Greatest Contenders - Lightweights

@BitPlayerVesti , I just don't know how many different ways I can say the same thing. Britt did not win the official lightweight championship, therefore, he was never the lightweight champ. You're going by what some writer - who was likely unclear on the status of a DQ - wrote some 117 years ago. And it was his opinion that he was writing about. In his opinion Gans was through and would never again make the weight. Yet, Gans did make the weight many times and went on to defend his title at that weight for another 6 title defenses, one of them in a rematch with Britt, whom he outclassed, and another of them over 42 rounds with Battling Nelson. Now what does that do to that man's opinion? Really makes him look like an idiot, doesn't it? Wasn't the first time a writer was harkening a fighter was done and certainly wouldn't be the last. I've done that myself only to end up with egg on my face. Gans clearly just had a bad night and if Britt could've kept the head, he would have been champ.

 

Ron, Davey Day is an outstanding pick. Consider him on the list.

 

Oh, I'm quite versed on their feelings of a DQ. It's the legal lines - as they were - that gets blurred back in those days. When Ketchel lost his life and the middleweight title, quite a number of his contemporaries came out of the woodwork claiming the title. When Jeffries retired, Bob Fitzsimmons actually said the title reverted to him. A stand has to be taken. But the best evidence I found on the claims for the lightweight title was from a quote from Battling Nelson after his 1905 KO of Britt.

"I was the champion! For winning this great battle, as well as the White lightweight championship of the world, I received the tidy sum of $18,841."

That says it all and boxrec was absolutely correct in their research. That was the only claim he had to a championship of any kind.

 

Fair enough. Bit, thanks for your input on the subject.

 

Again, I took the liberty of adding in a few more, but I had to stop as I felt I would just keep going. This division was just so damn deep. Anyways, here we are, the greatest lightweight contenders who never won the title, as deemed by the Classic Boxing Forum (always open for additions).

-Young Griffo
-George 'Elbows' McFadden
-Jimmy Britt
-Jack Blackburn
-Packey McFarland
-Dave Holly
-Harlem Tommy Murphy
-Mexican Joe Rivers
-Lockport Jimmy Duffy
-Leach Cross
-Ever Hammer
-Lew Tendler
-Charley White
-Sid Terris
-Joe Mandot
-Benny Valger
-Joe Shugrue
-Richie Mitchell
-Billy Petrolle
-Jack (Kid) Berg
-Kid Chocolate
-Wes Ramey
-Pedro Montanez
-Davey Day
-Willie Joyce
-Freddie Dawson
-Art Aragon
-Enrique Bolanos
-Georgie Araujo
-Orlando Zulueta
-Kenny Lane
-Duilio Loi
-Paolo Rosi
-Len Matthews
-Carlos 'Morocho' Hernandez
-Dave Charnley
-Doug Vaillant
-Flash Elorde
-Sugar Ramos
-Nicolino Loche
-Ruben Navarro
-Ray Lampkin
-Cornelius Boza Edwards
-Aaron Pryor
-Carlos 'Famoso' Hernandez
-Angel Manfredy
-Yuri Gamboa
-Joan Guzman
-Sharmba Mitchell
-Zahir Raheem

Next up: junior welterweights

 

Just added. Great pick, George. Ramos was bursting at the seams as a featherweight. The Moore fight may have been one of his last great performances at 126. 135 seemed to be where he was headed for awhile. Regarding his great fights at 135, let's not forget he had Carlos Ortiz down in their first fight as well. Again, excellent choice.