Malcolm 'Flash' Gordon

In all honesty, I think the regular RING ratings have been pretty terrible for much of their history.

 

Their ratings become much better when Bert Randolph Sugar took over, I think in 1979 or 1980. They set up a ratings committee, with each member getting to vote. The end result was a sensible listing of the top 10, following by all other guys getting votes.

 

Yeah, that was the best ratings they had. But it didn't last long, maybe until '86 or '87.
In 1987 they went back to recognizing only the eight traditional divisions, which was good, but the actually ratings went down-hill again and were probably decided by one or two people.

 

I fondly recall when growing up in NYC,my dad taking his 11 year old son to the fights at MSG.He always purchased Flash"s newsletter outside the arena and would laugh like hell while reading it at home.
I remember Flash as a somewhat disheveled young man and dressed rather modestly and surrounded by a number of people.Dad always bought his newsletter at the fights and would actually look for Flash before entering.Good times!

 

Flash was also an excellent fight reporter and analyst, based on the few ringside reports I saw of his. He had critical insight and original analysis of the action.

 

Yeah, but all-time rankings are a joke anyway. I know we all do them but they are almost meaningless and rather pointless.
People would laugh at Jeffries above Ali simply because the men who remember Jeffries had died out. If people lived to 200, there would be more people laughing at the reverse.

 

I think also:

- Harry Zontal
- Dusty Trunks

 

Exactly the way I remember Flash 'n his accolites, fc. The other character, looking like Ratso Rizzo in a filthy trench coat, was Johnny Bos.

 

Bet we were at the same MSG 'n Felt Forum fights, BD.

 

Yes,there was usually a real piece of trashy looking dude with Flash outside the enterance.This must have been Bos.What great memories and what a shame Flash is no longer relevant today.He would have a field day and be more popular than ever,imo.:good

 

I just checked the ring's rating's for 1976:

1.George Foreman
2.Ken Norton
3.Jimmy Young
4.Duane Bobick
5.Ron Lyle
6.Larry Holmes

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10.Joe Bugner

I think the three guys who are highlighted in pink, were the fighters that King had bribed the Ring to have in the ratings.. None of them deserved to be there, especially with Shavers meandering around.

 

He became pretty huge in his early 1980s heyday. Commercials for "Tonight's Boxing Program" were being broadcast nationally on Steven Bass and Harold Lederman's syndicated "Cavalcade of Boxing" program, with an attractive girl seductively telling the viewer, "All my men read 'Tonight's Boxing Program,' or they wear nothing at all!" Boxing was a major attraction again, revived by Ali's return to the crown, the movie Rocky, and the startling success of the 1976 US Olympic Squad, and those televised commercials for his newsletter reached a wide audience. Boxing is a niche interest today, but very much a mainstream headline sport then.

 

Smith probably deserved a lower top-10 rating, based on his victories over Larry Middleton, Henry Clark, and Boudreaux. Ward possibly belonged on the cusp of the top-10 based on his wins over Jeff Merritt and Mac Foster. Boudreaux however was totally overrated, having no noteworthy wins.

Leaving Shavers out of the top-10 was incredibly senseless. Putting Bugner as low as number ten was pretty dumb as well. My guess is that Shavers and Bugner belonged just behind Ken Norton, Jimmy Young, George Foreman, and Ron Lyle. After that, Duane Bobick and Larry Holmes were the most deserving contenders.

 

I was a TBP subscriber in the 1980s, maybe as early as 1979.

It's arrival was the highlight of the week.

The incredible thing was his ability to put together a far-reaching worldwide schedule at a time when there was no internet or easy info access -- he listed club fights in small towns and overseas non-title bouts weeks and months ahead.

His commentary -- and especially his attacks on King and, IIRC, Arum -- were priceless.

Always wondered what happened to him, why publication ceased.