Floyd or Duran - Most skilled?

This is a terrible post. You may want to visit a couple of websites such as IRBO (Internation Boxing Research Organization), then you'll get a little perspective of the history of the lightweight division.

http://www.ibroresearch.com/?p=443

Guys like Benny Leonard, Joe Gans, Henry Armstong, Ike Williams and others are all rated higher than Whitaker and Chavez. Since it hasn't been updated since 2005 Mayweather doesn't even make the top 20 (although he should). Duran, well he's considered the 2nd best of all time.

Now these guys rating these fighters actually research each and everyone of them, they don't just spew names of the top of their head in an attempt to convince people they're smart.

Here's another great site.

http://coxscorner.tripod.com/

 

Those guys at the IBRO compromise their credibility placing guys like Dempsey and Johnson inside their "Top 20 P4P". That's absolutely atrocious. Neither are top ten heavyweights for my $ -- Pound for Pound? Jess Willard and Luis Firpo are two of the worst fighters ever captured on film. Top wins, no doubt.

 

IBRO's

Updated September 2006**
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Harry Greb
3. Henry Armstrong
4. Muhammad Ali (Tie)
4. Joe Louis (Tie)
6. Sam Langford
7. Roberto Duran
8. Benny Leonard
9. Willie Pep
10. Bob Fitzsimmons
11. Joe Gans
12. Ezzard Charles (Tie)
12. Sugar Ray Leonard (Tie)
14. Jimmy Wilde
15. Eder Jofre
16. Mickey Walker
17. Archie Moore
18. Jack Dempsey
19. Jack Johnson
20. Gene Tunney

Just missing the cut: Stanley Ketchel, Barbados Joe Walcott, Rocky Marciano, Tony Canzoneri, Barney Ross, Ike Williams, George Dixon, Sandy Saddler, Roy Jones Jr., and Larry Holmes.

 

At least they have the first few right. Then comes Joe Louis who should NOT be tied with Muhammad Ali.

 

It's alright and everything I guess -- I'd have Ezzard Charles in the Top 5 really. Johnson and Dempsey just look wildly out of place. Over Ross and Canzoneri? Why? For what good reason?

 

It's like Pryor from the Arguello fight or Hagler from the Hearns fight. Combination of a great fighter being in his absolute physical prime plus having a point to prove.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY5F0p53ezQ[/ame]

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcgpf6TK39c&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcgpf6TK39c&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]

 

Hmm.

 

You're not late or anything. :dead

It's okay, SJS. We know how you feel and accept you for who you are. :grouphug

 

You are one of the nicest Mexicans I have come across. :yep

 

Well there are a couple of valid reasons why this isn't so perposterous.

One reason might be this. Nate Fleischer. He viewed both Johnson and Dempsey as better fighters than Louis. I'm not saying I agree with him, but that was his opinion. Also consider this little tidbit:

===================================================


In 1950, the Associated Press conducted a poll of sportswriters to name the greatest fighter of all-time, pound-for-pound, and Dempsey was the runaway winner, collecting 251 votes. [Joe Louis finished a distant second with 109 votes; Henry Armstrong was third with 13.] The sportswriters of the first half of the century named Dempsey as the greatest fighter they had ever seen. As late as 1962, in the Dec 1962 Ring Magazine, a panel of 40 boxing writers tabbed Dempsey as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

====================================================

Now the arguement goes, those who are challenging the rating of Dempsey downward and revising Louis upward, never actually saw both these fighters fight. Most of these writers actually saw them fight, and in Fleischer case, he saw all of them fight, ringside. That's Johnson, Dempsey, Louis and Marciano.


But this is a side topic from the thread, I posted it maining to enlight posters that the lightweight division is deep and to just throw a couple of named such as Mayweather and Chavez and label them the greatest is an injustice to the history of the sport.

 

Dreadful stuff.

 

Floyd Mayweather Jr. - King of Kings