100 GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHTS
I HAVE just finished going through the 100 Greatest Heavyweight Boxers bookazine. I don’t envy your team, having to rank all those greats. Like all compositions of fighters, I think that there is likely to be a considerable amount of disagreement. As far as I am concerned, the only man good enough to wear the No. 1 heavyweight crown is the one and only Joe Louis, who ruled as champion for nearly 12 years and made an amazing 25 successful defences of his title. My No. 2 would be Jack Johnson, No. 3 Lennox Lewis, No. 4 Muhammad Ali, No. 5 Rocky Marciano. I will leave it at that. Thanks for a great insight into heavyweight history. I have no doubt that people are already letting fly with their choices! Mervyn Gee
EXCITING HEAVYWEIGHT ADDITION
HAVING watched the very entertaining fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tony Bellew, I would like to say what an exciting addition to the heavyweight division Usyk promises to be. He displayed supreme skills and a great temperament, and executed a genius fight plan, biding his time until Bellew exhausted himself. He then threw the perfect knockout punch at the most opportune moment. This eye-catching display is all the more impressive when you consider that Usyk has only had 16 professional fights to date. Credit must also be given to Bellew, who, although outclassed, put in a gutsy, crowd-pleasing performance. He was also humble and respectful in defeat, lauding his opponent and encouraging the crowd to show him their appreciation. Harry Doherty
TREATING FANS WITH DISDAIN
EVERYONE agrees that two pay-perviews on the same night, especially just before Christmas, is not good for the sport. Fans and fighters are the pawns of the promoters, so hopefully Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren will learn lessons from this, as they both treat fans with disdain. Hearn’s argument for staging the Dillian Whyte-dereck Chisora show on December 22 – the same night as Warren’s Josh Warrington-carl Frampton event – took everything into account apart from the fans. Warren is no better, trying to take the moral high ground and questioning what Sky Sports subscribers are paying for. He referenced Hearn’s previous promise of weekly world title fights, and espoused the quality of fights on BT Sport. As a former Boxnation subscriber, it feels like he is referencing his own past broken promises. Kevin Brownlow
RECALLING LOST TRADITIONS
I FEEL compelled to write in after reading Alex Daley’s Yesterday’s Heroes article on lost traditions of boxing (October 11). I remember throwing ‘nobbins’ in the ring. Also, when I boxed in the Royal Navy, towel-flapping was a common occurrence in the corner. And when I fought in Australia in the mid-1960s, I had to shuffle my feet in a resin tray. These were lovely old days! Gerald Mizon
FURY’S STAR-STUDDED CORNER
AHEAD of his upcoming fight with Deontay Wilder, I believe that Tyson Fury now has the edge in this battle. This is because Tyson will have both Ricky Hatton and the legendary Freddie Roach in his corner. If I was Deontay, I would be panicking. If Tyson listens to the instructions from his corner during the fight, then I believe he will become the new WBC heavyweight champion. Ian Owen