Reading an old article about the (in)famous 'Ten seconds of sunlight' picture, and the author (Fred Snelling), found this top 10, which he claims (but does not name the publication(s)), as being 'an Newspapers Boxing experts top 10 of the day'. Champion: Jack Johnson 1: Luther McCarty 2: Sam Langford 3: Jess Willard 4: Gunboat Smith 5: Carl Morris 6: Frank Moran 7: Billy Wells 8: Al Pazler 9: Jim Flynn 10: Arthur Pelkey What is your take? On the button? Or way off?
Way off. The coloured heavyweight title changed hands between McVea and Langford the previous year. Langford had prety much cleaned out the division and should undoubtedly have been No1. McVea having recently swaped the title with him should at least be top 5. It reads more like a list of top 10 white hopes.
Understandable, we are using nearly 100 years of hindsight. I think if the list is genuine it is pretty radical that Langford is even placed.
I don´t want to overuse the term but "si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses". Most of those guys were decent fringe contenders, Willard became champion and Smith was in the same mold as McVea and Jeanette around the time.
Its a bit off. Jeanette and McVey should be in the top ten. Here would be my top 10 in 1913: 1 ) Langford 2 ) Gunboat Smith 3 ) Jeanette 4 ) Mcvey 5 ) McCarthy 6 ) Willard Fill in spots 7-10 as you see fit. Footnote, as champion Johnson avoidance of the top level fighters is astounding. As champion he is 0-1 vs the top six, and was knocked down and dazed in the 1909 4 round exhibition match with Smith.
No, Luther McCarthy and Gunboat Smith were both verry good heavyweights. Some of the other names were prety decent too. McCarthy is the Ike Ibeabuchi figure of that period. If he hadn't been killed prematiurely then who knows. My main gripe is with the authour leaving off McVea, and to a lesser extent Jeanette and Wills.
