TOP 10 Welterweights of all time

Luis Rodriguez should be above Emile Griffith. I wait for someone that has actually seen their fights and isn't just going off boxrec to argue to the contrary.

 

Rodriguez has a extremely impressive non-title record...should check it out, even if you dont take into account he should have been given the series over Griffith, his other work is pretty impressive I reckon.

 

At welterweight? If you take away the Rodriguez wins (which I am) then Emile Griffith's resume is not all that special imo. A wide variety of good fighters there still, but no one worth elevating him above Rodriguez if you give him the Griffith wins (which I am).

I should admit though, I've only seen the second and third Rodriguez fights, both of which I thought Rodriguez dominated, and I'm trusting RagingB(_)ll's opinion that Rodriguez actually got the better of the first and fourth contests too (fights he has actually seen). Knowing Griffith got a lot of decisions go his way throughout his career which could easily have gone the other way I see no reason to doubt it, really.

I'd be surprised if Rodriguez lost to Griffith given the manner in which he dealt with him in the second and third fights. I COULD be wrong of course, and I hope to one day see the first and fourth contests between the pair, but I'm trusting my instinct here. From what I've seen on film, I definitely think Rodriguez is the more talented welterweight.

 

The Welterweight division is a great and historic division and and one of my all time favorites. My ranking are as follows:

1. The original and real Sugar Ray Robinson
2. The other Sugar Ray, Ray Charles Leonard(I never liked him as a man but what a fighter. He must have had a computer for a fighting brain. When the term Rin Generalship is used I think of Sugar Ray Leonard).
3 Thomas Hearns(Everyone talks about his devastating punching power and right hand at Welterwight especially. I remember Ali talking about Hearns in 1979 saying "Hearns was just awesome". He really was but we must never forget that he was a master boxer. Hearns could have beaten the guys I have ranked above and probably lost to some of those I have ranked him above.
5. Charley Burley.
6.Kid Gavilan
7. Felix Tito Trinidad who never lost at Welterweight. Those who thought Oscar won must have been watching a different fight
8. Pernell Whittaker who was clearly pound for pound the best boxer in the world during his peak. He is an all time great and vies for the top spot with Roberto Duran as the greatest Lightweight the world has ever seen.
9. The great Henry Armstrong himself .
10. Emile Griffiths


Please note I have decided not to rank Duran as his tenor at this division though historic was brief though in my opinion he is the 3rd greatest fighter pound for pound of all time and number 1 at Lightweight above Benny Leonard, Pernell Whittaker,PBF and the great Julio Cesar Chavez. This is my opinion don't mean to offend anyone because invariably great fighters will get left out.

 

Why didnt you give Napoles a start Olu?

 

Well, it either says I don't know how to score, or there's a lot of bull**** involved in boxing. You and everyone else are free to judge that. I simply like it, where possible, for people to view things for themselves, and form their own opinions or when they can't, go off opinions that are reliable.

 

This is the great negative about this type of things hence putting in my apologies first. He beat a lot of good fighters and contenders. He beat Emile Griffiths on points and Curtis Cokes. I just think comparison wise Emile is the greater pound for pound fighter. I do agree that this is contentious but then in such a great division as this it always will be don't you think.

 

That's true for sure, but from my perspective, again that largely comes down to not grasping the "political bull****" more than anything else. I know the basic rules through which to score a fight. Are they open to interpretation? Sure, but they are also open to manipulation, and I believe that happens heaps in the sport, ESPECIALLY when you have people with vested interests.

With me, you're probably going to receive a bit of bias for Whitaker and a few Aussie fighters and that's it. I've got no real vested interest in pushing an agenda. Anyone would be foolish to think that a lot of boxing officials and especially judges, don't.

 

1. Ray Robinson
2. Jose Napoles
3. Ray Leonard
4. Kid Gavilan
5. Luis Manuel Rodriguez
6. Emile Griffith
7. Carmen Basilio
8. Charley Burley
9. Jimmy McLarnin
10. Don Curry

please note i only rank fighters in their best weight thats why fighters like Duran, Whittaker, Ross, Walker and Armstrong are ommited