Eddie Futch's Top 4 Middleweights.

Cerdan always puts me in a quandary,what to make of him?
Jack Sharkey raved about him,he was certainly an action fighter with a punch but his list of top scalps is very sparse.
Zale was right at the end of his career.
After a 4 year hiatus during the war Abrams never retained his previous form.
Holman Williams excellent fighter ,but reports state he had a leg injury in their fight.
Harold Green was really a welter/light middle.
Cerdan has impressive stats but a lot of those wins were over filler imo.
Do those 3 wins mentioned entitle Cerdan to a top 4 spot? Not for me nor a top 10 one tbh.
I can't pretend I know a tenth about boxing that Eddie Futch did, but there are so many fine middles Marcel some how didn't face. I'd need to see in what context Futch volunteered those names .
There are stories he wanted no part of Burley or Lytell, how true they are I don't know.
Let's look at his Euro record for a moment. who is his best win?Dellanoit? They split a pair Cerdan never fought Villemain ,and Dauthille was just coming up when Cerdan was ranked.
I saw a reference to Mickey Duff and who he rated at160 pounds ,I know he thought both Monzon and Hagler would beat Robinson never seen him rank RandyTurpin so highly.

 

A very worthwhile thread to bump!
As to Cerdan , judging solely off his record, I don't think he was as good as Thil.
Champions only, in no order.
Greb
Monzon
Hagler
Robinson
Ketchel
Walker
Steele
Tiger
Lamotta
Jones Jnr
Something like that.
No, I didn't forget Hopkins.

 

Cerdan is deeply overrated and I'm baffled as to why. I presume it's simply because he was in Raging Bull.

 

I agree, but I don't think it's from Raging Bull. I didn't even pick him up the first time I saw that movie (before I knew anything about Jake) and I don't remember the movie even doing him any justice. So I assume it's just his long good looking winning streaks. Put some wins over an aging Holman Williams, a few contenders like Abrams and Raadik and him dethrowing the popular Zale, and it was done.

 

I assume his death at a young age and him being French play a part in his popularity too. Boxing fans like to put non-American fighters in their top 10s to make them feel more exotic imo (I know this because I do it myself).

 

The romance with Piaf, his own likeable character,an all action style,his untimely death?

 

No, it was because he was a destructive devastating fighter, who was making noise all through Europe and American Troops & Boxing tournaments, Boxing Writers, Boxing Personnel and even Nat Fleischer (and many others), as early as 1939... Cerdan was the real deal!

 

I was referring to him being overrated currently in the present day, Futch aside.

 

Whilst part of me thinks "Who am I to question Eddie Futch?", another part of me thinks "whatever crtieria he used, it can't be primarily based on record in fights contested at MW for Cerdan to be anywhere near the top 10, let alone top 4".

 

1/ Carlos Monzon
2/ Marvin Hagler
3/ Sugar Ray Robinson
4/ Harry Greb

I rate Robinson over Marvin and Carlos in a pound for pound sense but just below them on a purely middleweight level.

 

Those are my 4 too,I don't think it matters what order they are in.

 

My problem with Cerdan is where are the names on his record?
Zale 35. Having his last fight.
Abrams.Would win 1 of his next 6.
Green . A good fighter but not special
Walczack . A Welterweight.
Williams .On the way out ,would win 5 of his next 14.
Raadik.No names on his sheet.
Roach .Ditto
No ,Burley,Belloise,Wade ,Edgar,Baroudi,Hostak,Lytell.

Delanoitt . Excellent win ,but the Belgian won their first fight.