Which Heavyweight Had the Toughest Start?

[gavpowell]

I was challenged to refute this statement:

 

"Anthony Joshua's first 16 opponents are better than any HW's first 16 opponents in history.

 

Look up the opponent's W/L records and prove me wrong."

 

I have ignored the W/L record bit as it's a blatant attempt to use stats without context, but it is an interesting challenge.

 

So far, I have come up with two:

Pete Rademacher:

Floyd Paterson

Zora Folley

Brian London

George Chuvalo

 

Leon Spinks:

Muhammad Ali

Larry Holmes

Muhammad Ali

Gerrie Coetzee

Alfredo Evangelista

 

 

Any more offers?

Edited February 18, 2016 by gavpowell

[Cableaddict]

Re: Which Heavyweight Had the Toughest Start?

 

I was challenged to refute this statement:

 

"Anthony Joshua's first 16 opponents are better than any HW's first 16 opponents in history.

 

Look up the opponent's W/L records and prove me wrong."

 

 

You can stop right there. The records of professional "designated opponents" means nothing.

 

Joshua's team did a great job of finding total cans that looked like semi-resonable opponents on paper.

 

 

 

AJ probably had the EASIEST start of any HW in boxing history, and that includes Deontay Wilder. If you actually WATCH some of AJ's fights, you'll notice that (with the exception of Whyte) not a single opponent actually tried to, you know, throw punches back. Not even Thompson, who literally did not throw a single power punch in the fight. (I'm not saying he was paid to lose, of course. Oh no, I'm not saying THAT!)

 

They were almost all featherfists, as well.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Cableaddict

[The_budweiser]

Re: Which Heavyweight Had the Toughest Start?

 

"Anthony Joshua's first 16 opponents are better than any HW's first 16 opponents in history."

 

Who made that comment?

[gavpowell]

Re: Which Heavyweight Had the Toughest Start?

 

"Anthony Joshua's first 16 opponents are better than any HW's first 16 opponents in history."

 

Who made that comment?

A gentleman on TSF. He's very knowledgeable about boxing and is on the wind-up, hence the W/L ratio clause, but even without that, it's an interesting challenge.

[The_budweiser]

Re: Which Heavyweight Had the Toughest Start?

 

A gentleman on TSF. He's very knowledgeable about boxing and is on the wind-up, hence the W/L ratio clause, but even without that, it's an interesting challenge.

 

I am sure Scott or some of the older knowledgeable guys will be up for a challenge.

[gavpowell]

Re: Which Heavyweight Had the Toughest Start?

 

Hah, he's replied to my two with "It doesn't count if they didn't beat those guys"

 

So now we're looking for someone who went 16-0 against guys with a better w/l record than Joshua. After he which he'll probably say Joshua's were better because one was a world champion.