Who's Number 1: "Greatest Flops"

[butterfly1964]

WHO'S NUMBER 1?! WHO'S NUMBER 1?! WHO'S NUMBER 1?! WHO'S NUMBER 1?!
FROM THE CINDERELLA STORIES THAT GAVE US REASONS TO CELEBRATE,
TO THE WORST COACHES WHO JUST COULDN'T MOTIVATE,
TO THE BEST MASTERS WHEN BEING GREAT
DEPENDED ON HOW WELL YOU CAN CONCENTRATE.
FROM THE WORST TRADES BY GM'S WHO JUST COULDN'T EVALUATE,
TO THE BETS GAME 7'S THAT MADE THE HAIR ON YOUR ARMS PERCOLATE,
FROM THE BUZZER BEATERS THAT MADE YOU HAPPY THAT YOU STAYED UP LATE,
TO THE MOST OVERPLAYED MOMENTS THAT WEREN'T THAT GREAT!
TO THE NFL DRAFT BUSTS WHO JUST COULDN'T GET OUT THE GATE,
TO THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS CHARACTERS THAT YOU JUST LOVE TO HATE.
IF "WHO'S NUMBER 1?" IS THE TOPIC THAT YOU LOVE TO DEBATE,
THEN SMILE, 'CAUSE YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO WAIT!
YOU SEE THIS IS NOT A COMMERCIAL, THE SHOW HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
SO WHO'S NUMBER 1?! WHO'S NUMBER 1?! WHO'S NUMBER 1?

Who's Number 1?


"Greatest Flops"

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to "Who's Number 1". I'm your host, butterfly1964. In the past we have been craving for great fights to happen, and when one comes along, we are glued to the T.V. set and expect a classic in the making. However, sometimes it turns out to be nothing much of a fight. Sometimes it is boring, one-sided, and/or ends in a very short amount of time, and we feel robbed and want our money back. There are lots to chose from, but only 20 can make the list. So I compiled the 20 greatest "flops" of all-time.










20

20

20

20. Ali-Quarry I: On October 26, 1970, Undefeated former champion Muhammad Ali came back from his three and a hlf year exile to take on leading contender Jerry Quarry. Many people thought they were going to get a pretty good fight.

Ali looked sloppy in the beginning, but he soon returned to from and dominated all three rounds. His jab was piston-like and opened a nasty gash on Quarry's eye.

I looked over at Quarry and I could see the bone under the cut. I knew it would get worse had the fight gone on, so there was no choice.

Ali won on a tko in the third, and this signified that Muhammad Ali was back!










19

19

19

That was the saddest thing I've ever seen.

19. Holmes-Ali: On October 2, 1980, heavyweight champion Larry Holmes took on Muhammad Ali that was billed as "The Last Hurrah". Ali was a very short underdog at 13-11. And he seemed to be in great shape.

Ali looked great, got into great shape, under 200, and it seemed as it would be a great fight.

However it was nothing but that. Holmes pressured Ali, popped the jab frequently, and disabled any strategies Ali had up his sleeve, winning every round, and by the later rounds, seemed to be toying with Ali. The fight was stopped after the tenth round, and Holmes retained his championship.










18

18

18

18. Louis-Godoy II: On, June 20, 1940, heavyweight champion Joe Louis took on the South American champ Arturo Godoy for the second time. The first time it ended in a controversial split decision, and many though Godoy had a great chance to beat Louis the second time around.

Godoy boxed smart the first time, tying Joe up, croutching, moving, doing anything he can.

But the second fight was nothing like the first. Louis, who learned from his mistakes, had a fairly easy time with Godoy before tko'ing him in the eigth round.

A dynamite right by Joe Louis, and Godoy goes down, like a ton of bricks! He is hurt!

Louis in rematches was excellent. Everyone who had a rematch with him, shouldn't have.

17

17

17

17. Tunney-Greb V: On March 27, 1925, Gene Tunney had a fifth match ahainst the great Harry Greb. Greb, who had clobbered Tunney in the first match, and had close hard fought matches the other three times, would not fare well in this one.

Tunney figured Greb out from the first match, and then he just kept beating him up after that.

Tunney gave Greb as thorough a beating as he has ever received. So completely was Greb outclassed and outfought in six of the ten rounds that he resorted to a defensive fight after the third and thereafter was guilty of persistent holding and stalling varied only by rare flashes of offensive fighting, which Tunney quickly terminated by a devastating attack. Tunney concentrated his fire almost entirely on Greb's heart and body, landing with deadly accuracy and telling effect. After a flashy start, Greb went on the defensive and let entire rounds go by without making more than a weak show of attack, without landing a decisive punch, even on those rare occasions when he undertook to do the leading.

Tunney went on to win the ten round newspaper decision.










16

16

16

After that fight, he just became another "Great White Hype".

16. Holmes-Cooney: On June 11, 1982, undefeated heavyweight champion Larry Holmes took on undefeated Gerry Cooney in Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.

Cooney was a powerful puncher who went in and took his opponents out pretty easily. He became the Great White Hope.

However, the fight was extremely lopsided, and Holmes, using his ramrod jab, and great defensive skills, cruised to a 13th round stoppage, in what most people believe was his greatest performance.

Holmes is a really underrated fighter. He had the tools to beat anyone in History, in my opinion.

After this fight, people started to think different about Holmes, that this was not just a heavyweight champion, this is an all-time great!

Dont flinch, don't move an inch, don't even make a sound!
We'll be back like center field, at the Polo Grounds.

[butterfly1964]

Winners taking it all.
Legends taking the fall.
Quarterbacks taking the ball.
And history, recording it all.
Welcome back, to Who's Number 1.










15

15

15

This will be a mismatch. Floyd Patterson will be no match. He's too short. He's too slow. He don't have the reach, he can't take a punch. He don't hit hard. And he don't have the footwork!

15. Ali-Patterson I: On November 22, 1965, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali took on former two-time champion Floyd Patterson in Las Vegas. Many people thought that because of Patterson's quick, swarming style, that he would have a good chance of beating Ali.

A Patterson-Clay fight I believe would be the best possible fight you could make.

However, Ali who was three inches taller, seven years younger, 13½ lbs. heavier, and 8 inches in advantage in reach, dominated Patterson.

Patterson didn't call Ali, Ali. He called him Clay, so Ali punished him for that. He could have knocked him out earlir, but he carried the fight, to dish out even more punishment. And Patterson after a while had back problems, and it was pretty sad to watch.

Ali, toying with Patterson, and even flooring him in the sixth, ended the fight via 12 round tko, ending Patterson's career as a dangerous contender.










14

14

14

It was known as "The Fight of the Century"

14. Tunney-Dempsey II: On September 22, 1927, heavyweight champion Gene Tunney took on former title holder Jack Dempseyfor the second time. Dempsey, who had lost to Tunney a year earlier was still the favorite to win back his title.

It was a million-dollar gate, back when a million dollars was, a million dollars!!

However this fight resembled the first, with Tunney winning every round. However, in the eigth, Dempsey got in a good flurry to floor the champion, and then stood over his opponent for four seconds before obeying the ref and going to a neutral corner.

Tunney would have made it, regardless. That was the only bright spot for Dempsey in the whole fight. Other than that it was all Tunney.

Tunney was up at the count of nine, and cruised to a unanimous ten round decision.










13

13

13

And a hard smash by Louis, and Baer is down!

13. Louis-Baer: On September 24, 1935, undefeated rising star Joe Louis took on former heavyweight champion and notorious bad boy Max Baer.

More than 80,000 people came to see the fight, and they anticipated a great match. But from the opening bell, Louis dominated the action and battered Baer around the ring mercilessly.

Max tries to flash his power in the first, and nails him with some good shots. Then Louis comes back with shots of his own and almost knocks him out right then and there. On occasion, Max would get aggressive, but that power was just not working against Louis

Jack Dempsey was training Baer, and he had to Shove max out into the ring, he was so scared of Louis.

Louis floored him twice in the third and once in the fourth for the count.

And he took an awful right, and then a hard left, and Baer is down!

12

12

12

He can run, but he can't hide!

12. Louis-Conn II: On June 19, 1946 heavyweight champion Joe Louis rematched with Billy Conn. Conn, who almost knocked Louis out the first time, was said to have a good chance.

Louis had lost something since coming back from the war, but Conn lost even more, and he didn't have that same spark that he had in the first fight.

Louis' new trainer, Manny Seaman told Louis to box Conn instead of slug with him, and it worked. Louis constantly used the jab to wear Conn down, and dominated, winning almost every round. Then Louis finished him off with a hard right, and then going southpaw scored a right uppercut, and then a left cross that knocked him out.










11

11

11

11. Moore-Durelle II: On August 12, 1959, light-heavyweight champ Archie Moore resumed hostilities with Yvonne Durelle. Durelle had almost knocked Moore out in the first round of their first. But Moore was hardly in any trouble this time.

Durelle didn't fight as well the second time. The first fight took something out of him. Moore once againproved his greatness by putting him away pretty quickly.

Moore won the first two rounds, and then floored Durelle four times in the third, he fourth one knocking him out.

Archie Moore is the greatest lightheavy of all-time. This fight silenced all the critics. And it's amazing that he did it at 42 years of age!

When it comes to who's number one, everyone has an opinion.
Some say it's the cat with the best stats,
other's say it's the one who did the most winning.
So we're here to bring all debates to an ending!
So stay tuned. I promise, we'll be back pretty soon.

[butterfly1964]

Who's Number One

Welcome back to this edition of "Who's Number 1". We're counting down the greatest flops of all time. Here's a recap.

20





Ali-Quarry I (1970)





19





Holmes-Ali (1980)





18





Louis-Godoy II (1940)





17





Tunney-Greb V (1925)





16





Holmes-Cooney (1982)





15





Ali-Patterson I (1965)





14





Tunney-Dempsey II (1927)





13





Louis-Baer (1935)





12





Louis-Conn II (1946)





11





Moore-Durelle II (1959)

Let's continue.










10

10

10

Oooh, a good right by Foreman, and Norton's a bit stunned. And Foreman is teeing off!

10. Foreman-Norton: On March 26, 1974, undefeated heavyweight champion George Foreman took on leading contender Ken Norton. Norton, whose slick boxing had even troubled the likes of Muhammad Ali was said to have a good chance with the plodding Foreman.

Norton was a work of art, he was a finely chiseled specimen, fast, good boxer, smart. He wasn't too fast on his feet, but he knew what he was doing, and Foreman always had trouble with slick men, like Gregorio Peralta.

In the first round, Norton started out good, using the jab, and the ring to his advantage. In the second round, he was still fighting a smart fight.

Norton would go in close, and that was the wrong thing to do against Foreman.

In the middle of the second round, a right uppercut stunned Norton, and successive right uppercuts, sent him down! Foreman quickly pounced on him again knocking him down two more times, the second one for the count.

A left hook on the side of the cheek, a right uppercut! And a left to the jaw, and Norton goes down again!... Norton is in ******ville, he doesn't know where he. It might be all over, and it is all over!

This was a statement by Foreman, and this was a set-up for The Rumble in the Jungle.

9

9

9

9. Hagler-Antuofermo II: On June 13, 1981, middleweight king Marvin Hagler rematched with Vito Antuofermo. Their last fight ended in a draw, and many people anticipated a great fight. However, Marvelous Marvin came to fight, and the result was a relatively one-sided affair.

The first fight was a suprise. Vito fought a good fight held him to a tie, but the second time around forget it. Hagler found out about it and flattened him the next time around!

Hagler won every round, flooring him once in the third. Hagler poured it on in the fifth, and at the end of the round, Antuofermo's cornermen decided that their fighter had had enough.










8

8

8

8. Jones-Griffin II: On August 7, 1997, light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. took on Montell Griffin for the second time. Jones was disqualified for hitting Griffin when he was down five months before in a close fight, and Jones wanted revenge. He got it!

Jones went out there, knew what he had to do, did it, and that's all there is to it.

I have never seen a fighter quite like Roy Jones. fast, powerful, such a beautiful fighter to watch.

Two minutes and thirty-two seconds after the opening bell, Griffin was laying flat on his back!










It's sit back and have a beer time!
Relax in your chair time.
We'll be right back, like your hairline.

[butterfly1964]

You don't have to fight about this anymore!
You don't have to write about this anymore!
We've come to settle the score and end all wars,
in living room and barbershop floors
about, "Who the number one this?", and "Who's the number one that?"!
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back!










7

7

7

I don't think that there was a lightweight, including Roberto Duran that was better than Joe Gans

7. Erne-Gans II: On May 12, 1902, lightweight champion Frank Erne took on "The Old Master", Joe Gans. Gans had lost to Erne via tko in the twelvth round two years prior. But this time, Gans would not be denied.

Gans was a great boxer, and a powerful puncher, and a tough guy.

Gans made short work of the champion, knocking him out in the first round, and becoming the first African-American in boxing history, to win a world title!










6

6

6

Walcott was not the same man he was before, it was clear at that point.

6. Marciano-Walcott II: On February 15, 1953, newly crowned heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano took on the former champion Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott gave the champ a boxing lesson before being ko'd in their fisrst fight, and many people clamored for this fight.

There's always a second time around jinx in boxing for some reason, and Marciano went in there, and Walcott had nothing left, and he made short work of the ageing fighter.

That was Walcott's last fight by the way, and he moves a little, but not enough to keep Marciano away from him.

Marciano pressured, and pressured, amd pressured, and a right hand turned Walcott into mincemeat in 2 minutes and 25 seconds of fighting.










5

5

5

A knockdown ladies and gentlemen on a right hand shot! A right hand shot on the chin!

5. Ali-Liston II: On May 25, 1965, newly crowned heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali rematched against former champ Sonny Liston in Lewiston Maine. Ali, who was the heavy underdog in the first bout, was still the underdog.

A fight was scheduled for November 21, 1964, but two days before the fight, Ali woke up with a hernia, and under went surgury. Liston got into the best shape of his life, and when the fight was postponed, Liston did not keep up the training that he should have. Also, because of Ali's ****** ties, the fight was pushed out of Boston.

There was talk about how Liston was gonna send the mob to kill Ali, and theat Ali was gonna send the Black ******s to kill Liston.

At the start of the fight, Liston was the aggresor, and Ali fought off the backfoot. Then Liston lunged forward with a left, and Ali countered with a right and Liston went down!

Everybody was screaming, "Fix! Fix! Fix!". And Liston was just laying there, I couldn't believe for one minute that he actually was hurt from that punch.

That was legit. My man hit him in the right spot. And Liston, he was disoriented there.

That punch was like a cornflake hitting a battleship!

Whether the punch was legit or not, when Liston finally got up and they continued fighting, Referee Jersey Joe Walcott stopped the fight after only a minute and fifty-one seconds, from what appeared to be, and is forever known as "The Phantom Punch"!










If being "Number One" is your life's dream occupation,
then hopefully you've got a couple of more doses of dedication.
Because the greats will tell you with no hesitation,
that you don't win it in the game, you win in the preparation. Who's Number 1?

[butterfly1964]

Who's Number 1? "Greatest Flops"








4

4

4

4. Johnson-Jeffries: On July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada, heavyweight champion Jack Johnson took on former undeafeated king, James Jeffries, in what was known as the first "Fight of the Century".

This was Independence Day. Thousands of people flocked to see this fight. That was the greatest sporting event in boxing up to that point.

This match symbolized the racial divide that existed at that time. Many whites wanted Jeffries to silence Johnson and to reestablish white supremacy in America. Jeffiries shed over 100lbs. to prepare himself for this epic fight. Johnson was in the prime of his career.

However once the fight started, it was clear that Jeffries was in over his head. Johnson toyed with the challenger, tied him up at will, and battered his face and body to a pulp as he himself left the ring untouched.

Johnson probably could have knocked Jeffries out in five rounds if he wanted to, but he decided to carry the fight and to punish him slowly.

Johnson had the edge in speed, strength, command of the ring, and nearly everything else. The end for Jeffries came in the fifteenth round, when Johnson attacked, flooring the challenger three times. Jeffries corner promptly threw in the towel.

This was Johnson's finest hour. He had done something that had never been done before. He proved that blacks could infact compete athletically with whites, and even excel above them!

This fight turned into an unexpected disaster for Jeffries. But years later, another flop would take place on Independence Day...










3

3

3

I sat there watching it in shock!

3. Willard-Dempsey: Exactly nine years later, July 4, 1919, this flop would occur. The two combatants were heavyweight champion Jess Willard and the outstanding contender Jack Dempsey. Willard who had killed Bull Young with a single uppercut in 1913, was a 5-4 favorite against Dempsey, who had tore through the division like nobody before him had done.

Promoter Tex Rickard has put together one of the great fights of all-time in one respect. He has got a challenger who is a tiger-eating fighter! Dempsey had taken care of the two challengers ahead of him in 25 and 36 seconds, both in the first round! And still the promoter of the fight Tex Rickard feared for Dempsey! Because Willard had already killed a man! Even before the fight Rickard showed up in Willard's dressingroom and told him, "Be careful. Don't hurt him!".

However, it was Dempsey who would do all the hurting. Dempsey after feeling the champ out threw a flurry of body punches, and then a left hook to the jaw that floored Willard for the first time in his career, caving in his jaw. Dempsey croutched low and sprung up, acting like a force of nature. No one had ever seen anyone fight like this, and Dempsey continued to floor the champion. Willard was down seven times in the first, and was saved by the bell. Although he did not go down again after, he was battered into submission! After the third round, Willard retires on his stool, and the fight is stopped. Willard doesn't even land a single punch and sufferes a broken jaw, two broken ribs, and five missing teeth in the most brutal title exchange in boxing history.

During the twenties, something started that was called the Golden Era of Sports, consisting of five athletes in five different sports. The second one was Babe Ruth in Baseball, the third was Red Grange in Football, the fourth, Bill Tilden in Tennis, and the fifth was Bobby Jones in Golf. But the first happened for Boxing on July 4, 1919, Jack Dempsey!

2

2

2

Mike Tyson showing no respect, no fear for any jabs or anything Mike Spinks can do!

2. Tyson-Spinks: Name a fight featuring two undefeated heavyweight champions. No, not Ali-Frazier I, the other fight featuring two undefeated heavyweight champions. On June 27, 1988 Mike Tyson took on Michael Spinks, in what was hyped up to be one of the greatest heavyweight showdowns in boxing history. But it wasn't.

One of Spinks' people came into Tyson's dressing room and complained about a lump in the tape on Tyson's hands. An official checked it out and said there was nothing wrong with it, and they walked out. Then Tyson said, "You know, I'm gonna hurt this guy!"

Spinks had dethroned the great Larry Holmes three years before, and then dispatched Gerry Conney in five rounds. Tyson was on the other hand a different kettle of fish. Tyson came out with six guns a-blazing, and never looked back. He attacked Michael Spinks from beginning to end. A right to the body floored Spinks, and then Tyson leaped in and ducking under Spinks' right, countered with a vicious right uppercut that ended the fight. In only 91 seconds, "Iron" Mike Tyson in by far his finest hour, had done away with Spinks, and had completed his cleaning out of the heavyweight division once and for all.

Down goes Michael Spinks for the second time! I don't know if he's gonna make it! The count is up to 5, and 6, and 7, and 8! He won't be able to make it! Mike Tyson, has won it!!!

In sports, the most difficult task that you could ask someone to do,
is to come up with the answer to "Who's Number 2"!
You can ask the kid from Jeopardy and he wouldn't have a clue!
Because most don't care they don't care to know,
which is exactly the reason they came up with the show!
So Who's Number 1?

[butterfly1964]

Who's Number 1?: "Greatest Flops"

Hello, butterfly1964 here and welcome again to this edition of "Who's Number 1?". In this edition we are counting down the twenty greatest "flops" of all time. Before we get to number 1, here's a recap.

20





Ali-Quarry I (1970)





19





Holmes-Ali (1980)





18





Louis-Godoy II (1940)





17





Tunney-Greb V (1925)





16





Holmes-Cooney (1982)





15





Ali-Patterson I (1965)





14





Tunney-Dempsey II (1927)





13





Louis-Baer (1935)





12





Louis-Conn II (1946)





11





Moore-Durelle II (1959)





10





Foreman-Norton (1974)





9





Hagler-Antuofermo II (1981)





8





Jones-Griffin II(1997)






7





Erne-Gans II (1902)





6





Marciano-Walcott II (1953)





5





Ali-Liston II (1965)





4





Johnson-Jeffries (1910)





3





Willard-Dempsey (1919)






2





Tyson-Spinks (1988)

If you look up "flop" in the dictionary, more than likely you might find a picture of this fight in it...









1

1

1................................................. ....

And the American is now coming into the ring.

This was the greatest fight of our generation!

1. Louis-Schmeling II: On June 22, 1938 in Yankee Stadium, heavyweight champion Joe Louis took on former champion Max Schmeling from Germany, in what was billed as "The Fight of the Century". Schmeling had knocked out Louis in twelve rounds two years before, and many people thought that Schmeling could do it again.

This fight symbolized differing opinions from accross the globe. In Germany, ****sm was at it's peak and the propaganda machine was rolling on both sides of the ocean.

This is no longer a prize fight. This is for bigger stakes. This is to see if they have anything in their nasty little DNA pool, that is better, and purer than our polyclot, and self-evidently flawed DNA pool.

In one respect, Max Schmeling helped that whole black thing, because for the first time a black man became the white hope!

A lot of people didn't want that fight to happen, because they didn't want to risk having a champion representing ****'s and Hitler.

Over 70,000,000 people tuned in to this fight, including tens of thousands jam-packed in Yankee Stadium. Unlike the first fight, Louis trained like a mad-man and was determined to wipe the stain off his record.

Louis didn't necessarily dislike Schmeling because he felt he was a symbol of Aryan supremacy and evil. He hated him because he beat him!

The second Louis-Schmeling fight was the most political sporting event of the twentieth century.

However, when the fight started, it was shockingly different. Louis immediately attacked Schmeling from start to finish. In the middle of the round, Louis nailed him with with a right hand that staggered Max, then a pulverizing right to the kidney breaking his ribs, a left uppercut and three successive right hands prompted referee Arthur Donovan to given Schmeling a standing eight-count. Then Louis moved in...

A crushing right hand, and Schmeling is down! Schmeling is down!

The German let out a scream that was heard six rows down. Then Louis continued to pound away and floored Max two more times, the latter ending the fight in only 2 minutes and four seconds.

No one could have beaten Joe Louis that night.

He gave that german such a shell-lacking. He put him in bed for a week!

And Schmeling is down again! The count is up to 5... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,... the men are in the ring! The fight is over on a technical knockout. Max Schmeling is beaten in one round!!!!!!!

Yes, my friends the flopiest of all flops, hehe. But was this edition of "Who's Number 1" a flop itself? I'll let our resident second guesser, Kid Achilles decide. Take it away!

I really cannot consider most of these fights "flops" because the word implies a boring fight that is a letdown. Louis Schmeling is incredibly exciting to watch. The same goes for Dempsey-Willard. I'd agree with fights like Ali-Quarry, Holmes-Ali (no one knew Ali was THAT shot), and Johnson Jeffries. Maybe it's just the word flop that's throwing me out. It implies a failure, a completely uninteresting fight. Byrd-Williamson was an example of a flop.

But if it's a list of fights that were expected to be competitive, but weren't, you're going for, it's a solid list I'd say. You have fights representing many eras, though still a heavy emphasis on the heavyweights, which is your style (and mine as well, I'll admit) anyway.

I'd try to find a different word to substitute in for flop. Louis-Conn II would be a good example of a flop however.

That will do it for this edition of "Who's Number 1". I'll return next week to countdown times, events and athletes that have shaped our world of boxing. Until then, I'm butterfly1964, let the debating begin!





























Special thanks to Kid Achilles.

Butterfly Productions Inc.
© 2006

[Cutthroat]

Damn... That was long

[butterfly1964]

bump.......

[Hydro]

I disagree with some of those.

Holmes-Cooney was reasonably competitive and a decent fight. Some of those I wouldn't consider "flops". Jones-Griffin 2 wasn't really a "flop". Sure it wasn't a great fight, but it was a great explosive short performance. Same with Louis-Schmeling 2 and Tyson-Spinks.

Now, fights like Tyson-Holyfield 2, Trinidad-De La Hoya, are more worthy.

Maybe Lewis-Holyfield 1 for the awful scoring.