HELP! Me write my all-time pound-for-pound list! What's your opinion of these guys?

Will have an in-depth response later on today.:good

 

Good post but one correction...the originator of "The Bolo Punch" was Ceferino Garcia.

 

I dont know enough about all of those guys. Here is my opinion on the guys I do know a little about:

- Evander Holyfield- Top 30-40
- Floyd Mayweather Jr- Top 75
- Alexis Arguello- Top 30
- Salvador Sanchez- Top 50

 

It's so hard to compare old school guys to the guys that fight nowadays. Old school guys fought more often and todays fighters make more money and don thave to fight as often.

I cant stand the handpicking of opponents like Mayweather does.

I have more respect for guys that fight anyone, anywhere like Arguello, Sanchez and Holyfield.

Any one of the guys that I ranked could have hung with an beaten any fighters of all time.

 

I think Bob Fitzsimmons was the one who invented the bolo punch when he knocked out James J Corbett in the 14th round of their fight in 1897.

Gavilan did use it quite often and rather well from some of the footage i have seen and articles i have read about him.

 

My second nomination would be Herbie Hide.

 

In terms of head to head talent, its very close, but I have Holyfields resume as head and shoulders above Floyd's and that goes a looong way with me.

I think head to head Salvador Sanchez and Alexis Arguello beat Floyd at 130 but that is only part of the equation. Also, Sanchez accomplished alot in a short span of time. It took Mayweather 5+ years to beat the type of guys Sanchez beat.

Holyfield was at such a high level for so much longer than PBF.
From 1986 to 2002 he was fighting the best of the best.

 

Dude, I would love to make a top 100 of all time list. I would be second guessing myself all over the place though. There are so many great fighters and so many ways to consider their greatness.

Example: I think Roy Jones could have beaten alot of the greats but I hold the fact that he was so picky with his opponents against him.

It's very stressful to make this list and in the end, whats the point unless you are going to write a book or create a website to talk about the list?

I feel for you PACFAN and I hope that you would private message me when you create the list because I enjoy reading how you feel about the greats of all time. I respect your opinion.

Good luck pal.

 

1. Jose Napoles- I'd say he belongs in the top 40 fighters of all time when taking everything into consideration. As far as ability goes, he's one of the most skilled fighters of all time and one of my personal favorites to watch. He really had it all as a technician and ring warrior, his only flaw being his tender skin which was susceptible to tearing open during the exchanges he would often get into, even if (as usually was the case) he was getting the better of them. His Welterweight reign was remarkably consistent and dominant outside of his cuts loss to Backus which he avenged immediately by stoppage, all the more impressive when considering that he was a natural Lightweight, forced up to WW because of his lack of opportunities at lower weights. Brilliant fighter, one more people should find the time to study.

2. Evander Holyfield- A case for Holyfield being in the top 40 would not be unjustified either, given his substantial resume and success in two weight classes. He was quite easily the best Cruiserweight to ever lace em up, and he followed his Crusierweight run with one of the best HW careers of all time, which has been hampered by his refusal to retire and the extra baggage he's gained on his record because of it. Still, a look over his HW record shows a deeper resume than any HW this side of Lennix Lewis in the past 20 years, if not even deeper. His lack of consistency due to multiple factors prevent him from ranking in the same echelon as Lewis purely as a HW, but in a P4P sense he outranks Lewis, Tyson, any of them due to his accomplishments.

3. Floyd Mayweather Jr- Not one of my favorites, but it can't be denied that at his best the man was a supreme technician. In fact, his technical skills have refined over time while his overall effectiveness has deteriorated if for no other reason than the level and size of the competition he's faced in the second half of his career. At 130 he was one of the most impressive fighters you're likely to see on film, however. His accomplishments, like Pacquiao's, often get overrated based on his weight-jumping routines rather than his level of competition faced, but they are still quite substantial and merit him in consideration for top 50-60 of all time.

4. Alexis Arguello- In my personal top 30 boxers of all time due to his dominance and consistency at 3 weights and level of competition faced and beaten throughout his career. A true class act in and out of the ring, and one of the purest technicians you're likely to see. Great timing, power, accuracy, and will to win.

5. Salvador Sanchez- Contrary to popular belief, I think we saw the best of Sal, even though he could've and likely would've gone on to achieve a good deal more, I think he reached his peak in terms of ability prior to his death. His remarkable maturity is incomparable at such a young age, and the poise and skill set he showed was that of a fighter far beyond his years, one that couldn't have refined his game too much more, and one that likely peaked early (having been in the ring for over 7 years from the age of 16 against consistently world class opposition) due to the circumstances with which he was presented. I believe he's in the top 60 or so mold as well based not on what he could've done, but what he did achieve and what he showed in the ring in his time with us.

6. Kid Gavilan- One of my favorites and another who belongs in my personal top 30 greatest fighters of all time. One of the most versatile, exciting stylists in the history of the sport, capable of giving any Welterweight in boxing history hell and/or beating just about any of them. A stacked resume in a long, illustrious career facing and beating nearly all there were to beat (aside from a select few) and doing so in style. One of the best fighters of the era to watch on film and study for my money.

7. Wilfred Benitez- A phenom in the same mold as Sanchez in that both developed so young. Benitez was having gym wars with the like of Esteban De Jesus at age 13, being ranked among the top 10 boxers of his weight class at age 15, and dominating all time great JWW Antonio Cervantes at age 17. Simply phenomenal. His star burnt out fast due to his up-bringing, but in his time he was one of the best technicians in the sport in an era of brilliant fighters. I'd put him among the top 80 or so fighters of all time.