Which fighters have been considered the best (or amongst the very best) P4P fighters in the sport over the longest consecutive period of time? And while we're on it, which have been considered the best with the biggest gaps in between said status?
Ali- 15 years maybe, Louis, 14 perhaps, Leonard 12(with various gaps). Roy jones from 1993 until he lost to Tarver. Hopkins wasn't considered till the late 90s at least so it's not him. Sorry about that. :good
Duran 1972-1980 I'm looking at this in hindsight. What the general consensus was at the time I don't know.
Well Buchanan was way up at the top of the pfp lists of the era and massively rated by the writers of the time, so Duran was then in this position also.
I'd say this was a rough guide (Top 2/3): 1970-1974 Napoles (and Buchanan, until 1972) 1974-1976 Monzon (and Ali) 1976-1980 Duran (and Monzon until 1977, Zarate in 1977-78, Gomez 1978-81)
But from that era if was definitely Napoles who was affixed with the 'pound for pound' description the most, same for Jofre in the sixties.
So we'll agree, Duran 72 -80 best or amongst the best I think that Napoles had reached his peak and was onthe other side by 72
Oh yeah. Duran's win put him right up there, but I think many felt that Buchanan could (and would) win the rematch, which says a lot about how highly rated Ken was at the time, as Duran mashed him really.
Ken was rated really highly rated because he proved himself in NY where it counted at the time , they loved him. I remember reading about when he fought Welterweight Donato Paduano at the garden. Hugh McIlvanny said said that Paduano wore the expression of a man who'd just smoked an exploding cigar due to the boxing lesson Buchanan gave him.
If I remember right the p4p thing was invented to compare Robinson to the hws of his time, so not Langford. But we could do a bit hindsight: early 00s: Fitzsimmons, Choinsky, Burns?, Walcott late 00s: Johnson, Langford, Ketchel early 10s: Johnson, Langford late 10s: Langford, Wilde early 20s: Dempsey, Greb, Leonard late 20s: Walker, McLarnin, Tunney early 30s: McLarnin, Ross, Canzoneri, Laughran, Walker late 30s: Ross, Canzoneri, Armstrong I´m sure I forgot some but those are they guys immediatly came to my mind.