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While the heavyweight champions of the world have really dominated boxing and have been as American as Thanksgiving and apple pie, the greatest, cleverest number of world champions have been in the lighter divisions. Boston strongman, John L. Sullivan, 1st American world champion, claimed that he could "lick" any man in the world. All but five of the 27 champions from 1882 to date have been Americans. The five foreigners were Primo Camera, Max Schmeling, Luis Angel Firpo, Ingmar Johannson, and Lennox Lewis, a bonafide victor versus Evander Holyfield. The heavyweight championship is the richest diadem in sports for an individual athlete.

Each of the 27 heavyweight champions mentioned had left some unique characteristic on the pugilistic world. Sullivan's claim that he could lick any man in the world was shattered by a young, handsome bank teller in California, James J. Corbett, who thoroughly whipped Sullivan. There is a dearth of valuable talent in today's heavyweight division. Sullivan, the 1st American champion, was a brawler with a good right hand and he held the title for 10 years. The question whether the competition, the training, diets, etc. which was part of the training regimen and whether the speed and skill of the performers of yesteryear was comparable to the present practitioners is a valid question. James J. Corbett (Gentleman Jim), a skillful and speedy left jabber, scored a startling upset and introduced the scientific ringman concept. Corbett had a reign of five years which ended in 1897 when he was stopped in the 14th round by a raw-boned, very small heavyweight from "down-under". Bob Fitzimmons. Bob became the originator of a special punch, known as the solar plexis blow. It's delivered in uppercut fashion to the solar plexis and can paralyze a man as it did Corbett in the fatal 14th round. Jim's senses were clear and knew he was being counted out but couldn't arise. He was temporarily paralyzed. Later on Fitzimmons could not stand the onslaught of the very strong rough, tough Boilerman Jeffries, to whom he surrendered the crown.

The fifth and sixth heavyweight champions were Marion Hart and Tommy Bums. The heavyweight picture changed dramatically when Jack Johnson became one of the most controversial figures and the first black man to every hold the title. In fairness to Johnson, it must be said that prejudice at that time ran rampant. The racial conditions which existed in the Johnson era are totally unacceptable today. Johnson has been classified by the experts as one of the great champions although there is some question as to whether Johnson's title loss to Jess Willard in 1915 was authentic. Johnson was KO'd in an afternoon bout in Havana. It was probably the first time in boxing history that a KO'd boxer shielded his eyes from the sun, an implication that Johnson took a "dive". Willard, a four-year champion, ushered in one of the most colorful dramatic champions in history when he was KO'd in Toledo, Ohio by Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler.

There has been more copy written about Jack Dempsey, (with the exception of Muhammad Ali), than any other boxer in ring history. In 1926, however, the box game got its second touch of class and a master boxer in Gene Tunney, a New York westsider. It's been mentioned previously that a criterion for matchmaking was established with the matching of Sullivan and Corbett, the bull vs. the matador, and here it was again, Tunney and Dempsey. Gene was, in this writer's opinion, a complete success story. He lost only one fight (to Harry Greb) which he reversed. He retired in 1928 with 2 million dollars when taxes were minimal. Tunney married Andrew Carnegie's niece, Polly Lauder, on a promise by Gene that he would never fight again. Gene's success stuck. When he retired. Gene had real estate holdings in Connecticut, and despite interim disappointments, retired to enjoy the nostalgia of his great career.

Since Gene retired undefeated. Max Schmeling from Germany and Jack Sharkey from Boston were paired for the championship. At this point, one of the most unusual happenings in the sport took place. Schmeling was hit with a blow below the belt. His little manager, Joe Jacobs, jumped into the ring and proclaimed it a foul. It was accepted and Schmeling was the first heavyweight champion to win the title on the floor and on one knee.

As the result of that occurrence, the Taylor foul-proof cup was invented and developed to prevent such an incident ever recurring. In a rematch, Sharkey wrested the title from Schmeling, only to lose it again in 1933 on KO to Primo Carnera from Italy, who had been a circus side-show attraction in Europe because of his size. It started with his enormous shoe size and he was referred to as "Satchel Feet". This "nice guy" giant was taken complete advantage of by racketeer Owney Madden and others and was reputed to have as many as eleven managers. The "Preem" was left penniless at the end of his boxing career and returned to his earlier sport, wrestling, from which he recouped some of his former financial losses. The book on Primo, "The Harder They Fall" tells the life story of Carnera.

Max Baer, one of the most beautifully built pugilists in the boxing business, a devastating right-hand puncher, battered Carnera into a helpless hulk at the Madison Square Garden Jinx Bowl in Long Island City where no champion had ever successfully defended his crown.

Then a partially employed dock worker. Jimmy Braddock, who had fought some important opponents and had mediocre success, went into the ring a 10 to 1 underdog against Baer and pulled one of the most startling upsets in history when he lifted Baer's crown in 15 rounds. Braddock was dubbed the Cinderella Man. He contributed very little as champion during his two-year reign ,but gained a fortune because at this point in time one of the greatest of all heavyweight champions, Joe Louis, a stoic, deadly accurate combination puncher, the invincible Brown Bomber but humble personage, caught on and carried on with the title for 11 years until he retired. Then after losing to Ezzard Charles, the very skillful highly underrated champion, he surrendered the bauble to Jersey Joe Walcott, a really great ring general good puncher, who was to be KO'd with a single punch in the 13th round by Rocky Marciano, who retired undefeated with a record of 49-0.

The next titlist was Floyd Patterson who was stopped by Ingmar Johnson but halted it by Patterson twice. Patterson was KO'd twice by Sonny Leston who was stopped two times by Mohammad Ali, who lost and then won two over Joe Frazier.

Ali once wrote on a poster that "after me there will never be another". Since Ali is the most charismatic best known athlete in the world, it would seem his self-appraisal must have been justified. Ali has been included on TV and all other media and at practically every world event.

Ensuing heavyweights, with the exception of notorious Tyson and hardworking, honest fighter, Evander Holyfield, such as the ancient George Foreman and Larry Holmes who are now plugging their wares, are very much lacking the attributes which great champions are made. Right now Britisher Lennox Lewis is in our opinion a bonafide heavyweight champion of the world. Straight ahead there will be a meeting between Holyfield and Lewis.

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