Greatest British boxer of all time?

[KananKrus]

For me, the greatest British boxer of all time is Robert James "bob" Fitzsimmons.

He was the first three-division champion in the history of boxing. I think he is the only one that I know of, that won the world heavyweight crown, before winning the world light-heavyweight version. He also won the world middleweight earlier on, to make him king of all the three heavier weight divisions in boxing.

He is burried here in our state of Illinois, in Graceland Cemetery, located in about Chicago with another legendary boxing great, Jack Johnson.

[Kev]

For me, the greatest British boxer of all time is Robert James "bob" Fitzsimmons.

He was the first three-division champion in the history of boxing. I think he is the only one that I know of, that won the world heavyweight crown, before winning the world light-heavyweight version. He also won the world middleweight earlier on, to make him king of all the three heavier weight divisions in boxing.

He is burried here in our state of Illinois, in Graceland Cemetery, located in about Chicago with another legendary boxing great, Jack Johnson.

Yeah but but he fought in an era where they didn't fight blacks. When he eventually got in with Jack Johnson he got battered in a couple rounds.


Besides the sport was in its infancy then and the strength in depth simply wasn't there.

Nowadays there are hundreds of excellent professional fighters all with years of training following extremely disciplined, regimented training programmes and lifestyles.

It's like the early days of MMA when Royce Gracie was beating guys outweighing him by 100 lbs or more.

Yes he was great, but it only happened because these big lumps had no skill whatsoever when it came to submissions and ju jitsu etc.

As soon as they started to learn the basics Royce quite the UFC and of course was never so successful again.

Nowadays nobody could repeat his feats because technique has increased across the board.

It wasn't that Royce was so good but rather that he was good when everyone else sucked.

Pretty much the same with Fitzsimmsons.

Would he have won titles in 3 weight divisions in the modern era where black athletes (who barely fought in his day) predominate?

Let's be real, hell no.

[KananKrus]

Record entombed in eternity, it is though. Would we rather put an asterisk on each of his entires as world champion, and indicate... have not met the required number of African American opponents! (or whatever wording to that effect). Silly it will look.

I would think that that is an outright disrespect to the pioneers of the sport.
We should just erase all records kept before Jack Johnson altogether then, if the thinking of sane minds would parallel those thoughts.

Almost in the same disrespectful tone should also indicate... Jack Johnson,... (after an asterisk the disrespect would read)... dominated the world heavyweight division only because of the lack of quality African American opposition to the crown! It get sillier by the second.

Bob Fitzsimmons... the first three division World Boxing Champion!

Now that sounds about right. It might even be in the record books! LOL

[BIG H]

There are some that stand out FOR ME and are in a different league to the rest:

Lennox Lewis, Jimmy Wilde, Joe Calzaghe & Ken Buchanan.

Most of the others have been mentioned, my other top Brits are Bob Fitzsimmons, Naz, Howard Winstone, Ted Kid Lewis, Kid Berg and one of my favourites Lloyd Honeyghan