Dariusz Michalszewski's place in history

[Spray_resistant]

A fighter totally forgotten - absolutely superb skills.

He has the misfourtune of being active when to a US audience no one existed other than the fighters HBO, Showtime, ESPN, and USA wanted to sell to the public. If he was active today or even in the last 15 years he would have much more notoriety.

[Mr Mitts]

Michalszewski is more famous than you think. Mark Wahlberg put out a song about him with "Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch". He has an energy drink named after him (Tiger), and a documentary on his life was award winning in Europe. His earnings were significant.
His big showdown against French superstar Fabrice Tiozzo was viewed by a live television audience of 22 million; nearly 8 million in Germany alone.


Michalszewski is on the cusp of IBHOF enshrinement; and was a better, and more accomplished fighter than James Toney, Arturo Gatti, Virgil Hill, Michael Nunn, Vinny Paz, and a number of others who are already in the hall.
Fellow Euro Light Heavyweights Henry Maske and the aforementioned Fabrice Tiozzo are on the ballot as well.

Sure. My hair is thicker than it looks too.

I said nothing about the Hall of Fame or his quality as a fighter. I noted that he is pretty obscure. He made no splash at all in the world at large. Outside of Europe he was practically a nonentity. Take this boxing forum as an example. There has not been a thread on him in years. Maybe he had a bad style for popularity. For a guy with as much ability as people on here are saying, he is very low on the radar indeed.

Andre Ward was not popular due mainly to his style, but honestly was one of the most accomplished boxers I have ever seen, and I did not like him either.

Virgil Hill was one of the weakest LH champions I can remember. There is no justification for his being in the HOF. They probably wanted another Indian, which I don't even believe he was.

[Anomalocaris]

The HOF is a joke. Fighters often get shoved in due to their perceived popularity rather than their achievements

[QueensburyRules]

Sure. My hair is thicker than it looks too.

I said nothing about the Hall of Fame or his quality as a fighter. I noted that he is pretty obscure. He made no splash at all in the world at large. Outside of Europe he was practically a nonentity. Take this boxing forum as an example. There has not been a thread on him in years. Maybe he had a bad style for popularity. For a guy with as much ability as people on here are saying, he is very low on the radar indeed.

Andre Ward was not popular due mainly to his style, but honestly was one of the most accomplished boxers I have ever seen, and I did not like him either.

Virgil Hill was one of the weakest LH champions I can remember. There is no justification for his being in the HOF. They probably wanted another Indian, which I don't even believe he was.

- - Dariusz fought in the start up of the great Russian/Euro take over of boxings larger classes from 160+ that neutered Americans.

So U wanna be a HOF panelist? Can U squeal in Soprano?

[Willow The Wisp]

The HOF is a joke. Fighters often get shoved in due to their perceived popularity rather than their achievements

I would say that instead, that most Boxing Fans are a joke.


Dug deeply in about their observations, but extraordinarily lacking in an essential knowledge base; they are prone to blurting out some pretty astonishing mistakes. But as long as they keep paying, and not stealing streaming services; they can be tolerated in the same vein as all those ebay autograph pin-money goofballs who flock to the IBHOF with their sharpies every year.
The top level Boxer; making a living at the deep end of the combat sports pool; are at the head of the class among athletes; playing no games and taking no shortcuts to win; and the IBHOF Is the ultimate achievement for them.

That's just another way of looking at it.

40 years ago, when Ed and the rest of us hatched the momentum to revive the then MSG centered Hall of Fame; we knew two things. 1) That what we were doing felt very right, and 2) that there would always be critics of our efforts; but always from the casual, aforementioned kind of fans.

No disrespect intended; dammed near.

[QueensburyRules]

I would say that instead, that most Boxing Fans are a joke.


Dug deeply in about their observations, but extraordinarily lacking in an essential knowledge base; they are prone to blurting out some pretty astonishing mistakes. But as long as they keep paying, and not stealing streaming services; they can be tolerated in the same vein as all those ebay autograph pin-money goofballs who flock to the IBHOF with their sharpies every year.
The top level Boxer; making a living at the deep end of the combat sports pool; are at the head of the class among athletes; playing no games and taking no shortcuts to win; and the IBHOF Is the ultimate achievement for them.

That's just another way of looking at it.

40 years ago, when Ed and the rest of us hatched the momentum to revive the then MSG centered Hall of Fame; we knew two things. 1) That what we were doing felt very right, and 2) that there would always be critics of our efforts; but always from the casual, aforementioned kind of fans.

No disrespect intended; dammed near.

- - So, care to tell us about your role in establishing the Canastota HOF?

[Willow The Wisp]

- - So, care to tell us about your role in establishing the Canastota HOF?

I guess not. But I appreciate your interest.

[JAB5239]

DM supposedly earned $70 million over his career. A quick search suggests Roy earned $55 million. Not sure those figures are entirely accurate, I always thought Jones earned way more. Both of them refused to travel across the pond to fight each other. I think Jones fear of getting robbed on the scorecards overseas after the Olympics debacle prevented him from making some big fights.

As reported by boxingscene back in 2009.....Michalszewski made 30 million euros over his boxing career, Jones 45 million US.

Bild Zeitung have an interesting interview with former WBO light heavyweight champ Dariusz "Tiger" Michalczewski, who now resides in Gdansk, Poland. "Tiger" tells how he earned 30 million Euro in the ring and has now spent it all, mainly through expensive divorces but also by leading a pretty wild lifestyle.

[JAB5239]

Can cases be made to rank Michalszewski over John Henry Lewis, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack Dillon and Philadelphia Jack Obrien? I truly believe he belongs among the elite at 175. 14 lineal title defenses alone should put him in there.

[ShoulderRoll]

Dariusz Michalczewski is underrated at light heavyweight and should be in the top 20. While Roy Jones Jr. dominated the division with his athleticism and collected belts, Michalczewski was the lineal champion and had a strong résumé, including 23 title defenses. The biggest knock against him is the lack of a fight with Jones, which hurts his legacy. The IBRO ranking is harsh—he deserves a spot around 15-20. His skill set was exceptional, and he would likely be a champion today. While Jones ranks higher due to dominance and achievements, Michalczewski’s light heavyweight career is historically significant.

He would be a champion today? I don’t see Michalczewski beating either Beterbiev or Bivol.