Top 35 All Time reveal - Boxing Survey Series

I didn't take part because I somehow missed that this poll was going on. Us old guys sometimes miss things around us. I think it was a great idea and job by Rummy and a fine list overall.

As an outsider, I have a couple of nitpicks. Tyson in the top 30 of all fighters I find weird and unjustifiable. I don't have a big problem with Hearns making the top 30, but I do have a problem with rating him over Hagler. Hearns fought in weight classes both below and above Hagler, but lost badly to Hagler at middle. It appears to me a fighter was penalized if his weight remained stable and so dominated one division rather than moving through several and being less dominating.

Who should have made this top 30 and didn't. My top candidate would be Fighting Harada, a double champion who was almost a triple champion and handed Eder Jofre his only two career defeats. He should replace Tyson.

I was interested in who had multiple victories over the top 30 guys.

two men beaten:
Oscar De La Hoya--Whitaker and Chavez
Marvin Hagler--Duran and Hearns
Jack Johnson--Langford and Fitzsimmons
Harry Greb--Tunney and Walker
Ezzard Charles--Louis and Moore

Three men beaten:
Sugar Ray Leonard--Duran, Hearns, Hagler
Jimmy McLarnin--Benny Leonard, Ross, Canzoneri
Rocky Marciano--Louis, Charles, Moore

Did I miss someone?

Top ten only.

Two wins:
Jack Johnson
Rocky Marciano

All but Johnson and Charles of the men who beat two of the top 30 also lost to someone in the top 30.

Of the men who beat three of the top 30, Leonard lost to Duran and had a draw with Hearns. McLarnin lost twice to Ross and once to Canzoneri.

Marciano is unique in going 4-0 against the #5, #10, & #13 men and knocking them all out without losing to anyone. Looking at it this way does make a case that he perhaps should have been in the top 30 despite a short career.

 

Won't hurt Roy's in the long run either.

I think his stock will rise with time.

(after he retires. )

 

He was.

(in my list. )

 

I’m ok with Robinson at 1, I just feel like Greb and Langford got a bit hard done by with the lack of 1st place votes for them.

Cheers @Rumsfeld & all the participating posters. It’s been a blast

 

Great post, hard to disagree with any of them nit picks.

 

ATG list is pretty good! Probably the best one, all in all?
Appreciate Rummy organizing everything, and all of us who contributed, for better or worse! Really glad to be part of it.
Recently I've been making a top 100 football/soccer player list with just one good friend, and it's been a bloody nightmare! So I was really happy to be part of this major project.
Good job, I think. Thanks again for letting me join. Take care, all!

 

@Rumsfeld, did you mention earlier that you were going to repost everybody's lists ?
(All who participated , that is.)

 

Is this the name and shame part of the survey?

 

No.

Are you telling us that some participants should be ashamed of their lists ?

 

No, it was a tongue in cheek question.

 

Huge thank you to Rummy for all his time and effort in making this happen!

 

So was the response.

 

Only watched the top 25 P4P, but someone didn't rank Joe Louis at HW, Ezzard Charles at LHW and Roberto Duran P4P?

C'mon own up, who did the dirty?

Shocked Greb or Langford didn't get number 1.

Great stuff btw @Rumsfeld, I'll definitely be watching more of your videos.

 

I'm not surprised Greb or Langford didn't make no. 1. It's only a relatively recent supposition that they are greater than Robinson and "mainstream" boxing publications have been pronouncing Robinson as unequivocally no. 1 for 60 years so it is hard to break free from that thinking.

The idea of Robinson as the greatest of all time isn't going to change overnight and in Greb's case in particular, rightly or wrongly, it is hard for people to rate him at no. 1 and yet never have seen him fight. That almost certainly hampers him in these lists.

 

There is not exactly a lot of footage of Langford either.


As you suggest, Robinson (rightly) is not going down anytime soon. He is just about in the era of acceptable quality film, and he did look rather good on it, even when he got a bit older. Add that to his paper stats and that is why he has been at the top for last, certainly, fifty years...


I think maybe a Mayweather Jr might in my lifetime (i am 46) get into the debate over the #1 spot, but I too am sure that no one older than Robinson will ever gain a consensus to top him among those who know the sport.