My list of the greatest classic fighters

So this is just a list who I think are the greatest boxers. There isn't much in the way of tape around, but from historical records we really get an idea for how great they were.
I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Greatest defensive fighter: Melankomas
He would totally avoid the punches of the other boxer without throwing any himself (eat your heart out Willie Pep!)
He never lost a match, and not one punch was ever landed on him. However I suspect some of his wins were due to corruption as the emperor Titus was his lover

Greatest Legacy: Diagoras of Rhodes
Not only was this great a multi-time champion, but his sons also went on to become boxing greats. He was so revered he even has an airport named after him.

Badest man on the planet: Theagenes of Thasos
Not only does this boxing great hold the record for fighting victories. He was so dangerous, even his statue got in on the action. It was put on trial for crushing a man to death who was trying to deface it. Think about that, his fricking statue was banished for murder. That's pretty bad ass

Biggest puncher: Glaucus of Carystus
Long before Deontay Widler came Glaucus of Carystus. A man with few skills but hands capable of hammering rivets. He was the one punch man of ancient times.

Youngest ever champion: Pythagoras of Samos
Whilst still a boy in 588BC he entered the men's tournament and became the champion of the 48th Olympiad!

Most controversial fighter: Damarchus
Olympic champion who allegedly transformed into a wolf and back again into a man. PEDs were suspected to be involved. Oh, he also ate a young boy. So there was that...


Special shout out to Onomastus of Smyrna.
The first ever Olympic Boxing Champion (@23rd Olympiad). He also wrote the rules to boxing. Up yours Queensbury


Which brings us finally to ...

The GOAT: Apollo
He's a literal god


Who you got?

 

Fun fact: Pythagoras the boxer was the original Kid Dynamite winning the title in 588BC
18 years later, Pythagoras the philosopher was born in 570BC

This might have been a Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury naming situation!

Maybe Pythagoras the philosopher missed his true calling...

 

Yeah I realize not everyone is a fan of relying on News Paper Results and what contempories write, but I have the historical receipts if you want:

http://www.attalus.org/translate/eusebius2.html

This was compiled by the historian, Eusebius of Caesarea.
This guy was also a Christian Bishop who was later a Saint of the Egyptian Coptic Church.

So I'm sure a Saint is a reliable source.
Think Matt McGrain ( @McGrain ) but better.

After all if you can't trust the church, who can you trust?

But hey, you are free to bash the bishop if you want.
I'm just not sure you'll get the kind of happy ending that you're striving for.
More likely, any outcome will leave you with feelings of remorse and shame once the initial euphoria and satisfaction wares off.

But yeah, I do recognize with threads like this and talking about the GOAT there is a fine line between accurate historical discussion and everything becoming masterbatory

 

Whilst I am a fan of the comic-book medium, I want to be very gentle as I explain this:

Mike Tyson is a real person. He is the man on the left. He was then made into a cartoon character. That is the cartoon Mike Tyson on the right. Unfortunately cartoon characters cannot become real people. It's kind of a one way thing.

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I realise this can be a lot to process. But I am happy to help you through this painful journey. Feel free to DM me if you just need to talk through your thoughts. We are here for you brother