How good was Ken Buchanan?

Very good ...

 

One of britians best imo

 

Yeah, I've never checked the veracity of the 120 degree thing, ha. It does seem an excessive claim.

Also, up yours for getting to go to Puerto Rico a lot. I went to Cleethorpes this year and dropped my ice-cream off the miniature railway, so beat that.

 

Also, lolz at Mike Costello for ranking Hatton-Tszyu as a top three all-time performance by a Brit. I'd rate something like Stracey's performance against old Napoles higher. Climbing off the canvas early doors in front of all Napoles' screaming fans in Mexico was impressive and showed proper bottle even if Napoles was past it. So was Kostya (past it I mean) and he was never the fighter Napoles was.

 

Always makes me laugh when I think of Hugh McIllvanney's description of the the Donato Paduano fight. Buchanan was so accurate with his jab and every other punch in the book that "Paduano wore the expression of a man who'd just sucked on an exploding cigar"

 

Some lesser seen footage of Ken for anyone interested... against a much larger opponent at that.

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I'd put Buchanan in with any lightweight who ever lived, not saying he'd win them all by no means ,but he's sure no easy out. Top twenty easy and I think he'd upset some good lightweights. I'd like to match him up with Chavez at 135. Chavez would be the favorite of course , but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

However, a few scant years earlier, and they would have needed a putty knife to get Stracey off the deck vs Mantequilla.

 

Buchanan was magnificent (see either Laguna bout, and the Paduano win)...a master boxer with a gritty edge...a fighting heart....an iron chin...one of the toughest guys to ever step in the ring. A truly gifted fighter who had the rotten luck to have Roberto Duran in the same 135 lb neighborhood. He had to suck up a "L TKO 13" on his record...when in truth it was a cheap shot to the balls that an inattentive referee didn't see....that was no "stoppage" loss...and that 1st round kd was bogus as well. Buchanan would have gone on to lose his crown via 15 round decision were it not for that foul shot...and in a rematch, would have probably also gone the 15 round distance as well with Duran...losing by a much closer decision.

 

Aye they would red, but that's not what I meant. However done Naps was, Stracey was just a solid, workmanlike fighter. The win itself isn't anything like a great one in comparison to many others obviously, but I really admire how Stracey got off the deck with thousands of fired up Mexicans roaring for Napoles on home soil and forced himself back into that fight. A lot of guys with equal or better talent than Stracey might have folded in that type of scenario or fought to survive even against that badly faded version of Napoles, but Stracey got himself together and did the job without the need for rabid home support or oodles of questionable help from the ref that Hatton received against the faded Tszyu.

 

Stracey was nails! He apparently suffered some injuries and management issues that may have limited his subsequent career.

 

Thank you Russell!

 

Yes sir, good post.