Best Result by a young fighter

Benitez beating Cervantes aged 17?

 

But were the scales rigged? Was it Il Duce who posted this unsubstanciated story?

 

:deal

/Thread.

 

Jung Koo Chang losing a disputed SD to Hilario Zapata at 19 was mightily impressive.

 

Surely you must've known the first post would've been the answer, Boiler?

 

I have Jeffries fighting Griffin twice, the first time on the first of December 1896.
Jeffries was then twenty one years old.:huh

 

:deal Nothing tops Benitez's achievement here.

 

Baby Arizmendi beating Fidel LaBarba aged 19 is pretty good too.

 

No, but what Cuevas did four months later to Angel Espada in lifting the WBA WW crown at age 18 deserves honorable mention. By the time he turned 20, he'd made four successful defenses of that title, and had just triumphed in a classic rematch war with Espada. Wilfred remains in the Guinness Book of World Records as youngest world champion, but he didn't beat Pipino there by much.

Duran's defeat of Marcel at 19 also deserves some recognition.

Carpentier swept the European WW, MW, LHW and HW Titles all before he turned 20. While still only 19 years of age, he already had a record of 68-9-5, handed Jeff Smith his first defeat over 20 rounds, and just starched Bombardier Wells in a rematch. People sometimes forget he took a five year hiatus to serve in WW I during what had been shaping up to be a frightening peak.

 

What was so frightening about it? His regional titles came at a time when boxing was in its infancy on the continent and Carpentier had the best trainers in Europe. By the time he went into the military he had lost to every world class fighter he had faced with the exception of Gunboat Smith (which was suspect) and Jeff Smith (who was naturally much smaller in a very close fight). Even Willie Lewis, who was well past his peak and fighting above his best weight and himself never really capable of beating the best beat Carpentier all over the ring (dropping him several times) only to lose a gift decision.

 

Has the Jeffries Griffin fight ever been established? I thought it had never been verified by a first hand account. I dont doubt it happened but the question is when.

 

I just wanted to write "don´t mention Carpentier!" since I knew you would come in and write something like that.

 

This. :deal