Best British heavyweight boxers: Anthony Joshua prepares to join the elite as our boxing expert gives you his top ten
ANTHONY JOSHUA faces his greatest challenge yet against Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley.
As AJ prepares to scrap it out for the IBF, IBO and WBA titles, SunSport boxing expert COLIN HART takes you through his top ten British heavyweights of all time...
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1: LENNOX LEWIS Fight 44 W 41 KO’s 32 D 1 L 2
By far the greatest British heavyweight of all-time.
Had 15 world title fights and at one stage was universally recognised as the undisputed champion.
Lewis had tremendous power combined with precision boxing.
Held his titles over a ten year period and beat all his leading contemporaries including Frank Bruno, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko.
2: TYSON FURY Fights 25 W 25 KO’s 18
Love him or loathe him Fury going to Germany and outpointing Wladimir Klitschko to win the WBA, IBF and WBO belts was an outstanding achievement that shook the boxing world.
It is so sad that because of his mental problems, we may see Fury in the ring again.
3: FRANK BRUNO Fights 45 W 40 KO’s 38 L 5
Bruno had to wait until his fourth attempt to win the world title.
He was KO’d by Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis in his three previous attempts.
Extremely popular the nation was willing him to victory when he met Oliver McCall.
And there was hardly a dry eye among the emotional Wembley Stadium crowd when he won on points and had the WBC belt strapped around his waist.
4: DAVID HAYE Fights 31 W 28 KO’s 26 L 3
The Hayemaker beat six world champions on his way to winning the WBA crown by going to Germany and outpointing the giant Beast from the East, Nikolai Valuev.
His hard hitting disposed of John Ruiz and Audley Harrison before he returned to Germany to meet Wladimir Klitschko in a unification fight.
He put up a woeful performance and was easily beaten on points soundly ridiculed by blaming an injured little toe for his loss.
5: JOE BUGNER Fights 83 W69 KO’s 43 L 13 D 1
I strongly believe if Bugner had been a young man in this century he would have won at least one version of the world title.
A highly competent defensive boxer Joe’s heart wasn’t really into boxing.
Yet he was good enough to twice go the distance with Muhammad Ali – once for the world title – and once with Joe Frazier.
I doubt if many British fighters would have managed to have survived a total of 37 rounds with those two.
6: ANTHONY JOSHUA Fights 18 W 18 KO’s 18
We should learn everything we need to know about Joshua when he clashes with Wladimir Klitschko.
He has the physique, power and potential to emulate Lennox Lewis and become Britain’s second undisputed champion. Joshua hasn’t met anyone in Klitschko’s league.
He won the IBF crown by beating Charlie Martin and has made two successful defences. All three opponents can be legitimately described as mediocre.
7: TOMMY FARR Fights 137 W 84 KO 24 L 34 D 17 No contests 2
Farr became part of British boxing’s folk lore by going 15 rounds before being outpointed by the immortal Joe Louis when the Brown Bomber was in his prime and making the first of his 25 defences.
I will never forget when I visited Tommy in his home in Hove and he allowed me to handle the gloves he wore the night he fought Louis in New York.
The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.
Farr always used to say, “Whenever I hear the name Louis my nose starts to bleed”.
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8: SIR HENRY COOPER Fights 55 W 40 KO’s 27 L 14 D 1
Loved and respected by everyone who met him Cooper is arguably the most popular British fighter ever.
British champion for a total of 11 years he will always be remembered for putting loudmouth Cassius Clay on the canvas with ’Enery’s ‘Ammer, his famous left hook, in the 4th round of their non-title fight at Wembley Stadium in 1963.
Henry lost in the next round because of a severely cut eyebrow.
And cuts were also his downfall when he met Muhammad Ai for the world title three years later – this time in round six.
Unfortunately, Henry was just short of being world class.
9: BOB FITZSIMMONS Fights 99 W 68 KO’s 59 L 8 D 4 No contests 19
Fitzsimmons was born in Helston, Cornwall but his family emigrated to New Zealand when he was a child.
Though he never fought in this country we have always claimed him as one of our own.
He knocked our Gentleman Jim Corbett with a left hook to the solar plexus in the 14th round to win the world title in Carson City, Nevada, in March 1897.
He weighed just 11st 13lb – a super-middleweight today.
He was also world middle and light-heavyweight champion.
10: HERBIE HIDE Fights 53 W 49 KO’s 43 L 4
Hide was only 22, the youngest British heavyweight to win a world title when he KO’d Michael Bentt to win the WBO crown at The Den, Millwall’s old ground.
He went to Las Vegas to defend against Riddick Bowe but was on the floor six times before being stopped.
But he won the title back when he knocked out Tony Tucker in two rounds in Norwich, in front of his home town crowd.
