Top 10 Lightweights of All Time

Another thing I noticed, you previously listed Liston #3 in a list of all-time great heavyweights. That is quite simply ridiculous. That really does show me how highly you take into account skill level and H2H, which is way over the top. IMO, his H2H ability doesn't make up for his lack of longevity anyway. He won the title against Patterson, then successfully defended it against him. Next fight he losses it against Ali, who came into the fight as a massive underdog. And the rematch could well have been the making of his greatness. He went out on his ass in the first round. Liston was at the peak of his powers when he destroyed Patterson twice. And suddenly some see him as past his prime when Ali beats him twice? Funny, huh.

Skill level gets taken into account here, no question. You can have all the skill in the world, but you need to do something with it to prove greatness. Being great for a very brief period of time isn't enough.

 

Ive retired from lists on the count of ESB's insight's are of so many aspects that any list can be wrong! (kiddin)

I believe the last 135 list i did was something like:

Duran
Leonard
Gans
Whittaker
Ortiz
Williams
Ambers
Buchanan
Jack
Armstrong

Mosley used to be in it somewhere im sure, but i dont want to irritate ESB so went for Armstrong and Jack type picks!

 

Man i luv your posts!

 

I have to agree with McGrain here Robbi, the majority of Liston's best work was done pre-title shot, when he was truly at his peak, and he was able to go on to further success even after the Ali fights. Not sure about #3 all time, but I rank him pretty highly.

 

BAsed on ability at the weight, achievements at the weight and below and above the weight. Also 130lbers careers are included as LWs as they would have been in the past.

1. Roberto Duran
2. Pernell Whitaker
3. Floyd Mayweather
4. Henry Armstrong
5. Benny Leonard
6. Carlos Ortiz
7. Chavez
8. Dejesus
9. Buchanon
10. Laguna
11. Ike Williams
12. Mosley
13. Delahoya
14. Barney Ross
15. Loche
16. Joe Gans
17. Alexis Arguello
18. Castillo
19. Canzoneri
20. Ambers

 

With Blackburn, are we taking into account his entire career, as he was generally a LW fighting bigger men, or just his fights with opponents at LW? He gets often overlooked, mainly because of the lack of substantial coverage of his career.

 

Because PowerPuncher doesn't have the faintest idea what he's talking about, once again. His entire list was horrible and unjustifiable, not just his ranking of Gans. He's entering that Senya13/Redrooster category.

 

I used to have him at 3 myself but hes dropped quite a few places since then and my list changes every now and again.

Speaking of him getting another shot in another age. Imagine if he got a shot at Frazier after Frazier beat Ali (obviously Sonny had passed on by then) and was somehow able to 'Foreman' Frazier :nut

 

In your excitment you forgott to put Joe Gans in the top 5.