Does any Featherweight rank higher ATG than Willie Pep?

Personally, I happen to think Armstrong may have been the best fighter to ever fight at featherweight, but I can see an argument against ranking him at #1 given that he only spent a year in or around that weight class in his prime.

Either way, I do think Saddler rates over him. In addition to the wins, what exactly would disqualify him from being rated higher?

 

I doubt it.. depending where you look... I have his record at 242 bouts.... 11 loses...
He was pure class and nimbleness.. A 26 year ring career in comparison to Saddlers 12 years... Pep lost, and reagined his Feather title against Saddler, although Saddler did the same in reverse.. via the KO route..

I rate Pep above saddler regardless, due to longevity, and the constant topliners he faught throughout his career.

A career record, such as Peps is not based on journey men, or club fighters.. Its a who's who of F/W boxers from the era... and a class record.

 

It's usually difficult to rate one great fighter over another when one of them demonstrates beyond a question of doubt superiority over the other, especially when the wins are devastating, definitive ones.

I've seen many have a difficult time ranking Frazier above Foreman.

Patterson over Liston as well.

 

I'll take Terry McGovern over Pep any day of the week.

 

If not for Foreman's comeback title win at 123 years of age i'd have no problem rating Frazier above him.

The questions we personally face i guess is exactly how did we see the Pep Saddler series overall, what peak quotient did each fighter take into the battles and just how much better did one or the other do in the division outside their own series.

I remember aaaaaages ago there was fantastic debate on this topic.

 

Coming back from the plane crash and regaining his title from the man who beat him by KO puts him a shade above Saddler in my book

 

I rank Pep as the greatest ever FWT, Saddler was closer to his prime when they met, Pep had already put in a HOF career.

I think Saddler took Pep by suprise when they 1st met, Willie outboxed Sandy the 2nd time, a feat no other would do to a prime Saddler, then Pep was ahead in the next 2 fights before being injured tho Saddler may have caught him anyway, who knows.

Pep deserves to be rated the best ever at 126 aswell as the best ever pure boxer IMO.

:good

 

Who injured him those two times, out of curiosity?

 

Joan Guzman would appear to be a class above anyone else to have existed at featherweight, a shame there were no big fights available for him during his time there.

 

great post.Pep also beat some of the fighters that beat Saddler.

 

Looks like you've come up with some goods on this one. Well done.

 

Sadler was a freak of the division who caught Pep at the right time but the fights that were not roughhouse street fights Pep handled Sadler pretty easily, the others were marred by lacing, thumbing, ball kicking etc....Pep at his best would have trouble with Sadler but Pep was the better featherweight by quite enough IMo

 

Saddler, tho he didnt do it by punching him like in their 1st fight, the fights were something of a farce, full of spoiling fouls, a letdown to the 1st 2 fights were we saw both men at their best - Sandy in fight 1 & Pep in fight 2.

 

I didnt know this, oh well, I thought Pep was the best FWT even before I knew this, thats sealed the deal 110% for me know.