Jimmy McLarnin - one of the greatest resumes ever?

No ...he ducked Bep van Klaveren ....

 

It's up there

 

Oh yes Jimmy. he's top 30 easy with king Floyd

 

Great fighter who had the benefit of a great manager who was often very astute in making his matches.

 

What a great fighter Jimmy McLarnin was ! What a great group surrounded
him in the early 1930s. Barney Ross, Tony Canzoneri, Lou Ambers,
Billy Petrolle, Henry Armstrong, and a fighter who would be champion today were it not for a Henry Armstrong. His name was Pedro Montanez
from Puerto Rico. A great fighter forgotten today....The above bunch
were truly great fighters fighting OFTEN and the BEST...

 

Jimmy McLarnin was a great fighter in a tough era, he was managed well but in deep

 

But some opponents were giving away weight .`

 

A better subject would be, who was the best boxer of the three, Sammy Mandell, Jimmy McLarnin or Tony Canzoneri, P4P?

 

It's got to be Canzoneri. He was tiny. But Mandell, that jab...

 

Mandell arguably could have been rated the P4P #1 for several years after Leonard's retirement. A meeting between the two in 1924 or 1925 would have been very intriguing. Mandell beat Canzoneri 1 year after left shoulder injury which affected his jabbing ability in a bad way, he lost the snap in his punches (not that he was a hard hitter before, but there was still a difference).

 

Plus that win over McLarnin is a no excuses, great win. Everyone was ready to crown McLarnin (or at least that's what I remember) after his electric destruction of Sid Terris and Mandell just beat him. No broken jaw, not a controversial decision, just beat a prime Jimmy.

 

I recall McLarnin being accused by some writers of feasting on smaller fighters. So he'd be #3 of the three named fighters.

 

Is there anybody above ground who could offer a definite opinion on that?

 

Benny Leonard, one day before Mandell-Canzoneri bout (August 2, 1929):
"I believe Mandell is the very best boxer in the world today. That's a pretty broad statement but if there is anybody who knows more about the art of hit and get away, who can defend himself so ably while tantalizing an opponent, I have not seen him."