He made 23 successful defences of his title and was the lineal champion of his era and was unified champion before belt politics led to have being stripped. He beat Virgil Hill, Montell Griffin, and Graciano Rocchigiani as well as a number of other Ring-ranked contenders. Where does he stand among the great LHWs?
IMO, he doesn't. He was a very good fighter, but I rank him at least a notch below any of the true greats at that weight. I don't think he has a particularly impressive resume (the division as a whole just wasn't that great), he often went life & death with so-so competition (i.e.: Richard Hall twice), he failed to fight the most distinguished opponents at that weight (Roy & Tarver), & the two best names on his resume (Hill & Rocky) were both aging.
Very good/low tier great he had alot of title defences but not against many notable names and I think RJJ would've toyed with him honestly totally different levels.
no, he was a good boxer with a controlled career. but not great. That's why my countryman likes him and I know his career very well. Great cardio, strong jaw, great straight left. Quite static, slow starter. He fought for the German group Universum, which carefully managed his career, avoiding the most difficult rivals. He suffered his first defeat in 49 with a waltz