After his dominant win over David Lemieux, Gennady Golovkin is beginning to look indestructible. A tag that is sometimes thrown around far too often, though the Kazakh becomes a more fearsome proposition with each outing.
While he lacks the type of real test that would properly reveal any weaknesses in his game, the unbeaten middleweight king has decimated any and all pretenders to his throne.
In the past however there have been men who truly seemed unbeatable at times, striking fear into the hearts of those operating in and around their weight class. However, most eventually met their match and their maniacal runs came to abrupt ends.
We’ve taken a look at five such men, click below to see our list and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
5. James J. Jeffries
The behemoth from Burbank has just 22 fights on his official record, though it’s safe to assume he fought plenty more times than that. The burly heavyweight knocked out the highly-touted Hank Griffin in just his third fight before fighting top contender Gus Ruhlin to a draw – though some observers feel Jeffries deserved the nod. A third-round stoppage win over Peter Jackson in 1898 threw him into the title mix, as did a 20 round decision win over Tom Sharkey.
The next year he got his crack at reigning champion Bob Fitzsimmons. Scheduled for 20, Jeffries stopped Fitzsimmons in the 11th to lift the title. He held on to the title for five years, beating the likes of James J. Corbett (twice), Fitzsimmons again and Jack Munroe. Jim took a beating in his rematch with Fitzsimmons, but somehow fought through the blood seeping from his face to finish Bob with a monstrous left hook.
He retired in 1904, going out on top. However, it would be time that proved to be Jeffries’ undoing. He returned to the ring in 1910, having bloated in weight in the interim. His opponent – world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Jim whipped himself into terrific shape but was outclassed in the bout, being stopped in the 15th of a scheduled 45(!).
4. Wilfredo Gomez
The brave Puerto Rican was a hellacious puncher – after drawing in his debut, he racked up 32 straight wins, all inside the distance. That run included 17 consecutive title defences (of his WBC super-bantam crown), a record that still stands today.
He wasn’t knocking over tomato cans either. He won the title from South Korea’s Dong Kyum Yum, who dropped Gomez in the opening round, only to be stopped in the 12th by ‘Bazooka’. He travelled to Japan not long after to stop local favourite Royal Kobayashi in two rounds (three rounds quicker than Alexis Arguello had managed).
In 1978 he wrecked Mexican hero Carlos Zarate (then 55-0) inside five rounds to confirm his status as one of the world’s best. Carlos Mendoza made it to the 10th with Gomez but the likes of Nicky Perez, Ruben Valdes and Derrik Holmes were dispatched sooner.
1981 was the year Wilfredo’s violent reign would end when he met Salvador Sanchez in arguably the greatest fight in the Puerto Rico-Mexico boxing rivalry. Dropped in the first, Gomez rallied as the fight progressed but the Mexican stopped him in the eighth, handing Wilfredo his first loss.
3. Sonny Liston
With a stony stare and a foreboding silence, just the look of Liston was enough to send you running for the hills. He marched his way to title contention with chilling stoppage victories over the likes of Zora Folley and Cleveland Williams.
Liston blitzed Floyd Patterson inside a round to claim the heavyweight title and did the exact same thing in the immediate rematch. The big brute had proven himself as not only world class, but a forced to be reckoned with.
When young upstart Cassius Clay (who would become known as Muhammad Ali) was handed an opportunity at Sonny, most feared for the health of the gangly youngster. As he would so often do, Clay dazzled the champion and “shook up the world,” forcing Liston to retire on his stool after six captivating rounds.
2. George Foreman
An Olympic gold medallist, Foreman took three years to become the mandatory challenger for the world heavyweight championship after turning professional in 1969. In that time he amassed a record of 32-0 (29), having torn through the ranks.
He was granted his shot against WBC and WBA champion Joe Frazier in 1973, originally installed as a 3-1 betting underdog. He savaged Frazier in two rounds, dropping him six times to decisively announce himself as the leader of the banner division.
He took just as many rounds to dispatch Ken Norton who, like Frazier, held a win over Muhammad Ali, before then facing ‘The Greatest’ himself.
It was at this point that Foreman was at his most fearsome and there were not many who expected an ageing Ali to upset the champion. He did just that though, stupendously knocking him out in eight rounds.
1. Mike Tyson
Mike’s heavyweight title reign from 1986-1990 was nothing short of emphatic. He fought an astonishing 13 times in ’86, the last of which was a two-round demolition of Trevor Berbick to lift the WBC crown and become the youngest world heavyweight champion in history.
The musclebound New Yorker had frightening power and explosive speed as well as decent boxing skills to boot. As he dispatched the likes of Pinklon Thomas, Tyrell Biggs, Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks with ease, the aura of invincibility around Tyson grew rapidly.
The fear of facing Tyson beat numerous boxers before they had even entered the ring against him and the world was captivated by the enigmatic brute.
However, on a tumultuous and unforgettable night in Tokyo in 1990, massive underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas etched his name into the history books by knocking Mike out in 10 rounds. Tyson’s formidable reputation had been shattered.
