The other day I was thinking about who were the greatest head to head boxers ever in the original weight classes. With lack of proper footage pre the 1930s, what is everyone top 3 best head to head fighters in each category? I know there is footage of Jack Johnson etc but honestly feel its not good enough to judge it by. In a way if you had to show the an entire list of figths to a person who had never watched boxing who would your picks be. I gave it a go and had this, some ive left out as i dont know enough on that weight division- Featherweight 126- 1. H. Armstrong Lightweight 135- 1. R. Duran 2. P. Whitaker 3. Welterweight 147- 1. S.R. Leonard 2. T. Hearns Middleweight 160- 1. M. Hagler 2. C. Monson 3. S.R.Robinson Light-Heavy 175- 1. B. Foster 2. M. Spinks 3. E. Charles Cruiser 200- 1. E. Holyfield 2. R. Marciano 3. J. Louis ( i know they were heavies but rocky was well under 200 and Joe fought around 200 to 207) Heavy- 1. M. Ali 2. L. Lewis 3. M. Tyson Not conclusive but from the top of my head, also dont think there is any footage of Robinson at welter even though he was meant to be great.
Hagler before SRR at MW? Tyson in the top 3 at HW? Not sure I could make a case for Sweet Pea in top 3 light weights either, all these lists are just a matter of opinion anyway you could argue them all day long and still get nowhere nearer knowing the truth.
Not pretending to be a historian of the game by any stretch but why isn't Marciano rated higher in all time heavy lists? Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe, Joe Louis, Archie Moore, he's got some cracking names on his record. Is it me or is he underrated? Never really hear him getting mentioned when people talk of top heavies. :conf
Marciano does get belittled quite a lot and I think there are a few factors involved. Beating up the very popular and also very aged Joe Louis probably didn't help him win fans. Also he was around just before the scene exploded with Liston, Clay, Frazier, Foreman etc. so didn't have the glamour of that era to compete in. I have seen him slated by some of the americans on forums and it often gets brought down to racial lines, that Marciano is over rated by white fans because he is one of the few decent white heavyweights anyone can remember. He had an incredible right hand though and serious power and took some savage punishment in the ring at times which generally makes someone exciting to watch. I think it's pretty widely accepted he would be too small to compete with the HW's of the 70's to the current date but would always have stood more than a punchers chance. Tyson against Marciano would have certainly been a slug fest!
CHARLES was a good scalp. LOUIS, WALCOTT and MOORE were old men. He was unfortunate that there was no one at the top of their game to give him a defining fight. In truth, he was an unremarkable champ in an unremarkable time.
Could you have Hearns ahead of Leonard at 147? I mean.... Leonard lost to Duran, and could possibly lose to other fighters too. Can't say I'd confidently pick anyone over Tommy at 147. Certainly not Duran, there'd be more chance of Tom Dallas beating Klitschko than Duran beating Hearns. Hagler would be top at 160 for sure. Robinson and Monzon behind him. Tyson at #3 at HW is probably a bit high, but you can justify it by saying that without a height and reach advantage or a granite chin you're going over early.
Super Featherweight 130 - 1. Floyd Mayweather 2. Henry Armstrong 3. Alexis Arguello Junior Welterweight 140 - 1. Aaron Pryor 2. Julio Cesar Chavez 3. Floyd Mayweather/Wilfred Benitez (Special mention to Roberto Duran, but as he skipped 140 and went right to WW, I can't include him) Junior Middleweight 154 1. Thomas Hearns 2. Mike Mccallum 3. Terry Norris Super Middleweight 168 1. Roy Jones 2. Joe Calzaghe 3. Andre Ward Feel free to rip those apart
HW - 1) Ali 2) Louis 3) Lewis SMW - 1) Jones 2) Calzaghe 3) Marshall MW - 1) Robinson 2) Monzon 3) Hagler LMW - 1) Burley 2) Hearns 3) Williams WW 1) Robinson 2) Leonard 3) Gavilan Fly 1) Wolgast 2) Ohba 3) Wilde Or some ****
