Acheiving greatness without a title

Peter Jackson achieved legenday status without wining a title.

Up to the 30s he was regarded as being in the same class as Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries, Johnson, and Dempsey.

If you had asked sombody on the general forum in 1930 to name the cleverest heavyweight of all time a lot would have said Jackson.

 

Well Jackson beat , George,[the original]Godfrey
McCauliffe
Cardiff
Slavin
Maher
And drew with Corbett,was he great? His best performance was his 61 round draw with Corbett,it wasnt his fault that Sullivan avoided him ,but we have to take a bit on trust,Jackson would have beaten a fading ,debauched John l ,as Corbett did,but would he have bested the younger roaring two fisted Sullivan?,Jackson aside from Corbett who assidously avoided a rematch,was the best fighter around during his prime years,but the men he beat werent great tough yes but really stellar,no,so is Jackson really a great fighter?His draw with Gentleman Jim sways it I suppose,but not a shoo in,imo.

 

The ones on there now would probably say "oh Peter Hurricane Jackson,the guy who fought Patterson"

 

I doubt if he´s that well-known there...

 

My post was more about the esteem Jackson was held in at the time than his actual ranking.

Slavin, Corbett and Fitzsimmons all rated him the greatest heavyweight of all time.

As for your dismisal of his record I think you have to take a close look. Like with Sullivan there is little data surviving about his best oponents so only a fanatical scholar of the period can fully judge them.

Taking the names you listed,

Slavin was a wrecking machine. He destroyed Jake Kilrain not long after Sullivan's epic 70+ round battle with him. If Peter Jackson had not been around we might be talking about Slavin as the best fighter never to fight for the title.

Take a less well known name on Jacksons resume in Captain James Dalton. He was regarded as one of the most dangerous fighters of the time but has virtualy no surviving record. How do you rate him?

 

I didnt mean to dismiss Jackson ,J he should have got a title shot and would probably have won one but we do have to take a bit on trust Slavin hated Jackson and their fight was a very bitter one ,I read that just before he wrecked Slavin ,Jackson asked him to quit,Jackson was a gentleman by all accounts ,he gave Slavin a hell of a beating,I beleive they were fairly friendly as they agedSlavin is said to have a grudging respect for Jackson that shone through his racist bigotry,Jackson may have been better than Corbett ,but its all supposition isnt it? Actually speaking of Kilrain ,I read that Muldoon got Sullivan back into the shape he had been as a young terror and Jake was never the same after Sully got through with him.