Who is the most forgotten World Champ??

When Jefferies abandoned the title, he beat Jack Root for the vacant belt.

He had only one eye.

 

He claimed a version of the World title... Jack Johnson as the 'negro' champ had just as strong claim.

Anyway every single Heavyweight champion and/or titlist, his family and pets have been mentioned on this forum at one time or another.

As far as legitmate World Champs go, I still say In Chul Baek has to be the least known and spoke about.

 

If you check out my post in the "strangest Oppinions" thread, you will see that you are preaching to the quire.

In my book, the negro champs were the real champs, with the possible exception of Jeffferies, who beat the best black fighters on the way up.

 

An ancient tuberculosis riddled Jackson...

The only black fighter Jeffries met at or near his best was Johnson

Do not get me wrong, Jeffries was a legitmate World Champion, ironically in my book by beating Jackson, who had a claim that went back further than the more familar Corbett-Fitzsimmons-Jeffries route.

 

He beat two other good black fighters too, whose names elude me (its in one of my books somewhere).

But I'm not not really arguing with you. Jefferies should have dfended against black fighters too. He gets no pass. All I am saying is that it is conceivable that he really was the best unitl Johnson developed.

 

Hank Griffin and Bob Armstrong

 

Thanks bro.

 

Good pick. One of the few old-timers with a modern style. One of my favourite middelweights actually.

What about Battling Nelson or Kid McCoy? Few ever mention these guys...

 

Nelson gets mentioned all the time, and McCoy's name is part of the Language now!

 

The real McCoy. Gotcha.

 

wait all you have done is opened up the ibhf website and looked at the old timers section:good all look on the website

 

Do not if that is true, but I know I was involved in a big thread about Les Darcy, the Nonpareil has had his fair share of discussion as well.

 

almost all crsuierwieghts champions they dont get the recogntion they deserve.

marvin camel as the first crsuierwiehgt champion...and the first two time crusierwieght champion

lee roy murphy (if you can find some film on him it would be nice) he had a great jab for a man his size loads of power. only beaten once at cruiserwieght

 

Talking of cruiserweights, there's Carlos Deleon as well.

 

Allow me to offer a perfect candidate for this thread:

Petey Sarron.

Sarron is little more than a footnote today, and usually only to astute boxing historians who recognize him as the sacrifial lamb Henry Armstrong kayoed to win the World Featherweight Championship. Petey was something more than that.

In an era where boxers of Italian, African, Irish, Native American, Jewish, and a variety of other distinct ethnicities attained social prominence as boxing contenders and hero champions to their communities, Petey Sarron unseated Hall of Famer Freddie Miller in 1936, becoming boxing history's very first World Champion of Syrian extract, over 45 years before Mustafa Hamsho was prevented from becoming the second by the Hagler roadblock.

Sarron was an excellent amateur boxer, and was an alternate member of the 1924 US Olympic Boxing Team in Paris.

Petey Sarron/Freddie Miller was one of boxing's very best rivalries, and it concluded with Sarron successfull defending the FW title against Miller to permanently even their superb series at 3-3. In 150 matches, Petey was only stopped by Armstrong.

(Even this remarkable achievement of Sarron's was overshadowed by Miller not suffering a stoppage loss through his first 250 fights! After Freddie was finally TKOed by novice Herschel Joiner in his 251st match, he announced his retirement at age 29. Imagine a 29 year old boxer with no kayo losses in his first 250 matches today! Could RJJ, SRL, DLH, Toney or PBF ever turn THAT trick?)

After Petey was dethroned by Armstrong (who like Joe Louis was of African-American/Native American mixed lineage), he concluded his career with an 11 bout winning streak until he retired at age 32, following a decision loss to yet another Hall of Famer, Sammy Angott. While proud of his heritage, Petey also served in the US military during WWII (as was typical of age eligible boxers during that conflict). After the war, Petey worked as a referee, and became Secretary of the Miami Boxing Commission in late 1953. (Anybody who wonders if Jews and Arabs could ever co-exist peacefully, should study Miami sociology from the late 1940s to early 1960s. It might have served as a perfect model for Israeli/Palestinian power sharing and co-operaton.)

A borderline boxing HOFer himself, Petey was enshrined in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1977. A great guy, Petey passed away at age 87, 13 years ago last Saturday.

With admittedly considerable bias, I submit the name of Petey Sarron as a classic example of a forgotten champion.