Much water under the bridge, pick a fighter per division to fight for everything you own. Lets imagine he can and will face the other greatest fighters in history at his weight. He best be well versed against many styles and not already have a conqueror from his best years at your chosen weight. Feel free to explain your picks, or not. To make things simple we will stick with fighters that actually fought in a division, like junior middle and junior welter. This cuts out likely dominators such as SRR, Duran, Hank and co but it far simpler. Disclaimer - we are taking these guys on their absolute best form and absolute best period. All fights will be over 15 rounds. Heavyweight Muhammad Ali I like Ali's chances vs the pack right pre exile more than anyone elses. His bigger dangers include Frazier, whom i think he could overcome at this earlier stage thru more stamina, speed and movement. Holmes will be tough stylistically, but i like early Ali's speed and brilliance to overcome Larry's more orthodox style. Light Heavyweight Michael Spinks Not someone i would have picked 2 years ago but i give him his shot here. Moore vs Charles is too much of a worry for me while Foster is a little less proven than Spinks and is an interesting proposition vs a collection of great robust 175's. Charles is a fine pick but i like Spinks proven rock solid chin and the fact that he's unbeaten at 175 and has some decent names under his belt. To be honest i am most worried about Foster, stylistically. Middleweight Sugar Ray Robinson This is my toughest division and no matter who i pick my confidence level will be low. With fighters like Hagler, Jones, Monzon and Nard Hopkins hanging around what is a man to do. Hopkins will likely lose to at least one of the four, Marvin too and i think a couple are very competitive vs Monzon. I think Jones beats up to 3 but is beaten by Robinson and maybe no-one else. I'm left with a dilemna. Ray wasn't at his screaming best at 160, but i think he has the best chance of winning all fights, but even at his best he too is also at odds. So i'll cut my losses and pray that the best Robinson at 160 can take me home, or at least keep it for me. Junior Middleweight Thomas Hearns I favour Thomas over McCallum, which is the big cruciable when picking here. I think he also takes out Norris, Jackson and beats SRL here as well. I think at 154 given the form he achieved he can reverse the loss. McCallum i think loses to SRL's speed and brilliance here and will have a surprisingly difficult time with Benitez, who Hearn's has proven he can take. Welterweight Sugar Ray Robinson Who else. He's my fave over Leonard, likely beats a dangerous Hearn's via stamina and durability, beats Griffith in a tough fight and slices Napoles in a highly skillful little battle. He's already beaten Gavilan twice, and Kid could possibly beat anyone else in the division at his best. Junior Welterweight Pernell Whitaker Surprised? This is a damn toughie, rivalling the 160 division. Pryor isn't the second coming for me, unlike for most others. I think Chavez takes Pryor every time, but i also think at this weight Whitaker takes him everytime. I can definitely see Whitaker outboxing the brilliant but often reckless Pryor. KT i think is underrated but i don't think he beats the style of Whitaker. Mayweather might be the toughest stylistically but i'll take Whitaker's slightly more proven (so far IMO) powers. Lightweight Roberto Duran Just edges Whitaker for me. He's quite proven here and again we have a scarily deep division that might not be totally defendable by anyone. Big dangers will be Whitaker, Hank, Williams and plenty more. Even the more modern Mosley could be interesting stylistically. A slick boxer could be a worry, but he'd want to be damn great. Junior Lightweight Floyd Mayweather Likely my biggest gamble. Alexis Arguello is the greatest fighter to grace this division but i am leery of the speedy boxers here, Mayweather and Camacho would both have the talent to make me poor tho 15 rounds might be decisive for Alexis. Chavez also is dangerous even to Alexis' great skills. I am going to take PBF and pray like hell he is as good as i think as well as capable of going 15 rounds in the cauldron that Chavez and Arguello will slowly create. Featherweight Henry Armstrong Oh what a hot division, again! Hank, Pep, Saddler, Sanchez, Pedroza, Fenech, Chocolate, Arguello, Miller. I'll take Hank to overwhelm or outwork the lot. Big call, but who else. I don't believe Pep can beat the metronome that is Armstrong. Junior Featherweight Jeff Fenech Uber gamble, but i take Fenech to smother the Gomez firepower and punching room and wear him down. I think both could beat the more modern marvels. Bantamweight Eder Jofre The class of the class, tho i would have loved to take Carlos Zarate. Olivares completes the most dangerous trio for mine. Now Show me the money!
I think i'd have to go RJJ mate. Big fan and at his best i think he beats Kessler and co convincingly.
Let me be honest, i haven't really watched much of Caz tho i have a fight or two hanging around. I believe he is the early solid fave.
Heavyweight Mike Tyson: This was probably my easiest choice. His speed, power, aggression, stamina (yes stamina), durablity and confidence puts him ahead of my runner up, Ali. Biggest dangers, Ali and quite possibly Larry Holmes but more so Ali. Everyone else I cant imagine beating him on his best day. Light Heavyweight Micheal Spinks: This feels like a cop out since I really wanted to pick Ezzard Charles but I dont believe he would have beaten Roy Jones Jr at this weight. The speed would have bothered him. Spinks's awkward and unorthodox style would help him adapt to a wider range of fighters IMO which is why I picked him. Foster would be dangerous and ironically so would Ezzard Charles. Middleweight Roy Jones jr.: There are so many choices for Middleweight but Jones's speed power and athletic ability make it hard not to pick him. SRR, Hagler, Hopkins, Monzon real thick division but Jones at this weight would best them. Junior Middleweight Thomas Hearns: I feel like I'm cheating by picking him but nobody is going to outbox him nor are they going to outbrawl him on his best night. I do feel that a fight with Trinidad would produce scary moments. Welterweight Sugar Ray Robinson: To me I dont think there is really anyone to trouble him at this weight except for SRL who is my runner up. The welterweight division is very deep and is pretty consistent through the years. In spite of that I like my chances with SRR. Junior Welterweight Pernell Whitaker: Not the biggest Sweat Pea fan but to be honest if I picked anyone else in a fantasy tournament. He'd be the one who ends up taking the title from my fighter. He is not an easy fight for anybody. Lightweight Shane Mosely: I can actually see him beating Roberto Duran who is my runner up. Its all about adaptability and I think Shane's style can deal with a broader spectrum of elite opponents.
This should be fun... Heavyweight Muhammad Ali But I'd go with the post-exile Ali, just after his loss to Norton. By the time of the rematch Ali was the strongest, most focused and well rounded he'd ever been. (The downside was that Ali was finding it more and more difficult to motivate himself for those increasingly tough fights.) Cruiserweight Evander Holyfield Holyfield vs. Qawi II. 'nuff said. Light Heavyweight Michael Spinks His strength, speed, power and awkward style would be trouble for anyone. Middleweight Carlos Monzon In an era when true champions considered it a matter of honor to face his toughest opponents two or more times, I'd give Monzon the edge over any middleweight in history in a best two out of three series. Junior Middleweight Emile Griffith Okay, lemme see if this makes any sense... Griffith was arguably the most successful boxer to crossover from welterweight to light middleweight to middleweight, back to welter, back to middle, etc. Average it out and he's potentially the best LMW in history. And his record in rematches was very good, even beyond his peak years. Welterweight Sugar Ray Robinson Ditto. Everything JT said. Junior Welterweight Aaron Pryor Eh, not the most logical choice, I know, but Pryor was brilliant at the top of his game. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that in another era he might have done better, longer, without easy access to his vice of choice. Lightweight Roberto Duran Toughest division in boxing history, with guys who could crossover from featherweight to welterweight. In beating Buchanan he beat the guy who beat the guy who beat the guy, etc., etc. (the lineage from Buchanan, Ismael Laguna, Mando Ramos, Sugar Ramos, Davey Moore, etc.). And Duran proved time after time that at lightweight he could grind anyone down over the course of a fight while he still looked fresh in the remorseless Panama heat and humidity. Junior Lightweight Floyd Mayweather Yeh, gotta go with PBF here. I think Camacho was better, but he wasn't as consistent and I don't like crap shoots. Much as I like Arguello he was too patient for a guy like Mayweather - his only shot would be to KO Floyd and he'd hafta catch him first. Featherweight Salvador Sanchez Okay, once again, this is based on the "guy who beat the guy who beat the guy" logic. Sanchez beat Wilfredo Gomez, who beat Zarate, who beat Zamora, who beat Pedroza, etc. And Sanchez beat Little Red twice. Despite dying young Sanchez was around long enough to prove he could hang with the best of 'em. Junior Featherweight Wilfredo Gomez The guy was a monster. He made it all look too easy. And he had to go up in weight class to find somebody who could beat him. Bantamweight Carlos Zarate I suppose this is a safe choice because I saw his career defining fights on TV. But I'd put money on him. Fighting Harada is a tempting choice because of his two wins over Eder Jofre. Super Flyweight Johnny Tapia Old school scrapper, old school party animal. Hope he straightens out now that he's retired. Flyweight Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson I'm reluctant to even commit to a choice here. There are so many great flyweights and this is a notoriously unstable division, with titles changing hands every five minutes. So I'll take a gamble that when my money is on the table it'll be safe with Too Sharp. Light Flyweight Michael Carbajal To me, Carbajal is the obvious choice. Not only did he have an impressive resume, we got to see him often enough on TV to know that he earned those wins. Gotta stop there. I don't know enough about the straw weight or minimumweight division. :bbb
Heavyweight Lennox Lewis. A big, well-rounded athlete who can bang or box. As long as he isn't caught flush by a Foreman or Tyson power shot, he should be okay. Besides, if everyone picks Ali or Louis this is going to get boring... Light heavyweight Bobby Foster. Again, a big, lanky guy who could box or knock your head clean off. His durability would be tested by a Moore or Spinks, but I'm comfortable with my choice. Middleweight Roy Jones. An unconventional choice maybe, but a dark horse to beat all the greats. His speed and power are a real handful for anyone. Welterweight Tommy Hearns. Do you see a pattern emerging yet? :hey He could outbang a banger and outbox a boxer. A gamble maybe, but I'd like to see if SRR could handle someone like Hearns. Lightweight Pernell Whitaker A rather easy (if boring) choice for me. The only one in my picks that could not really hit, but his power was still respectable and nobody, but nobody, is going to outslick him. Featherweight Erik Morales A banger who could box, or a boxer who could bang? Either way, you cannot deny his class. He was a bit of a beast at featherweight, and my dream matchup is vs. Sandy Saddler. Bantamweight Khaosai Galaxy Not a natural bantam, but he was a terror as a jnr. bantamweight. The "Thai Tyson" would apply enormous pressure on you and knock you out eventually. Flyweight Humberto Gonzales Probably the least secure of my picks, but I liked the way he adjusted his style to beat Carbajal in their rematches. It showed a smart boxing brain and good versatility, and he could bang too. There you have it. Sorry about missing all the interim divisions, but that would take much longer to compile.
Heavyweight: Larry Holmes big, strong, decent power and an amazing jab he would be trouble for any fighter and he matches up well with most all time great would never win any popularity contest but that doesn't matter. He always fought smart and never let emotions take over during a fight plus had a great chin very durable. Cruiserweight: Jersey Joe Walcott always been a big fan he was truly a master boxer but also had very good power especially in the left. Feel if he is young fully motivated (a fans life is at stake) and properly trained could beat Holyfield, Dempsey and Marciano who seemed to be popular picks plus I don't like going with the norm all the time. Light Heavyweight: Ezzard Charles I regarded him as the best 175lbs ever could do it all and proved against many all time greats won the whole trilogy with Archie Moore and beat Burley both time they met as well as some truly gutsy performance later in his career showing the heart he had like his fights with Marciano. And also this way I get to see him fight at his best weight so two birds with one stone. Super Middleweight: Roy Jones Jr felt this was his best weight and he looked on another level to his opponents amazing talented and seemed to be most peoples pick so I know he won't loose to himself. Middleweight: Carlos Monzon although I don't really like the guy for what he did outside the ring he seemed almost impossible to beat good boxer, solid power was very strong always in good condition and was huge at 160lbs. Also show great consistency in the ring which was a big factor. Junior Middleweight: Charley Burley he fought most of his middleweight career weighting around 154lbs and he was extremely well rounded great boxer, great power had good speed could fight going back or forward and I would just promise him a title fight if he saved my life which is garneted to sweeten the deal. Welterweight: Sugar Ray Robinson possibly the greatest p4p fighter of all time at this weight almost universally regarded as the best welterweight easy decision. Junior Welterweight: Nicolino Locche he lived by the principle of hit without getting hit I was going to choose Benitez but the remembered sometimes he barely trained. Locche had amazing accuracy and had a solid chin plus showed great consistency some of the opponents might not have been the best but he almost always came out on top even against the top fighters he fought. Lightweight: Roberto Duran I believe his matches up fairly well against the other greats his speed, power, aggression and ability to find a way to win make him an obvious choice for me. Junior Lightweight: Julio Cesar Chavez I would favor him over Arguello and Mayweather who seemed to be the most common choices. At this weight he had a great chin, cardio and he hit crazy hard. Featherweight: Henry Armstrong I just feel he matches up well against most of the other greats like Pep and Chocolate. I think he would beat the he just applies to much pressure and his punch output is so high. I give him a slight advantage against Saddler as I believe he was just as dirty only hit slightly harder and was physically stronger. Sanchez might be a problem due to his amazing counter punching ability but Armstrong should land enough to get the win. Junior Featherweight: Wilfredo Gomez I just don't feel there is anyone better then him at this weight I'm confident he would save my life. Bantamweight: Ruben Oliveras if hr fought like he did when he won the title I'm sure I'd be safe however this is a gamble as he was somewhat inconsistent but I'm sure he'd come through.
Heavyweight: Ali. His greatness is proven, and if there's a style that is wrong for him, he's the most likely to find a way. Plus he's the antidote to the guy most likely to beat the man who would nail a lot of other picks, Sonny Liston. Light-Heavyweight: Sam Langford. Langford has the KO power to knock out a lot of guys and great skills/ring genership if he needs to dodge a puncher (Foster for example - though Langford is just as likely to break him in half at the body). As an aside, my second choice would be Lloyd Marshall. The other great fighters of this division would just be beating each other, nobody else is head and shoulders above for me...Lloyd might be better than he appeared on account of his "business" arrangments. Middleweight: Sugar Ray Robinson. I'm happy that SRR could have beaten any middle ever on the night of the Saint Valentines Day massacre. This is my easiest pick. Welterweight: Charley Burley. He's punching hard, hard, hard at the weight, is a master boxer with a varied attack and all the punches. He is not going to get stopped and rational or not, I pick him to beat any welterweight ever with a title up for grabs. And I guess that's what it's all about here. Lightweight: Henry Armstrong. I know he didn't do his best work at this weight, but I think the guy who came to the welterweight title would be murder for any lightweight, ever. Featherweight: Tougher...i'll pick Sandy Saddler. He's got the wins over Pep and at his absolute best he'd be a handful for anyone. Picking the other guy is tough because Saddler got the best of him. Banamweight: Tony Canzoneri I guess. I don't know a great deal about this division to be honest. Flyweight: Jimmy Wilde. Why not? IF he should find himself totally outboxed by a pure stylist, he can still find a way to win at any point of any round.
Heavyweight-Joe Louis Lightheavyweight-Ezzard Charles Middleweight-Marvin Hagler Jr Middle-Thomas Hearns Welter -Ray Leonard Jr Welter-Aaron Pryor Lightweight-Roberto Duran Jr Lightweight-Arguello Featherweight-Sandy Saddler Jr Feather-Jeff Fenech Bantam-Carlos Zarate Jr bantam-Johnny Tapia Fly-Jimmy Wilde Straw-Ricardo Lopez
