Who Do You Think Is Australia's Best Boxers Of All-time

[Bonafide]

Well it sure as hell aint Robbie Peden!

Fenech and Tszyu would be my choice.

[GEOFFHAYES]

Tszyu hands down.

[deuce_drop]

Mick Dundee............

[woftam]

Kostya then fenech.

many great aussie fighters but these 2 stand out although some current ones are pretty good too.

[grayfist]

Lionel Rose as Bantamweight has wins over Fighting Harada (by MD, in Tokyo, with an all-Japanese judging panel) and Chuchu Castillo. Harada had defeated the great Eder Jofre twice.

The Castillo SD was very controversial: Rose went to the canvass in the 10th. Fans rioted when the decision was announced, setting fires and overturing cars in the parking lot.

The knock on Rose is his lack of power: 12 KOs in 42 wins. Nonetheless, he was undisputed Bantamweight champ (both WBC and WBA; no IBF or WBO at the time).

Fenech has wins over Carlos Zarate and Daniel Zaragoza and had a draw with and then a loss to Azumah Nelson.

In 1986 he won the IBF Bantamweight title, gave it up to move to SuperBantam and won the WBC crown from a Thai fighter. He made two title defenses, one of which was over Carlos Zarate who had come back from a 7 year-hiatus; Zarate took the prolonged vacation in disgust after he was declared loser in a fight against Lupe Pintor whom he knocked down in the 4th round.

Fenech then tested the Featherweight waters by facing Osmar Avila (35-3, 7 KOs at the time) whom he took out in the first round. Encouraged, he went for the vacant WBC 126-lbs. crown and bested Victor Callejas for his third title.

After three defenses, he went up to SuperFeather and tried to take the title from Azumah Nelson. The result was a very controversial draw as it appeared to many that Fenech had Nelson on the verge of being stopped. (Nelson later claimed he had a bout of malaria just weeks before the fight and was not in good shape).

The following year, Nelson and Fenech met again, with the Australian a heavy pre-fight favorite.

Nelson dropped Fenech in the 1st, 3rd and the 8th before referee Arthur Mercante, Sr. called a halt. It was The Ring magazine's Upset of the Year, 1992. After the fight Nelson said, "Fenech is a boy, I am a man."

So, who's the greatest Ausie champ?

Fenech has more titles and more title fights but Rose was undisputed at Bantamweight when he ruled, and took the title from a Hall of Famer (Harada was inducted to the IBHOF in 1995). Fenech won over a Hall of Famer, Carlos Zarate (inducted 1994) but it was a come-backing Zarate that he faced. He had a draw with another HOFer (Nelson, inducted, 2004) and a loss to the very same Hall of Famer. Rose lost his Bantamweight title to Ruben Olivarez, who was inducted to the Hall in 1991.

Fenech is in the Hall; Rose is not.

As for Johnny Famechon, he held the WBC Featherweight title for a year, highlighted by two wins over Fighting Harada (Harada's 60th and 62nd fights; the 62nd was also his last ring appearance). But a curious story is told about Famechon's first win over Harada:

Willi Pep, the ref and sole judge originally called the fight a draw, but quickly changed his decision in favor of Famechon amid lusty boos from the crowd.

The curious story about Johnny doesn't end there:

It appears that Famechon somehow never got his belt while he reigned. That belt was found decades later in a souvenir shop in New York. The WBC bought it and gave it to Johnny-- many, many years late.

And then there Tzyu. Oh well, we know his story and there is much to be said in his favor.

[infestacide]

just a note there is 2 australian world champs atm not one, gary st clair won a title not long ago.

[SAN D13GO VILLAN]

Tszyu hands down.

I tought Tszyu was russian? and then moved to Australia.

[moochi]

Tyzu for now...

BUT if VIC DARCHINYAN continues this undefeated KO streak, if he goes on to beat the likes of Jorge Arce and such, then VIC could very well be the best fighter ever out of Australia, although he is Armenian.

VIC is currently the only World Champion Australia has.

i thought you knew a lot about boxing!!..

WRONG


Vic is not the only world champion australia has!!!........I'm not even going to tell you who the other champion is..........i'll let you figure that out for yourself!

[infestacide]

bit late i mentioned the other champ 2 or 3 posts above. Im just wondering if st clair will stay motivated enough to hold onto his title, i sure hope so.

[Yogi]

Geez, all these replies and not one mentions the names of Young Griffo or Les Darcy, which are probably the two most famous Australian fighters in the historical sense of things...

And heck, throw the names of Dave Sands into the mix, as well, and while you're at it add Jimmy Carruthers' name somewhere on a list/ranking of fighters from Australia.