Martin Devlin grades the Warriors; A+ off the field, but C+ on it.
OPINION:
Like any professional athlete, one of Israel Adesanya's biggest priorities is the construction of his legacy.
He has said that it fuels his drive, and, after condemning Paulo Costa, the man said to be the most feared in the UFC middleweight division, to mental and physical disintegration in onesecond under nine minutes last weekend, it's evident that Adesanya is rapidly becoming the most dominant fighter in New Zealand's modern history.
I say modern, because Bob Fitzsimmons' record as a middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion boxer in the late 1880s and early 1900s is unlikely to be beaten.
Records from those times are unreliable but the general consensus is that Fitzsimmons, a Timaru blacksmith born in Cornwall, England, who arrived in New Zealand at the age of 10, fought 125 times for 89 wins (79 by knockout).
Fitzsimmons is said to have fought more than 350 times. In one fight he knocked his opponent down 13 times and begged him to quit for the man's health. The rules were very different back then and so were the times – that's why the legacy of the man known as one of the hardest punchers in boxing history must stand alone.
Bob Fitzsimmons' boxing record is unlikely to be beaten. Photo / Archive
Aside from Fitzsimmons, who had a relatively short but eventful life – he began as a bare knuckle fighter, was effectively disqualified in a fight in the US by the referee Wyatt Earp (yes, the legendary lawman), was married four times and died of pneumonia in Chicago in 1917 – we've had some other good ones.
Ray Sefo, now 49, won six kickboxing world titles but never cleared out a division like Adesanya.
There was no one tougher than Mark Hunt, now 46, but while the Super Samoan could be devastating in the octagon with his specialty one-punch knockouts, he had more defeats in the UFC (14) than wins (13).
For all his punching power, Mark Hunt has more UFC defeats than victories. Photo / Photosport
Joseph Parker, 28, is a former WBO heavyweight world champion and defended his belt twice but lost it to Anthony Joshua and, if we're being brutally honest, is unlikely to get the opportunity to fight at that very elite level again.
Parker, who now has a 27-2 record as a professional, lost to Dillian Whyte straight after the Joshua defeat and the division has moved on. It's also difficult to see why his new promoter Eddie Hearn would do anything to jeopardise the career of his golden goose Joshua.
David Tua, now 47, another heavyweight boxer, deserves to be near the top of the list for his punching power, the way he beat five former world champions, and his overall success (a 52-5-2 professional record).
He failed in his only world title challenge – a defeat to Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas in 2000 – and is widely regarded as the best heavyweight to miss out on a world championship, but must be considered a Kiwi great given his longevity and success.
Adesanya, 31, has a perfect 20-0 record (15 knockouts) in the UFC. He now has 100 combat victories. He is the undisputed world middleweight champion and such is the way he dismantled Costa, he is looking at moving up to light heavyweight for a new challenge.
He is the brightest star in the UFC but has yet to be fully embraced by those New Zealanders who are turned off by his brash style and willingness to trash his opponents verbally and on social media.
Israel Adesanya has a 20-0 record after embarrassing Paulo Costa at the weekend. Photo / Getty Images
And yet those same Kiwis may look back at the career of Muhammad Ali with nothing but nostalgic fondness despite the man known as The Greatest cultivating a reputation as one of the cruellest trash talkers in the game. He was also a remarkable entertainer, but one can only imagine what he would have been like in the age of Twitter or Instagram.
Adesanya is very different when out of the spotlight (although as he keeps winning that will be increasingly difficult). His City Kickboxing gym has a "no heroes" policy and Adesanya sweeps and mops the floor like everyone else.
To many, though, the self-styled skinny kid who was born in Nigeria and moved to New Zealand as a 10-year-old is a hero.
Either way, you don't have to like him to appreciate what he is becoming: the most dominant fighter in New Zealand's modern history.
