Who was the best South African heavyweight?

[sr71ko]

Who was the best South African heavyweight? It seems kind of strange that there is not a South African puncher in the current heavyweight division. In the past there were several. Gerrie Coetzee, Kallie Knoetzee, Frans Botha, Corrie Sanders, Pierre Coetzer, etc. Or are there others that I don't know about? I am just used to seeing a hard punching South African heavyweight contender...... so I just starting wondering who is the best South African heavyweight so far?

[jim glen]

I know Coetzee gets a lot of mention because of more recent and veiwable memory, but before him were Johnny Ralph, Vorster, DeVilliers and I think the French Pole - Stephan Olek was based there, all these lads were Top Europians and Commonwealth fighters...

[jim glen]

here's the BoxRec 'Computer' generated rating... a good measure but not the absolute - http://boxrec.com/ratings.php?countr...IT=Go&pageID=1

forgot about Foord and McCorkindale and of course of late Corrie Sanders.

I dare say they had a few good lads, Fringe Contenders and on their best night better yet.

[hawk5ins]

Coetzee.

Hawk

[hagler04]

It's close but I'd pick Foord.

Let's agree that consistency has never been a strength of the top SA heavyweights . .

[hawk5ins]

What goes into the Boxrec Computer rankings?

They just seem WEIRD to me.

zample:

http://boxrec.com/ratings.php?countr...us=E&SUBMIT=Go

Hawk

[blv30]

Gerrie Coetzee.

[jim glen]

What goes into the Boxrec Computer rankings?

They just seem WEIRD to me.

zample:

http://boxrec.com/ratings.php?countr...us=E&SUBMIT=Go

Hawk

the POINT based system, (whatever it might be), seems to put too much emphasis on Titles Fights, this is why there can be such WIDE GAPS between very good and even great fighters, who were equally Top Men but had less title contests or none at all.

the gaps are far too wide in many cases, and they don't demostrate close enough the value of many of the great contenders and fighters...

and God knows there are hundreds of them!