Greatest Fighter of his division is...?

A lot of fighters through the years have had incredible success in boxing due in large part to a combination of skill, heart, mettle. Some were able to transcend into god-like status with what seemed to be something everybody loves to refer as, "Special".

For whatever reason, those boxers were immortalized by fanatics and casual boxing fans alike.

In your opinion who was the greatest of the greatest in their division.

( I know that some boxers boxed in multiple division but they were obviously better in one. Also, I will not rank a fighter in a division I have yet to watch. So my list will be almost completely empty)

HEAVYWEIGHTS (201 AND UP)-

CRUISERWEIGHTS (200 POUNDS)-

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (175 POUNDS)-

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (168 POUNDS)-

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (154 POUNDS)-

WELTERWEIGHTS (147 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (140 POUNDS)-

LIGHTWEIGHTS (135 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (130 POUNDS)-

FEATHERWEIGHTS (126 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (122 POUNDS)-

BANTAMWEIGHTS (118 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS (115 POUNDS)-

FLYWEIGHTS (112 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS AND STRAWWEIGHTS

(108 AND 105 POUNDS)-

HEAVYWEIGHTS (201 AND UP)-

CRUISERWEIGHTS (200 POUNDS)-

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (175 POUNDS)-

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (168 POUNDS)-

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)- Sugar Ray Robinson hadn't watched a lot of his fights but the collective voice of the world over is unanimous in claim of S.R.R being the Best of the Best.

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (154 POUNDS)-

WELTERWEIGHTS (147 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (140 POUNDS)-

LIGHTWEIGHTS (135 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (130 POUNDS)- Add odds as to were I put Manny? Junior Lightweight or Featherweight?

FEATHERWEIGHTS (126 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (122 POUNDS)- Wilfredo "Bazooka" Gomez

BANTAMWEIGHTS (118 POUNDS)- Eder Jofre

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS (115 POUNDS)-

FLYWEIGHTS (112 POUNDS)-

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS AND STRAWWEIGHTS

(108 AND 105 POUNDS)- Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon

A little bias going on here...lol

I will come back and start filling in once I had a chance to watch more of the greats.

I'm just going to rate the original divisions....

HEAVYWEIGHT:- Muhammad Ali

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT:- Archie Moore

MIDDLEWEIGHT:- Sugar Ray Robinson

WELTERWEIGHT:- Sugar Ray Leonard

LIGHTWEIGHT:- Benny Leonard

FEATHERWEIGHT:- Eusebio Pedroza

BANTAMWEIGHT:- Pete Herman

FLYWEIGHT:- Jimmy Wilde

HEAVYWEIGHTS (201 AND UP)- Lennox Lewis, too big and strong for the likes of ali

CRUISERWEIGHTS (200 POUNDS)- Controversial choice but Joe Louis (at his best he was 198/199) IF thats not allowed then Holyfield walks it

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (175 POUNDS)- Gene Tunney, never held a title but his record speaks for it's self, only men I'd even think had a good chance with him were Spinks and Foster

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (168 POUNDS)- Calzaghe, he reign does it for me

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)- Hagler just edges out Monzon

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (154 POUNDS)- Terry Norris. his reign (s) like Calzaghe seals his place

WELTERWEIGHTS (147 POUNDS)- SRR-His division even if he didn't stay their long

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (140 POUNDS)- Antonio Cervantes, controversial but it'd be between him and Loi

LIGHTWEIGHTS (135 POUNDS)- Duran...just

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (130 POUNDS)- Alexis Argüello-the guy really could do it all

FEATHERWEIGHTS (126 POUNDS)- bloody toughy...lets go pep

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (122 POUNDS)- Wilfredo Gomez

BANTAMWEIGHTS (118 POUNDS)- Veeraphol Sahaprom

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS (115 POUNDS)- Khaosai Galaxy

FLYWEIGHTS (112 POUNDS)- Jimmy Wilde

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS AND STRAWWEIGHTS

(108 AND 105 POUNDS)- González or Cabarjal and Ricardo Lopez

Heavyweight: Muhammad Ali

Cruiserweight: Evander Holyfield

Light heavyweight: Ezzard Charles

Super middleweight: Joe Calzaghe

Middleweight: Harry Greb

Junior middleweight: Thomas Hearns

Welterweight: Ray Robinson

Junior welterweight: Julio Cesar Chavez

Lightweight: Benny Leonard

Super Featherweight: Alexis Arguello

Featherweight: Willie Pep

Super Bantamweight: Wilfredo Gomez

Bantamweight: Manuel Ortiz

Super Flyweight: Khaosai Galaxy

Flyweight: Jimmy Wilde

Light Flyweight: Humberto Gonzalez

Strawweight: Ricardo Lopez

I find it difficult to make unbiased "all time" lists, because I haven't watched much more than the biggest fights of fighters long before my era, but basing it on paper records, and what I think about particular fighters based on what I've seen;

HEAVYWEIGHTS (201 AND UP)- Joe Louis

CRUISERWEIGHTS (200 POUNDS)- Evander Holyfield

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (175 POUNDS)- Archie Moore

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (168 POUNDS)- Joe Calzaghe

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)- Sugar Ray Robinson

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (154 POUNDS)- Tommy Hearns

WELTERWEIGHTS (147 POUNDS)- Sugar Ray Leonard

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (140 POUNDS)- Julio Cesar Chavez

LIGHTWEIGHTS (135 POUNDS)- Roberto Duran

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (130 POUNDS)- Alexis Arguello

FEATHERWEIGHTS (126 POUNDS)- Willie Pep

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (122 POUNDS)- Wilfredo Gomez

BANTAMWEIGHTS (118 POUNDS)- Eder Jofre

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS (115 POUNDS)- Don't really know any of the top rated fighters well enough in this division...

FLYWEIGHTS (112 POUNDS)- Jimmy Wilde

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS AND STRAWWEIGHTS

(108 AND 105 POUNDS)- Ricardo Lopez

HEAVYWEIGHTS (201 AND UP)- Sonny Liston

CRUISERWEIGHTS (200 POUNDS)- Rocky Marciano

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS (175 POUNDS)- Ezzard Charles

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS (168 POUNDS)- Steve Collins

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)- Marvin Hagler

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (154 POUNDS)- Tommy Hearns

WELTERWEIGHTS (147 POUNDS)- ray Sugar Robinson

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (140 POUNDS)- Duilio Loi

LIGHTWEIGHTS (135 POUNDS)- Roberto Duran

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS (130 POUNDS)- Alexis Arguello

FEATHERWEIGHTS (126 POUNDS)- Willie Pep

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS (122 POUNDS)- Wilfredo Gomez

BANTAMWEIGHTS (118 POUNDS)- Eder Jofre

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS (115 POUNDS)- Khaosai Galaxy

FLYWEIGHTS (112 POUNDS)- Miguel Canto

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS AND STRAWWEIGHTS Ricardo Lopez

(108 AND 105 POUNDS)-

These things are very difficult to do but i'd go for something like this:

Heavyweight: Muhammad Ali

Cruiserweight: Carlos De Leon

Light Heavyweight: Ezzard Charles

Super Middleweight: Joe Calzaghe

Middleweight: Harry Greb

Light Middleweight: Terry Norris

Welterweight: Sugar Ray Robinson

Light Welterweight: Julio Cesar Chavez

Lightweight: Tony Canzoneri/Benny Leanord

Super Featherweight: Azumah Nelson

Featherweight: Willie Pep

Super Bantamweight: Wilfredo Gomez

Bantamweight: Eder Jofre

Super Flyweight: N/A

Flyweight: Jimmy Wilde

Light Flyweight: Michael Carbajal

Minimumweight: Ricardo Lopez

- My best heavyweight ever is between Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis. I'm ok with either being top.

- I'd have Carlos De Leon top and Evander Holyfield second. But, either way round is good.

- Ezzard Charles beat Archie Moore, Joey Maxim, Charley Burley and Jimmy Bivins all new numerous times. Of his 25 losses, only 5 of those were at light heavyweight. The rest were at heavyweight.

- The best super middleweight is a tough one. There are no MEGA great champions at the weight. It's mostly British and European fighters like Benn, Eubank, Collins, Ottke etc... It's always been very much a "sub division" a bit like cruiserweight.

In terms of skill, i'd go for Roy Jones jr without any doubt. The super middleweight version of RJJ beats Joe Calzaghe no problem. But, despite all of the times i have criticised Joe Calzaghe, his record is still better than RJJ's record at 168lbs.

- Harry Greb is rated as a p4p top 10 level fighter. He even beat Gene Tunney, one of the best fighters ever, for the light heavyweight title despite being outweighed by over 10lbs. Robinson, Hagler, Monzon etc aren't far behind.

- Terry Norris is the best 154lb fighter IMO. But, Mike McCallum isn't far behind. Overall, i think McCallum is the better fighter. But, if we just take the 154lb division into consideration, i'd say Norris is the best fighter at the weight.

- Sugar Ray Robinson is the best welterweight ever IMO. Too many great fighters at 147lbs that it would be too long to name them all.

- Julio Cesar Chavez is my number one at 140lbs. He had numerous title defences against some of the biggest names of his era. He holds the record also for having the longest winning streak in boxing history as well as the most World title fights.

- The best lightweight of all time, IMO, comes down to Tony Cazoneri, Benny Leonard, Joe Gans and Roberto Duran. Although there are several others who deserve a shout. I'd say it's between Tony Canzoneri and Benny Leanord but i can't decide. Side note: Canzoneri was only stopped once and it was in his very last bout.

- I have Azumah Nelson as my best super featherweight. He fought at 130lbs for 9 years. Alexis Arguello deserves a mention too.

- Willie Pep is widely considered the best featherweight of all time. I think Salvador Sanchez is near the top, it's just a shame he died so young.

- Wilfredo Gomez is my top super bantamweight. He beat numerous legends and finished with an impressive 42 KOs from 44 wins. Daniel Zaragoza would possibly be my number 2 at the weight.

- Bantamweight is a tough one. From what i've read, it seems to be considered that Eder Jofre is the best at the weight. He's also considered to be one of the p4p all time greats. When i read his record though, nothing really jumps out at me as "overly special". I think i'll have to watch a load of his fights. Other fighters in the division that deserve a mention: Fighting Harada, Carlos Zarate, Panama Al Brown, Ruben Olivares...

- I don't know much about boxing below bantamweight. Super flyweight seems to have been a weight class avoided by the very best fighters. I didn't choose one for this weight class. If i had to, it might be between Gilberto Roman and Khaosai Galaxy.

- Jimmy Wilde is rated as having one of the hardest punchers of all time and widely considered one of the best, if not THE best, flyweights.

- Michael Carbajal is my number 1 light flyweight with Humberto Gonzalez probably in 2nd place.

- Ricardo Lopez must be the best minimumweight fighter ever. Undefeated for 52 bouts and was World champion for 11 years.

Heavy Ali

Light Heavy Archie Moore

Middle Sugar Ray Robinson

Welter Ditto

Light Duran

Feather Willie Pep

Bantam Eder Jofre

Fly Jimmy Wilde

Just like someone else mentioned i was torn between Ali, and Lennox for the Heavy, but i just cant forget what Ali was when he first came on the scene, simply unbelievable.

- My best heavyweight ever is between Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis. I'm ok with either being top.

 

- I'd have Carlos De Leon top and Evander Holyfield second. But, either way round is good.

 

- Ezzard Charles beat Archie Moore, Joey Maxim, Charley Burley and Jimmy Bivins all new numerous times. Of his 25 losses, only 5 of those were at light heavyweight. The rest were at heavyweight.

 

- The best super middleweight is a tough one. There are no MEGA great champions at the weight. It's mostly British and European fighters like Benn, Eubank, Collins, Ottke etc... It's always been very much a "sub division" a bit like cruiserweight.

 

In terms of skill, i'd go for Roy Jones jr without any doubt. The super middleweight version of RJJ beats Joe Calzaghe no problem. But, despite all of the times i have criticised Joe Calzaghe, his record is still better than RJJ's record at 168lbs.

 

- Harry Greb is rated as a p4p top 10 level fighter. He even beat Gene Tunney, one of the best fighters ever, for the light heavyweight title despite being outweighed by over 10lbs. Robinson, Hagler, Monzon etc aren't far behind.

 

- Terry Norris is the best 154lb fighter IMO. But, Mike McCallum isn't far behind. Overall, i think McCallum is the better fighter. But, if we just take the 154lb division into consideration, i'd say Norris is the best fighter at the weight.

 

- Sugar Ray Robinson is the best welterweight ever IMO. Too many great fighters at 147lbs that it would be too long to name them all.

 

- Julio Cesar Chavez is my number one at 140lbs. He had numerous title defences against some of the biggest names of his era. He holds the record also for having the longest winning streak in boxing history as well as the most World title fights.

 

- The best lightweight of all time, IMO, comes down to Tony Cazoneri, Benny Leonard, Joe Gans and Roberto Duran. Although there are several others who deserve a shout. I'd say it's between Tony Canzoneri and Benny Leanord but i can't decide. Side note: Canzoneri was only stopped once and it was in his very last bout.

 

- I have Azumah Nelson as my best super featherweight. He fought at 130lbs for 9 years. Alexis Arguello deserves a mention too.

 

- Willie Pep is widely considered the best featherweight of all time. I think Salvador Sanchez is near the top, it's just a shame he died so young.

 

- Wilfredo Gomez is my top super bantamweight. He beat numerous legends and finished with an impressive 42 KOs from 44 wins. Daniel Zaragoza would possibly be my number 2 at the weight.

 

- Bantamweight is a tough one. From what i've read, it seems to be considered that Eder Jofre is the best at the weight. He's also considered to be one of the p4p all time greats. When i read his record though, nothing really jumps out at me as "overly special". I think i'll have to watch a load of his fights. Other fighters in the division that deserve a mention: Fighting Harada, Carlos Zarate, Panama Al Brown, Ruben Olivares...

 

- I don't know much about boxing below bantamweight. Super flyweight seems to have been a weight class avoided by the very best fighters. I didn't choose one for this weight class. If i had to, it might be between Gilberto Roman and Khaosai Galaxy.

 

- Jimmy Wilde is rated as having one of the hardest punchers of all time and widely considered one of the best, if not THE best, flyweights.

 

- Michael Carbajal is my number 1 light flyweight with Humberto Gonzalez probably in 2nd place.

 

- Ricardo Lopez must be the best minimumweight fighter ever. Undefeated for 52 bouts and was World champion for 11 years.

I always love reading your take on things londoner. Its great to see a different perspective on things. Always a different angle from where I stand.

It really completes the picture for me.

I'm a passionate person, so of course I wear my emotions on my sleeve...,

I feel strongly about things but to see a different side of things does a lot for meI

It helps shape and mold...

 

Terry Norris is the best 154lb fighter IMO.

What about Hearns? He was unbeaten at 154lbs remember.

 

Terry Norris is the best 154lb fighter IMO.

 

What about Hearns? He was unbeaten at 154lbs remember.

True. And he beat some great fighters at 154lbs like Benitez and Duran. But, that's all. His other major bouts at the weight were Luigi Minchillo, Murray Sutherland, Mark Medal and Fred Hutchings. The wins against Bentiz and Duran are great wins but there wasn't much else to add to them.

Terry Norris was a light middleweight from his debut in 1986 up until his retirement in 1998 (aside from a couple of bouts he fought at middleweight). He beat Donald Curry, Jorge Fernando Castro, Carl Daniels, Meldrick Taylor, Maurice Blocker, Simon Brown and was involved in 25 World title fights (i just counted).

I just think that puts him at number 1. Mike McCallum would be my number 2 although McCallum was a greater fighter overall.

its so hard to do, especially with the differences between eras, so ill list a couple for most (no order). a few could go in multiple places (robinson, jones, etc...)

hw --- ALI, LOUIS

cw --- HOLYFIELD

lhw --- MOORE, CHARLES, CONN, TUNNEY, FOSTER, JONES JR

smw --- CALSLAPPY, TONEY

mw --- MONZON, HAGLER, HOPKINS, LAMOTTA, GREB

jmw --- MCCAULLUM, NORRIS

ww --- SRR, SRL, KID GAVILAN, NAPOLES, GRIFFITH

jww --- JCC

lw --- DURAN, WHITAKER, CANZONERI, GANS, ORTIZ, MARQUEZ

jlw --- ARGUELLO, NELSON, FLASH ELORDE, MAYWEATHER JR

fw --- PEP, KID CHOCOLATE, CHALKY WRIGHT, SANCHEZ

sbw --- GOMEZ, ZARAGOZA

bw --- JOFRE, OLIVARES, ZARATE

jbw --- GALAXY

fw --- PANCHO VILLA, CANTO, WILDE

jfw/sw --- FINITO

multi (weight jumpers) --- ARMSTRONG, PACQUIAO, DE LA HOYA

 

multi (weight jumpers) --- ARMSTRONG, PACQUIAO, DE LA HOYA

Good point on the "multi weight" guys. It's hard to place any of them. I think Armstrong was probably best at 147lbs and arguably so is Pacquiao.

I say Pacquiao is probably best at 147lbs because he seems to be completely dominant at the weight. But, his biggest wins were at 126 and 130lbs. He only fought once at 135lbs...

So what division do we rank Pacquiao in as an all time great? Impossible to know really.

So good idea to call him a "multi weight" fighter like ODLH and a few others.

[quote=".

 

I say Pacquiao is probably best at 147lbs because he seems to be completely dominant at the weight..

I really dont see how you can claim that. He has only had 2 fights where the opponent was allowed to weigh 147, one against a guy who had been a Light Middle for 7 years, and the other against, wait for it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Clottey.

 

multi (weight jumpers) --- ARMSTRONG, PACQUIAO, DE LA HOYA

 

Good point on the "multi weight" guys. It's hard to place any of them. I think Armstrong was probably best at 147lbs and arguably so is Pacquiao.

 

I say Pacquiao is probably best at 147lbs because he seems to be completely dominant at the weight. But, his biggest wins were at 126 and 130lbs. He only fought once at 135lbs...

 

So what division do we rank Pacquiao in as an all time great? Impossible to know really.

 

So good idea to call him a "multi weight" fighter like ODLH and a few others.

That's right, Multi-wieght is a good category.

[quote=".

 

I say Pacquiao is probably best at 147lbs because he seems to be completely dominant at the weight..

 

I really dont see how you can claim that. He has only had 2 fights where the opponent was allowed to weigh 147, one against a guy who had been a Light Middle for 7 years, and the other against, wait for it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Clottey.

My point was that Pacquiao has LOOKED best at 147lbs. He was completely dominant against ODLH, Cotto, Clottey and Margarito and arguably didn't drop a single round in 44 rounds of action. That is pretty incredible.

I then followed up that with: "...But, his biggest wins were at 126 and 130lbs. He only fought once at 135lbs...".

His biggest wins were against Barrera, Morales, Marquez which were at 126 and 130lbs.

But, he wasn't completely dominant at the weight because his opponents were p4p ranked guys.

This is why i said "Pacquiao is probably best at 147lbs" meaning that is the weight where he has looked most impressive fighting at.

As for welterweight: The weight limit for a welterweight is anywhere from 140.1lb up to 147lbs. Anywhere in that is welterweight. So Pacquiao has fought 4 fights there.

Fighters in the modern era just tend to weigh in at the maximum allowed because it allows them to have the most muscle/strength possible.

As for Pacquiao asking guys to not weigh a certain amount: Put it this way. Us fans want the best fights. If the only way great fights can be made is to ask a guy to come down a lb or 2 then so be it. I don't have a problem with it.

If a great fighter is at 147lbs and another at 140lbs, then meet in the middle at 144lbs. Makes sense.

 

multi (weight jumpers) --- ARMSTRONG, PACQUIAO, DE LA HOYA

 

Good point on the "multi weight" guys. It's hard to place any of them. I think Armstrong was probably best at 147lbs and arguably so is Pacquiao.

 

I say Pacquiao is probably best at 147lbs because he seems to be completely dominant at the weight. But, his biggest wins were at 126 and 130lbs. He only fought once at 135lbs...

 

So what division do we rank Pacquiao in as an all time great? Impossible to know really.

 

So good idea to call him a "multi weight" fighter like ODLH and a few others.

yeah i was trying to figure out where to place pacquiao, but i didnt feel like he was as strong as the others in a single weight class. so i put him in multi and added de la hoya and armstrong.

Great list grape...

thx

 

Terry Norris is the best 154lb fighter IMO.

 

What about Hearns? He was unbeaten at 154lbs remember.

True, unbeaten, but his big fights didn't really take place there. Had Mike McCallum not been with Manny Steward and Manny kept them away from each other, then that one fight might've made the difference.

P.S. I see that Amber has replaced the Car on your Avatar......good show!!!

As for welterweight: The weight limit for a welterweight is anywhere from 140.1lb up to 147lbs. Anywhere in that is welterweight. So Pacquiao has fought 4 fights there.

 

Fighters in the modern era just tend to weigh in at the maximum allowed because it allows them to have the most muscle/strength possible.

 

As for Pacquiao asking guys to not weigh a certain amount: Put it this way. Us fans want the best fights. If the only way great fights can be made is to ask a guy to come down a lb or 2 then so be it. I don't have a problem with it.

 

If a great fighter is at 147lbs and another at 140lbs, then meet in the middle at 144lbs. Makes sense.

You have just answered your own point. By demanding that the other guy weighs less Pakow is trying to stop them from achieving this.

As for welterweight: The weight limit for a welterweight is anywhere from 140.1lb up to 147lbs. Anywhere in that is welterweight. So Pacquiao has fought 4 fights there.

 

Fighters in the modern era just tend to weigh in at the maximum allowed because it allows them to have the most muscle/strength possible.

 

As for Pacquiao asking guys to not weigh a certain amount: Put it this way. Us fans want the best fights. If the only way great fights can be made is to ask a guy to come down a lb or 2 then so be it. I don't have a problem with it.

 

If a great fighter is at 147lbs and another at 140lbs, then meet in the middle at 144lbs. Makes sense.

 

You have just answered your own point. By demanding that the other guy weighs less Pakow is trying to stop them from achieving this.

So he would inadvertently be making HIMSELF weaker also?

If you think "No, because his body frame is smaller so cannot support as much muscle/strength anyway", then you're arguing my original point. The point that if a guy who is a natural 140lb fighter (like Pacquiao should probably be) fights a guy who can fight at 147-154lbs, ask him to come down a bit.

I don't see how the 144lbs limit isn't going to affect Pacquiao as much as it would his opponent. And if it doesn't affect Pacquiao because he "isn't as big" then it comes back to why Pacquiao asks for the weight restriction in the first place.