Chronology Of The 90's Pound For Pound Number One Race

Can't see the video. Looks like the link is broken.

 

If there was a pound for pound no. 1 lineage of the 90s it would go something like:
Jan-Feb 1990: Mike Tyson
March 1990 - October 1993: Julio Cesar Chavez
October 1993 - November 1994: Pernell Whitaker
November 1994 - rest of the 90s: Roy Jones

I think the period between Jones's win over Toney in November 94 and Jones's destructions of Montell Griffin in 97 and Virgil Hill in 98 is debatable as to who was a clear number one but Whitaker was starting to slip from late 95/early 96 onwards and with him losing to Oscar in 97 that put a definitive end to his claim I think.

But I don't see a very strong case for DLH being no. 1 in 1997 either. Jones's win over a top 3 p4p undefeated James Toney back in 94 still gave him the edge over Oscar in my view but maybe Jones' DQ loss to Griffin (a temporary black mark on his rep) hurt him? But Oscar struggled to beat Whitaker, too, good win though it was.

The Ring ranking DLH at no. 1 in 1998 though is just plain wrong. Jones KOed Griffin late in 97 and beat Hill a few months later in 98 to cement his place. By that point Jones was every inch the best fighter in the game. Oscar fought twice in 98, his best win against an even more faded Chavez than the one he beat in 96. Hardly p4p no. 1 material.

 

Yeah, De La Hoya was never the best boxer in the world. He was probably never in the top 2-3 for me.

 

I can see it now - thanks!

 

I'm looking at this from the time rather than from hindsight. Chavez was recognised by almost everyone as the no. 1 fighter in the game between early 1990 and 1993. Until they met, Whitaker was clearly number 2 during the same period but they had to fight for him to establish his supremacy, even if Chavez was slowing down a bit during the same period.

As for Jones and De La Hoya, between 1995 and 1996, Jones was the best fighter in the sport - it was pretty obvious, regardless of opposition. But I'd say Whitaker was arguably still clinging on to his p4p top spot based on picking up the junior middleweight title.

De La Hoya was emerging as a top fighter during the same period but I don't think there was any point between 1995 and 1998 where he could plausibly be considered better than Jones, even when Jones was DQ'ed and DLH beat Whitaker.

Even at the time it seemed clear who the best fighter was so I don't think this is revisionist thinking at all.