SOLE BELIEVER
ON THE REBOUND Heavyweights who were derailed and then got back on track. Joe Louis (66-3, 52 KOs) – The No. 1-ranked “Brown Bomber” was a victory away from challenging champion James J. Braddock when he ran into clever former champ Max Schmeling, who stopped his 22-year-old opponent in 12 rounds. Louis would rebuild, demolish the German in a rematch and make history. Jersey Joe Walcott (49-20-1, 31 KOs) – Walcott’s quest to become champion seemed to end after a total of four title-fight losses against Louis and Ezzard Charles between 1947 and 1951. However, at 37, he finally reached the summit by knocking out Charles with a perfectly timed hook- uppercut in the seventh round of their third match in ’51. Frank Bruno (40-5, 38 KOs) – The capable but limited Londoner seemed to have hit his ceiling with brutal knockout losses in title fights against Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Then, in perhaps his final shot at a belt, he outpointed Oliver McCall to become WBC titleholder. Wladimir Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs) – Klitschko’s stoppage losses to Puritty, Corrie Sanders and Brewster stained his early resume. However, the determined Ukrainian went undefeated over the next 11-plus years to take ownership of the division, which led him to the Hall of Fame. Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) – The talented boxer-puncher twice bounced back to win world titles after losing championship fights to the king of the division, Oleksandr Usyk. And he KO’d Anthony Joshua and Fabio Wardley to do it, which is impressive.
IRON JAW Heavyweights who could walk through punishment. George Chuvalo (73-18-2, 64 KOs) – The strong, stocky Canadian, who passed away in September at the age of 89, had 93 professional fights in a deep, golden era of heavyweights yet was never knocked off of his feet, evidence that he had one of the best chins in the history of boxing. Oliver McCall (61-14-1, 40 KOs) – Another member of the never-been-down club, McCall, who is still active at 61, seemed to be able to take massive shots – including some from Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis – without getting hurt. Ray Mercer (36-7-1, 26 KOs) – Mercer, a rugged Army sergeant who won gold in the 1988 Olympics, absorbed bombs from some of the hardest punchers of the 1990s – Tommy Morrison, Evander Holyfield, Lewis, et al. – and was rarely off his feet. Only Holyfield managed to put him on the canvas late in their fight. David Tua (52-5-2, 43 KOs) – The squat, thick-necked Kiwi went 57 fights without leaving his feet – even against the likes of Lewis, Ike Ibeabuchi and Hasim Rahman – before Monte Barrett put him down in his penultimate fight. Vitali Klitschko (45-2, 41 KOs) – The older Klitschko brother was another prominent heavyweight who never saw the canvas. And that includes a brutal, back-and- forth meeting with Lewis, a big puncher. Klitschko was talented and oh so tough.
Louis avenged his first pro defeat by annihilating Schmeling.
Chuvalo’s conditioning was every bit as important as his chin.
Bruno finally snared a world title by outpointing Oliver McCall.
Mercer survived Morrison’s biggest bombs before unleashing hell.
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