Which names belong in the all time top ten list at Featherweight? In your opinion? Some names for consideration: Attell Chocolate Pep Saddler Saldivar Sanchez Pedroza Arguello Driscoll Battalino Miiller Pacquiao Barrera Kilbane Canzoneri
In random order: Pep, Saddler, Armstrong, Attell, Driscoll, Pac, Chava, Saldivar, Dixon, Arguello. Stacked division because there are so many greats like Kid Chocolate, Jofre, Kilbane, Pedroza, Nelson, Dundee, McGovern, MAB, EM.
I think Vasyl Lomachenko will rate in time. He's the most skilled guy I have seen in terms of offense and defense in years.
I didn't include Armstrong because he didn't do much at the weight Sarron was in decline. Jofre was at his best at Bantam where he is my number 1.
Yeah, your point is just as valid.:good ps Tracey Callis has Armstrong as the number one featherweight!:think
The classicists like to say, head-to-head, there was no better fighter than a featherweight Hank Armstrong.
In modern times I cannot envision any featherweight holding off the rampaging Henry Armstrong...He was a human battering ram overwhelming all the featherweights and lightweights of his time. So great was Hank that one year he won 27 bouts in a row, losing none. So he had to tackle lightweights and welterweights with great results...I saw Willie Pep and sandy saddler in their primes and Armstrong beats both of them...Pep a magnificent boxer, did not hit hard enough to halt Henry and Saddler got hit too much and would be battered. Armstrong was a force of nature as was the larger Harry Greb who escaped the punishment Henry received by tremendous foot speed...In previous times I think that Johnny Dundee a rugged speedy bouncing ball would have good chance against Armstrong H2H...Styles make fights...
He did a whole lot before meeting Sarron, though. Beating Belloise, Casanova, Woldgast, Chavez, Abad, going 2-2 with Arizmendi before essentially unifying the featherweight tile with Sarron is a very very solid body of work.
Very interesting post Burt! None of the rest of us saw Pep at his best so your view holds a lot of water about him not being able to hold off hammering hank. Boxing wise if anyone could have beat Henry at feather with skill it would have been Willy but as you said he didn't hit very hard.
