bested with that performance?

This is not a confusing subject. The greats are consistent. The "one hit wonders" are not. Take any performance by your legitimate champ and match it up against the one hit wonder of your choice and see what you come out with. Carl Williams fought and (in my opinion) beat Larry Holmes over 15 rounds. Williams chin didn't hold up under a strong wind, but on this night, he held up under Larry's best. No, Larry was not in his prime, however he couldn't put down an opponent that was floored twice by Jesse Ferguson in his next effort. Carl came to fight against Larry Holmes. What other HW of the 80s (Dokes, Thomas, etc) could he have beaten on this night? Any? None? Who are some of your favorite one hit wonders and who else could they have beaten on their night of greatness?

Any weight class, or just Hwts.?

Yeah, I think that result took something out of Williams. He had flashes after that, but never fulfilled the promise he showed against Holmes.

Good question, though. I'm gonna have to mull it.

flapanther2001 wrote:Any weight class, or just Hwts.?

Any weight class.