Best enforcer of all-time (based on peak)

[The Tikkanen]

Probert. He was the first fighter I've seen that actually had a strategy. He was going to stretch you out, he was going to take your best shot and when you got tired he was going to pummel you. He seemed to enjoy pain. No Marty McSorley on the list? He rode shotgun for Gretzky for a very long time, was a great fighter but could also run the PP and put up points. His fight with Probert when he was with Pittsburgh is epic.

 

[Slapshooter]

Probert. He was the first fighter I've seen that actually had a strategy. He was going to stretch you out, he was going to take your best shot and when you got tired he was going to pummel you. He seemed to enjoy pain

Probie's gonna to win this poll by a wide margin and nothing wrong with that. An excellent choice. But I think the one reason why he was able to ignore opponents hits in his prime was because he was simply coked up.

No Marty McSorley on the list? He rode shotgun for Gretzky for a very long time, was a great fighter but could also run the PP and put up points. His fight with Probert when he was with Pittsburgh is epic.

Aye. Marty was a true enforcer and a ferocious beast. Always ready to battle with anyone and could outlast most tough guys in a fight. Gretzky wanted McSorley so badly with him to LA that he was included in the trade.

 

[Steve Kournianos]

There was a period where Chris Nilan was habitually beating the snot out of everyone.

But I voted for Probert, only because Kocur was not on the list.

Before his hand injuries, Kocur was, IMO, the most feared fighter in the history of the game, simply because one punch was all it took to mangle somebody.

Probert was simply mean, towering and menacing, but he never packed the one-punch lethality of Kocur.

So i guess I vote for Kocur

 

[seventieslord]

I don't know, I'm surprised at this result. Would a prime Probert really beat up a prime Brown?

 

[Maupin Fan]

I don't know, I'm surprised at this result. Would a prime Probert really beat up a prime Brown?

Yes.



Their only other fight was a hugging match and really isn't worth posting a video of.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Nilan should be in there. He was league heavyweight champ years Montreal had a good team

Nilan was hugging when he was fighting the top heavyweights, he never was the champ.

 

[seventieslord]

Yes.



Their only other fight was a hugging match and really isn't worth posting a video of.

I wouldn't call 1991 Dave Brown a "prime Dave Brown" - but it was definitely a prime Probert.

Brown's career record according to dropyourgloves.com is 107-16-36 (.786). Only six of those losses came before the end of the 1989-90 season. It was after that, that the cracks started to show: He was 30-10-16 (.679) after that, meaning he was 77-6-20 (.845) prior. That's his prime.

these W/L records are subjective, but let's assume they are useful. Probert faced the same tough competition as Brown and posted a career record of 154-51-62 (.693) - In his prime years before cracks started to show, he was 74-14-22 (.773) and 80-37-40 thereafter (.637)

So the truth is, we never got to see a REAL fight between these two, in the 5 years that they were both in their prime. Even if we did, one fight wouldn't tell us much. I'd prefer the much larger sample size of how much they pummelled the league's other heavyweights. Brown scores a clear win in that category, both prime, post-prime, and career.

 

[The Tikkanen]

The OP should do a follow up poll, eliminate the guys who got no votes or close to it and add in the names people are calling for. Then you will get the true sample. Adding in videos of those top guys fighting each other would make it eaasier to clearly pick a winner. Great topic.

 

[Mike8]

I wouldn't call 1991 Dave Brown a "prime Dave Brown" - but it was definitely a prime Probert.

Brown's career record according to dropyourgloves.com is 107-16-36 (.786). Only six of those losses came before the end of the 1989-90 season. It was after that, that the cracks started to show: He was 30-10-16 (.679) after that, meaning he was 77-6-20 (.845) prior. That's his prime.

these W/L records are subjective, but let's assume they are useful. Probert faced the same tough competition as Brown and posted a career record of 154-51-62 (.693) - In his prime years before cracks started to show, he was 74-14-22 (.773) and 80-37-40 thereafter (.637)

So the truth is, we never got to see a REAL fight between these two, in the 5 years that they were both in their prime. Even if we did, one fight wouldn't tell us much. I'd prefer the much larger sample size of how much they pummelled the league's other heavyweights. Brown scores a clear win in that category, both prime, post-prime, and career.

Take a look at their respective fight cards over their primes.

Probert consistently fought heavyweights. Brown didn't. I don't think these samples are worth much, given that fact.

 

[Darrelle Lundqvist]

Voted Probert. Nobody wanted to mess with him in his prime. Don't know how the ******* Boogaard got on there

 

[seventieslord]

Take a look at their respective fight cards over their primes.

Probert consistently fought heavyweights. Brown didn't. I don't think these samples are worth much, given that fact.

Both guys consistently fought everyone, as far as I can see.

Obviously competition can have a huge impact on their W/L. if there was an easy way to agree on who the true heavyweights were and isolate them, I'd look at the figures over again.

 

[reckoning]

Probert consistently fought heavyweights. Brown didn't.

Brown did fight a lot of heavyweights, but he also wasn't above starting a fight with a non-fighter.

Here's two examples:




Does beating up Anders Hakansson or Marius Czerkawski make someone a tough guy? I could understand it if they provoked him, but that wasn't the case in either situation.

I can't recall Probert ever stooping to that level.

 

[Infinite Vision*]

I'd have to say Probert has always stood out to me as the best/toughest fighter. If only Domi was half a foot taller though.

 

[seventieslord]

Brown did fight a lot of heavyweights, but he also wasn't above starting a fight with a non-fighter.

Here's two examples:




Does beating up Anders Hakansson or Marius Czerkawski make someone a tough guy? I could understand it if they provoked him, but that wasn't the case in either situation.

I can't recall Probert ever stooping to that level.

He was a bad, bad man.

 

[Boxscore]

I can't recall Probert ever stooping to that level.

Dude, Probert used to run over a team's goalie just so some helpless punk would have to drop their gloves with him and get pounded. Probert was almost as evil as Brownie, but that's what made Brownie feared. Remember when he almost put Tomas Sandstrom in a permanent halo??

 

[Maupin Fan]

I wouldn't call 1991 Dave Brown a "prime Dave Brown" - but it was definitely a prime Probert.

Brown's career record according to dropyourgloves.com is 107-16-36 (.786). Only six of those losses came before the end of the 1989-90 season. It was after that, that the cracks started to show: He was 30-10-16 (.679) after that, meaning he was 77-6-20 (.845) prior. That's his prime.

these W/L records are subjective, but let's assume they are useful. Probert faced the same tough competition as Brown and posted a career record of 154-51-62 (.693) - In his prime years before cracks started to show, he was 74-14-22 (.773) and 80-37-40 thereafter (.637)

So the truth is, we never got to see a REAL fight between these two, in the 5 years that they were both in their prime. Even if we did, one fight wouldn't tell us much. I'd prefer the much larger sample size of how much they pummelled the league's other heavyweights. Brown scores a clear win in that category, both prime, post-prime, and career.

I kinda see a point in your analysis, especially about the sample size, but you asked if a prime Probert would beat up a prime Brown. I don't fully buy your bit about the primes; in this fight, Brown was 28, Probert was 25. Hardly prime Probert beating on an old Brown. Brown was still strong and tough and a great fighter, but Probert cleaned him out in that fight.

I think these guys are really close and I could see how someone would pick Brown, but I tend to favor Probert.

 

[Boxscore]

Oh, and even though his nasty run lasted about a year, Troy Crowder absolutely destroyed everyone for a full season or so, including Probert if I recall. But I still insist Twist was the most feared fighter during his two-year hayday.

 

[seventieslord]

I kinda see a point in your analysis, especially about the sample size, but you asked if a prime Probert would beat up a prime Brown. I don't fully buy your bit about the primes; in this fight, Brown was 28, Probert was 25. Hardly prime Probert beating on an old Brown. Brown was still strong and tough and a great fighter, but Probert cleaned him out in that fight.

I think these guys are really close and I could see how someone would pick Brown, but I tend to favor Probert.

You could be right... unfortunately, all we do is speculate and point to the one meaningful piece of video evidence

I'll have to take solace in the Brown is a comfortable but distant 2nd here.

 

[BubbaBoot]

I'd take Wensink and Jonathan over O'Reilly.

Dan Maloney was a pretty fearsome fighter who also had a bit of a loose screw.

Wensink (heavyweight) and Jonathan (light heavyweight) were very good fighters.

O'Reilly definitely had a screw missing when he fought. I think Gillies was the only one who really "beat" him in a fight though.

And speaking of loose screws, nobody here has mentioned Link Gaetz?

 

[seventieslord]

And speaking of loose screws, nobody here has mentioned Link Gaetz?

You're looking for the psycho thread.