I was hoping Mendoza was going to do this,but perhaps he will join in later. Who are your top ten black heavies of the decade 1890 -1900?
Of course Peter Jackson, then probably Frank Childs and Bob Armstrong. Hank Griffin didn't have the strongest record in 1890s but he's also good candidate here.
I don't think that any of them were among the top tier of contenders, with the obvious exception of Jackson, who was outstanding.
Jackson has one outstanding win,over Slavin. Childs trumps him imo Armstrongx 4 ,Klondike x3Baker,Butler,Conroy,Everett , and a draw with Klondike. I can't see Griffin here.
I can't see it myself. Jackson was the outstanding contender for years, and Childs was never really in the very highest echelon. If Childs looks better, it is because he came along a few years later, when record keeping was better.
Outstanding, with one good win in that ten year period? Who did Jackson beat in those ten years ?That's the bottom line for me. Childs was fighting good opposition and beating most of them. I don't give credit for inactivity.
Godfrey, Cardiff, McAuliffe, Jem Smith, Ed Smith were all good contenders when Jackson beat them. The best guys that Childs beat were not all that to be honest. I have seen Armstrong mentioned as a possible title challenger, but he is usually seen as more of a Carlos Takam type.
The problem is Jackson did not beat Godfrey,Cardiff, or McAuliffe in that decade. Ed Smith had beaten just who when Jackson beat him? Jem Smith had beaten nobody and was DSQ'd for wrestling ,Cardiff retired with a damaged arm and all these fights were two years prior to the time scale of the thread. As I said, I'm not giving marks for work done prior, or indeed after that decade.
I'd say that his win over Slavin and draw with Corbett are more impressive than anything Childs accomplished though, so it depends on what you value more.
Even if we completely disregard everything that he did in the previous decade, he established himself as the outstanding contender during the 90s, and that goes well beyond anything that Childs did.
You cannot be the outstanding contender if you only have one outstanding win in ten years thats my position.Jackson was clearly the better fighter but his time was over two years into that decade.
Okay lets look at Slavin as an elite win and see if its justified? Slavin was kod by Armstrong whom Childs beat 4 times out of 4 , 3 times by ko Slavin drew with Baker whom Childs beat by ko Slavin lost to Butler by Ko Childs beat Butler,by ko. So why is Slavin a better fighter than Childs? Childs has wins over Russell x3 Armstrong x4 Baker Butler Klondike Everett Conroy What are Slavin's wins? Kilrain and McAuliffe? Kilrain was 37 for their second fight.he hadn't won a fight for 5 1/2years, had been ko.d in 3 of his last 5 fights would have one more, lose it ,by koand retire. McAuliffe was 36 he would have 6 more fights and win just 1 of them.
Slavin reached a higher career summit than any of these men, who all beat him when he was on the slide. Many people saw Slavin as the outstanding challenger for Sullivan's title, before Jackson beat him. Nobody ever saw Armstrong, Butler, or Childs himself as a very compelling contender for the champions of their primes. Peter Jackson and Denver Ed Marin were avoided as contenders. Armstrong, Butler and Childs didn't get title shots, because the champion's didn't need to fight them.