Heavyweight Champion--Toughest Man Alive

[The Old LefHook]

By buggery, I guess ol' Margie has me blocked. I can't give him reputation, as the site calls it. I wonder what peeved him? He hasn't written a ten thousand word post about it either. I do not think we exchanged harsh words. He may think differently. Or maybe one of my opinions unhinged the lad. Some people will drop you for opinions you hold. Why doesn't he write a great big ol' post full of asterisks that block out all his nasty words, explaining why. I am curious. Maybe he doesn't like my name shortening.

I guess this means the dinner invitation is off. Right, Marge?

[The Old LefHook]

In the English speaking world, there is a clean fight, a dirty fight and a wrestling match. For a boxer required to adapt his skills to a dirty fight, simply jab to the eyes wih two fingers extended. Might miss, could break a finger, but amongst all martial artists the boxers are by far best suited to hit the mark; and after they do, all the shoots, sweeps, knees, elbows, head buts, throws, submission holds, bites, chokes, fish hooks and ground grappling on earth won't be enough. Nothing is certain in a fight, but a boxer able to use his skills beyond what the Marquis of Queensbury might prescribe is certainly certain. See Ray Mercer KO 1 (:09) 2x UFC champion Tim Sylvia as the cleanest example of this principle in action. Not sure what "Toughest man" is, and it is probably the one holding the length of pipe at the right moment; but should one wish to focus his training on the rules that make lasting history best and best pay the rent, boxing stands alone; and all other arts, styles, systems and combat sports are LESS of an aspiration.

I fought a guy in high school who was a state wrestling champion, a real animal. Let me just put it this way: For awhile I did great. He pounded me with rabbit punches on the ground, once he got me down.

[edgarg]

The heavyweight champion has never been the toughest man in the world, though he was traditionally called that, unless he came from an ancient time our own historian Margie might delineate. A modern heavyweight champion--1900--2020 has never been the toughest man in the world, count on it. He might have been in the top 20, though.

Because it still takes a hell of a rassler to manhandle some of the hunks of beef who have been heavyweight champion, and take them down and submit them.

Grapplers will be hit by the likes of Foreman, Liston and the Klitchkos, while they come in to attempt their throwing move. Many rasslers will be groggy enough after even a glancing blow for the boxer to KO them right there.

But then you have the really tough rasslers and judo men and other hand by hand combat practitioners. A glancing blow does not prevent them from tackling the boxer. Once tackled, he is baby-helpless. For he is the king of standing fists, not even the king of sprawling fists. A boxer is a baby once taken down by the rassler/grappler. We all learned this early in the history of UFC, if we didn't know it already.

Using fists alone while standing, the heavyweight champion of boxing is the toughest man in the world. No other man can beat him with only bunched fists. But let a practitioner of another art use even an open hand, and the results might change. Let him kick, and they almost certainly will change. Throw in rassling, too, and the boxer is going to lose.

* * * * *

I remember way back in time when in rural areas street fights took place under a very loose version of the Marquis of Queensbury rules, at least for the first few minutes. They always started in a boxing pose and kicking was considered girlish and cheating. Those days are gone. Now they gang **** you, steal your wallet and take turns feeding you your own teeth with their shoes, until you bore them.

* * * * *

It seems maybe the more stylized a combat sport, the less effective it might be in a wide open context. There are all these rules, things you cannot do. The boxer must strike with the correct portion of the glove, whereas the other practitioner can even use a chop, if he chooses, and can kick and rassle as well. The boxer is by far under more strict guidelines.

If everyone had to fight under the same prohibitions as the boxer, the boxing heavyweight champion would indeed be the toughest man alive.

There is only ONE answer, One Name One man. The GREAT GAMA, born 1879- in Kashmir, dies 1960 In Pakistan.
World Champion Pehlwani wrestler. Never beaten, retired undefeated aged 72.

LOOK HIM UP. Not a single man today could go through a tenth of the daily exercises he did. He did 5,000 squats daily with a 220 lb collar around his nack, now in a museum. And this was only a beginning to warm up. Only 5'7" but 260 lbs solid muscle. Never thrown off his feet.


LOOK HIM UP...!!! You never heard of him, But I did as a kid, and ALWAYS read about him since. a genuine Unique, one of a kind athlete. Travelled all over , the Hackenshmidts and Strangler Lewises ran out of his way, were afraid of him.

[billeau2]

There is only ONE answer, One Name One man. The GREAT GAMA, born 1879- in Kashmir, dies 1960 In Pakistan.
World Champion Pehlwani wrestler. Never beaten, retired undefeated aged 72.

LOOK HIM UP. Not a single man today could go through a tenth of the daily exercises he did. He did 5,000 squats daily with a 220 lb collar around his nack, now in a museum. And this was only a beginning to warm up. Only 5'7" but 260 lbs solid muscle. Never thrown off his feet.


LOOK HIM UP...!!! You never heard of him, But I did as a kid, and ALWAYS read about him since. a genuine Unique, one of a kind athlete. Travelled all over , the Hackenshmidts and Strangler Lewises ran out of his way, were afraid of him.

The wrestling traditions from Iran to India have an incredible pedigree. They created some superb wrestlers! Africa and Mongolia have some great champs as well, but Pakistan and India had some truly epic talent.

[billeau2]

From a martial arts perspective this question changes considerably. One of my Sensei was smallish to medium build and non decript... The last guy one would want to mess with in the bar, but a stone cold killer. Looking impressive and being impressive are often two different things entirely.

[Willie Pep 229]

Toughest Man

It's a no brainer.

The only answer to this question is Jacob.

He wrestled God to a draw, and God had to cheat to hold him off.

You guys got what? A lousy couple of street fighters, some Greco-Roman wrestlers, some guy from Kasmire who only defeated humans. Eh!

I challenge any of you to come up with anyone who can stay the limit with God.

Genesis 32:22-32

New International Version

Jacob Wrestles With God

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.

[The Old LefHook]

I might beat your man, fighting my way. Not saying I would. I am 6' 9 1/2", and pretty strong. I was afraid I might kill someone or hurt them, so I talked and laughed my way out of fights, when I could. It was surprising how many men wanted to try me, simply for my size, I think. Only if someone became aggressive enough to make my style reasonable, would I fight. I can tell you this: It hurts me as much as anyone to get punched hard. I found the best way for me to fight was not to box or try to use aikido, which could only get me hurt with my limited knowledge, but simply to slap, and sling everything and anything in sight, whether it be tables, chairs or the aggressor himself. For me it has worked on the occasions I had to use it. The opponent wants to clear out right away when he sees furniture flying at him. Most of the time I tried to miss, but not with the slaps, which I knocked one guy out with. He was not asleep but rolling. My big mitt can slap like a ping pong paddle.I can also handle a small couch if I have to. If I knew what your man was capable of, I would not try to slap him--I think that would be a recipe for defeat against someone that trained. I would just sling, and only furniture. To try to sling him would probably be a recipe for disaster also. This was fifty years ago. These days someone would pull a gun on me and...poof! Or just beat me straight up, since I am older than most trees in a redwood forest.

[tokon]

Sumo Rasslers

Anyone that has actually seen these guys and their training up close and personal will understand that!

[The Old LefHook]

Anyone that has actually seen these guys and their training up close and personal will understand that!

I bet they would be great NFL offensive linemen on field goal attempts.

[markusmod]

The wrestling traditions from Iran to India have an incredible pedigree. They created some superb wrestlers! Africa and Mongolia have some great champs as well, but Pakistan and India had some truly epic talent.

Watch the documentary on that Indian yoga guru Beekram I think is the name on Netflix. It's great