Greatest single win for each weight division

Great list but i reckon you will find much better than Duran - Dejesus. It's a cliche (excuses for Duran) but Esteban was just the last of a series of "safe" fights Duran's camp put in front of him to keep him from letting himself go too much. He'd also had an accident not long prior which allegedly should have delayed the fight. I'm pretty sure Esteban was not yet ring rated and he was flying under the radar somewhat or he would not have been chosen. It was a non title bout and Duran had fought 3 weeks prior. Still a fantastic achievement for Esteban but there are plenty better i think. If the title was on the line it might be different.

 

Well, I considered a bunch of them.

Ambers/Armstrong I
Welsh/Leonard II
Ortiz/Laguna I
Williams/Jack I
McGovern/Gans
Joyce/Williams III

To name a few.

 

To each their own. Even more recently i have high regard for Duran over Buchanan as 2-1 underdog (a little soured by the finish perhaps), Duran's completeness against a fine opponent in the last DeJesus bout and Chavez completely dominating my man Rosario in an even money bout.

 

Those were my candidates, too. Duran pretty much shut out a borderline top 10 lightweight in Buchanan; the same for de Jesus. And Rosario was a scary puncher, and Chavez handled him rather easily.

 

I rate Rosario as the consistently hardest puncher in the divisions history. Guys like Andy Ganigan and Tony Baltazar are up there but Rosario is so much more proven and got more down.

 

You are probably right. Arguello and Duran had dynamite power at 135, too.

 

Duran-DeJesus I was in the junior welterweight division.

 

Aww c'mon, it's 2lbs... bit picky.

Fine, then it's a toss up between Welsh beating Leonard, or Ambers beating Armstrong. Probably the latter.

 

Welsh-Leonard is up there for sure. Welsh was past his best and Leonard was young and rising and he dominated.

I also think Ismael Laguna boxing a great fight and taking Carlos Ortiz’s title was a great win/performance. As was Ortiz’s mastery of him in a rubber match many had him pegged to lose.

 

Agreed, I already listed my back up picks above.

It's a shame no one beat McFarland, it'd have made this really easy.

 

Heavyweight - Ali vs Liston I
I could have gone Johnson - Burns but Ali’s win over Liston is one of the greatest Americans ever started his reign.

Light-heavyweight - Tarver vs Jones Jr
2nd KO

Middleweight - Hagler vs Leonard
I feel like I am way off but Hagler was looking to eclipse Monzon’s title defenses, but Leonard ruined it. Leonard was something else.

Welterweight - Armstrong vs Ross
1938

Lightweight - Armstrong vs Ambers
1938

Featherweight - Armstrong vs Sarron
1938

 

Yes i was going to bracket them in but thought them a bit obvious and i think they are behind Rosario. Another automatic inclusion for me is Ike Williams.

 

Great picks except for hearns over Duran, Roberto was a Natural LW

 

It's still an amazing win given peak Hagler couldn't stop him over 15 and what he did in the years after. Hell he beat Iran Barkley. It's the fashion of the win that makes it a great choice. No-one did this to Duran before nor after despite him fighting forever. What Hearns did is totally unique.