Ever wonder what would happen if Mike Tyson took on Joe Louis? Or, how Evander Holyfield would hold up vs. Muhammad Ali? At ProBoxing-Fans.com, we love putting together fantasy fights matching up greats from different eras against one another. Now, we’re taking it a step further.
In concert with the NCAA Tournament “March Madness” kicking off this week, we are undertaking the task of simulating a March Madness Tournament of the top 16 All-Time great Heavyweights.
We haven’t used any complicated algorithms or fancy computer programs. We’ve simply created a field of 16 all-time great Heavyweights utilizing our own knowledge together with various resources and information. Next, we seeded and matched them all up in a familiar Single Elimination Tournament bracket-style competition.
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We will then run a tournament creating simulated matches and results to reach an “Elite Eight”, “Final Four” and an eventual Champion.
Later this week, we will update the results of the first round of action and whittle the field down to an “Elite Eight”. Following that update, next weekend we will conduct the final 4 and championship matches. As with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, a higher seed doesn’t necessarily assure a win. These legendary warriors of the Heavyweight division have the skills, ability and power to beat anyone on a given night. And of course, styles make fights, so getting paired up with a favorable match-up could be key for one fighter to succeed with a string of upset victories.
Keep in mind, only historical fighters were selected. Therefore, you will not see the Klitschko brothers on this list.
Here’s our seeding:
- Muhammad Ali
- Joe Louis
- Jack Johnson
- Jack Dempsey
- Rocky Marciano
- Larry Holmes
- George Foreman
- Sonny Liston
- Joe Frazier
- Gene Tunney
- Evander Holyfield
- Ezzard Charles
- Lennox Lewis
- Mike Tyson
- Jersey Joe Walcott
- James Jeffries
In the meantime, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments below.
Who is your favorite to win? Who do you see reaching the Final 4? Do you have a sleeper pick? Which match-ups are most intriguing? Which lower seed could make a run?
Let the debates begin! Be sure to check back later this week for round 1 results.
