Ten greatest super middleweights of all time

Jones
Calzaghe
Ward
Canelo
Toney
Froch
Collins
Benn
Eubank
Kessler

 

Jones
Calzaghe
Ward
Ottke
Toney
Froch
Kessler
Collins
Bute
Benn


Honorable mention and will likely make the list when his career is over, David Benavidez.

 

Michael Nunn doesn't make the cut? Hmmm

 

He was the lineal champion in his reign at 168 with 4 title defenses. I'd say he did pretty well at 168, and some would consider him top 10 at that weight.

 

Good point. From a talent perspective if should be in there but I just don't know where. At 168, he lost to Little and Liles. His best win there was against Sosa or Scully. Too me, he simply didn't have the wins at 168 to bump any of the guys that I listed off.

 

I think most top three's would include Jones, Calzaghe and Ward which is a pretty strong top three all time but it really starts to fall off after that. I think Toney is as talented as those top three guys but he just didn't have the longevity or the big wins there like the top three did. Sven Ottke will forever be on the outside looking in. He had 20 defenses and was extremely talented but his style didn't connect with anyone outside of Germany and throw in some controversial decisions on top of that.

The back end of the top ten are all solid guys but not what I would call ATG's.

 

Maybe a little bit. He has solid wins over Saunders and Plant. I don't feel like beating a 40 year old GGG at 168 does much for him. An argument can definitely be made to include him in the back end of the top ten but his legacy will be hurt if he doesn't fight Benavidez in the same way that Calzaghe and Ottke's are hurt for not fighting each other. I like Canelo and think 168 is his best weight to finish his career. A win over Benavidez would definitely add him to my top ten but he has a way to go to pass my top five. Ottke and Calzaghe had 20 defences and Ward/Jones cleaned out their divisions.

 

Calzaghe is one of the best examples I can think of, since I started watching the sport anyway, of a smoke and mirrors fighter that people will swear up and down is great.

He was world class, sure. But his record is undeniably padded, he shouldn't have an undefeated record, he fought at home almost his entire career... I mean, just watch a few minutes of him on tape.

 

Dis but with Andre Ward

 

Ward isn't that great either... but that has nothing to do with Calzaghe's record, which is far more padded then Ward's even.

What killers did Calzaghe ever face in their prime? When did he ever step up and challenge himself in a nearly 50 fight career?

Guy was getting blasted and knocked down early by the 40+ year old corpses of fighters that's best days were a decade behind them. Imagine prime Roy or Hopkin's against Calzaghe? It would have been a routine title defense for them.

 

Honorable mentions: David Benavidez,Lucian Bute,Michael Nunn,Chong Pal Park,Frankie Liles,Sugar Boy Malinga,Sven Ottke,George Groves.