Top 50 Lightweights of All-Time.... (help me)

There's Duran and then everyone else.

 

Terrible! Not as Terrible as Terry mind you. Where is ARGUELLO? A potential top 8er.
Crack on THAT, fella!

 

At the very top. But he should be at 135 also. Near the very top (10). It is demeaning & disgraceful to have Mosely and Whitaker and no Arguello

 

Because they proved them selves great in another division as many did. Too ignore this is to deny history.

 

His comp isn't amazing but Whitaker could be noticeably higher.

 

The fact that Duran isnt at no.1 made me not even look at the rest of the list.

 

You're a braver man than me trying to compile these top fifties, @George Crowcroft. I find it hard enough just doing a top ten.

I know you're more interested in the #16 - #50 candidates right now, but just a quick bit about the top fifteen. You've got most of the same names I'd have in there, although in the top ten the only two which really seem a little off to me are Gans, who I think is a few spots too high, and Whitaker who I think is too low. I'd drop Gans to around #6 and move Pernell into the top three, just behind Duran and Benny who I've swapped at the top more times than I could count. But as you've laid out above, we have different criteria. Overall not too much to grumble with.

As for the best of the rest...I tend to think that Wes Ramey is arguably the pick of the bunch purely based on his impressive winning record against Canzoneri, Jenkins, Bass, Jadick etc., but he's obviously held back by never getting a title shot and also his annoying propensity to drop decisions to lesser fighters. But I'd certainly put him in a top twenty and knocking on the door of that elite group.

Also, one name which is absent but who I think deserves major consideration (apologies if I've just missed him) would be Bob Montgomery. Angott had the wood on him, but that aside he generally fought on equal terms with a lot of the other leading 135 pounders of his time such as Jack, Jenkins and Williams.

 

Hi George, not an immediately helpful response but you have checked out McGrain's top 50s, right?

Or are you trying to ignore those to create your own rationale?

 

I like the fact that Duran is at #3, I think that's accurate. My top three looks exactly like this one. I'll have to think on this a bit.

 

I know you're not asking for input at the moment on the top 15 but I like it. I think the top 11 in particular is very good. Personally, I'd have Joe Brown in the top 12 and Sammy Angott a bit lower but they're not offensively placed by any means.

I'm not a fan of including guys in one weight class only - if they were great (or even in the case of a top 50, very good) at the weight, they should be in. On that basis, Arguello, for example, has to be there.

 

I have it Leonard, Duran, and then Gans but yeah, Duran isn't the sure thing at no. 1 that he seems to have become over time. @Rumsfeld's survey showed that it's super close for most people between the top 2 and also the third spot.