Greatest British boxer of all time?

[porkypara]

Lennox Lewis was the bes by far BUT the fans favorites were Henry Cooper & Frank Bruno.
Calzaghe doesnt come close, he needs to rematch, and this time beat Bernard Hopkin legitimately before he comes close

In mst people eyes He did beat Hopkins LEGITIMATELY dispite Hopkins using and geting away with ever trick in the book to survie the 12 rounds.

[Spicoli]

Do you mean Paul "Hoko" Hodkinson? WBC featherweight champ?

You know it.Loved his frontal style.Took his share of licks though,Villasana comes to mind but he got him back.

Was ringside for his fight with Steve Robinson.Think it was voted domestic fight of the year.

Total war!

Seemed to be his way yeah.I caught him on the tail end overhere.They had a spell when one of the cable channels would show 'Sky TV'...I think that was it?Everything was taped delayed by weeks and put on in the wee hours of the A.M.The first fight with Villasana was just brutal.Looked as if he had gone head first through a car windshield after but man he was all heart.Have not seen the Robinson fight,have to find it.

[rjj tszyu]

1- Calzaghe
2- Lewis
3- Hatton
4- Cooper
5- Eubank

The list is fine apart from Henry Cooper, who was European level rather than World. Sure he floored Cassius Clay, as he was known at the time, but Clay was young and over confident and got caught by a peach - he got up and won - if you listen to Henry Cooper then Ali had a 10 minute break after the knockdown (The story has been over exaggerated overtime) Ali would have won regardless. Ali never got Ko'd and wasn't goto against the limited Cooper. (Yes, Holmes stopped him but that hardly counts)

It wasn't just Coopers eyes that lost him fights he also had a weak chin and was brutally Ko'd by both Ingemar Johanson, Zora Folley and Floyd Paterson. He also lost to lesser named fighters like the Joe Bygraves, Joe Erskine, Peter Bates, Eric Schoppner and Roger Rischer.

Henry was popular and always tried to give a good account of himself but he is not Top 20 best Brits ever let alone Top 5.

Finally someone who knows the true story! I think the whole glove episode only bought Ali 7 seconds really.

[ICB]

1- Calzaghe
2- Lewis
3- Hatton
4- Cooper
5- Eubank

The list is fine apart from Henry Cooper, who was European level rather than World. Sure he floored Cassius Clay, as he was known at the time, but Clay was young and over confident and got caught by a peach - he got up and won - if you listen to Henry Cooper then Ali had a 10 minute break after the knockdown (The story has been over exaggerated overtime) Ali would have won regardless. Ali never got Ko'd and wasn't goto against the limited Cooper. (Yes, Holmes stopped him but that hardly counts)

It wasn't just Coopers eyes that lost him fights he also had a weak chin and was brutally Ko'd by both Ingemar Johanson, Zora Folley and Floyd Paterson. He also lost to lesser named fighters like the Joe Bygraves, Joe Erskine, Peter Bates, Eric Schoppner and Roger Rischer.

Henry was popular and always tried to give a good account of himself but he is not Top 20 best Brits ever let alone Top 5.

Finally someone who knows the true story! I think the whole glove episode only bought Ali 7 seconds really.

Yes but Muhammad Ali also had smelling salts, which wasn't allowed in the UK at that time i believe. So technically he should of been DQ.

[ICB]

Dont be so sensitive fella.

Ok then because of your great and super boxing brain tell me how Buchanan is a greater fighter than hatton.

Im not being sensitive at all your the one being sensitive. You had a pop at me in your first post about Ricky Hatton not being there, then i replied back in a respectful way and my last comment was a joke comment which is why i winked at the end of my post, to let you know that my last comment was a joke.

Now you have to have a dig at me and take it too the next level ? too be honest i don't want a debate with you after a comment like that. I have never claimed to know more than anyone on here, nor do i make out im a boxing historian. But i do read up alot of boxing and i do boxing myself, so i would like to think i do know quite a bit about boxing. But nowhere near as much as some guys/girls on here.

Infact the only thing i've done wrong here was give my opinion which obviously riled you up, because you rolled your eyes on my first post then had a dig at me in your 2nd post. If you don't like my opinions, don't reply to me or don't make such subjective threads because everyone has a different opinion.

I was just supprised because you left out Hatton.

He is one of our greatest boxers and that is my opiion which is one shared by a lot of other peolpe.

As my school teacher used to tell me,if you cant take it,dont give it.

Well thats your opinion just like its my opinion, no reason to have a pop at me just because i have a different opinion. Lastly your the one that gave it out, i just defended myself thats it. But i couldn't really careless it was a stupid argument to begin with, so lets just leave it at that.

[CutMeMick]

Heres how I see it, based on what I've seen from the fighters.

1. Wilde
2. Lennox
3. Calzaghe
4. Fitzsimmons
5. Eubank
6. Benn
7. Buchanan
8. Randy Turpin
9. Naz
10. Lloyd


Honors: Minter, Nelson, Jim Watt, Graham, Conteh, Stracey and Laing.

*Havent seen enough of Ted Lewis to rate him or Jack Berg or for that matter any of the older fighters.

[porkypara]

Im not being sensitive at all your the one being sensitive. You had a pop at me in your first post about Ricky Hatton not being there, then i replied back in a respectful way and my last comment was a joke comment which is why i winked at the end of my post, to let you know that my last comment was a joke.

Now you have to have a dig at me and take it too the next level ? too be honest i don't want a debate with you after a comment like that. I have never claimed to know more than anyone on here, nor do i make out im a boxing historian. But i do read up alot of boxing and i do boxing myself, so i would like to think i do know quite a bit about boxing. But nowhere near as much as some guys/girls on here.



Infact the only thing i've done wrong here was give my opinion which obviously riled you up, because you rolled your eyes on my first post then had a dig at me in your 2nd post. If you don't like my opinions, don't reply to me or don't make such subjective threads because everyone has a different opinion.

I was just supprised because you left out Hatton.

He is one of our greatest boxers and that is my opiion which is one shared by a lot of other peolpe.

As my school teacher used to tell me,if you cant take it,dont give it.

Well thats your opinion just like its my opinion, no reason to have a pop at me just because i have a different opinion. Lastly your the one that gave it out, i just defended myself thats it. But i couldn't really careless it was a stupid argument to begin with, so lets just leave it at that.

Just like my misses,always has to have the last say.

No hard feelings butt,if everybody agreed on the same thing it would be a boring fourm.

[Dean Duke]

In my lifetime.

Lewis
Joe C
R Hatton
N Benn
L Honeyghan
K Buchanon
D Mackensie
N Hamed
J Watt
P Hoko Hodgkinson

Hounerable Mentions

J Conteh
T Sibson
M Watson
A Minter
C Eubank
C Magri

[WelshDevilRob]

Heres how I see it, based on what I've seen from the fighters.

1. Wilde
2. Lennox
3. Calzaghe
4. Fitzsimmons
5. Eubank
6. Benn
7. Buchanan
8. Randy Turpin
9. Naz
10. Lloyd


Honors: Minter, Nelson, Jim Watt, Graham, Conteh, Stracey and Laing.

*Havent seen enough of Ted Lewis to rate him or Jack Berg or for that matter any of the older fighters.

A Welshman 1st and 3rd - someone on this site must be paying you Mick.

[CutMeMick]

Heres how I see it, based on what I've seen from the fighters.

1. Wilde
2. Lennox
3. Calzaghe
4. Fitzsimmons
5. Eubank
6. Benn
7. Buchanan
8. Randy Turpin
9. Naz
10. Lloyd


Honors: Minter, Nelson, Jim Watt, Graham, Conteh, Stracey and Laing.

*Havent seen enough of Ted Lewis to rate him or Jack Berg or for that matter any of the older fighters.

A Welshman 1st and 3rd - someone on this site must be paying you Mick.

I got the check by mail just last night Rob...

Would like to read your thoughts on list overall Rob.

[Violent Demise]

Take the term "great" any way you want.


Who is the greatest Brit ever?

[phillies]

Joe Calzaghe comes to mind...

Yep!

[Jody Lane]

Henry Cooper from the old timer here.

[ovenwash]

personnally i think Ken Buchannen is the greatest, Too young to have seen him first hand, but the videos show the quality. Robbed in the duran fight, shame he doesn't have the same class now as he did i the ring.

[WelshDevilRob]

Heres how I see it, based on what I've seen from the fighters.

1. Wilde
2. Lennox
3. Calzaghe
4. Fitzsimmons
5. Eubank
6. Benn
7. Buchanan
8. Randy Turpin
9. Naz
10. Lloyd


Honors: Minter, Nelson, Jim Watt, Graham, Conteh, Stracey and Laing.

*Havent seen enough of Ted Lewis to rate him or Jack Berg or for that matter any of the older fighters.

A Welshman 1st and 3rd - someone on this site must be paying you Mick.

I got the check by mail just last night Rob...

Would like to read your thoughts on list overall Rob.

Hi Mick,

I found this list which is pre - Hatton and Calzaghe and is a pretty accurate list in my opinion.

Ko Magazines Top 20 British fighters

1. Lennox Lewis
2. Jimmy Wilde
3. Jim Driscoll
4. Freddy Welsh
5. Ted "Kid" Lewis
6. Ken Buchanan
7. Randolph Turpin
8. Benny Lynch
9. Owen Moran
10. John Conteh
11. Naseem Hamed
12. John H. Stracey
13. Peter Kane
14. Herol Graham
15. Chris Eubank
16. Nigel Benn
17. Howard Winstone
18. Alan Minter
19. Jim Watt
20. Freddie Mills

I personally rate Benn and Honeyghan pretty high. Honeyghan had a few good wins before he won the title - the 3 round annihilation of Ginafranco Rosi was superb - his life at the top was short lived due to partying, women and all the trappings of fame - at his best he was IMO superb.

McGuigan was another one who didn't achieve what I thought he was capable of and he seemed to regress after his fathers death - the heat in Nevada didn't help against a better than expected Stevie Cruz - McGuigan would have won that fight if it had been at anyother arena and out of that glaring sun but he took years mentally to get over his fathers death so I couldn't have seen him beating Azumah Nelson. (I'd tip Nelson anyway if both fought at their best)

Lennox is the No.1 for me and its interesting that the Ko list has 3 Welshmen in the Top 4 - for a country with 3 million people that is some achievement.

My own list would be unfairly biased towards more modern fighters - I certainly think Nigel Benn is too low in the KO list and for me he was better than Eubank. Mind I'd have picked Herol Graham to beat Eubank due to the styles of the fighters.