Mickey Walker vs Jack Sharkey, the best result in the history of gloved boxing?

Barbados Joe Walcott had some performances that rank up there and what about the unheralded Tom McMahon?

 

What is this? No glove, no love?

 

Could be Spinks v Holmes.
Leonard SD12 Hagler

 

I think this might be in Gains's autobiography , " The Impossible Dream ",[an excellent book that I unwisely lent to a friend].
I couldnt reacall it but the wording generates a spark .

 

What did Armstrong weigh when he drew with Garcia?

Conn 168lbs v Louis 199lbs was a pretty good performance.

 

The problem is, if we suspect a lot of funny business surrounding Sharkey's fights, it's just as reasonable to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the ones he lost or under-performed in (v. Walker, for example) as it is to cast doubt on the ones he received gifts in.

The thing with professional boxing, we'll never know which fights are legit and which are not.

 

Fitzsimmons vs Corbett, i think still has to be the standout. A middleweight against not just a lineal heavyweight champion, but arguably an all time great (if not the greatest) heavyweight champion (at the time), who was pretty much in prime condition.

Joe Choynski vs Jack Johnson is another one that could probably be considered in the same category. I know people say that Johnson wasnt at his top level yet, and they are correct, but he wasnt too far removed from the run which set him on an unbeatable road to the top, and Joe was a natural middleweight.

 

Armstrong was 142, Garcia was 153; but Garcia was a natural welterweight. A side note--Garcia was, by my reckoning the true middleweight champion during that convoluted time, so had Armstrong got better than a draw that would have been jaw-dropping when you think about it.

Conn's performance was great, but I consider it a damn fact through experience and common sense that a light heavyweight is naturally big enough in terms of height, reach, and frame to compete with the big ones.

That being said, what Walker did is more impressive. Walker was a middleweight -never mind the nonsense about his coming in over 160 "so he was really a light heavyweight." That's as dopey as saying that because he was ranked at HW, that he had "grown into a heavyweight." Right now I'm 183 but I am not a cruiserweight and that's for damn sure. I'm an idle middleweight with an affinity for pastries.

 

There has been so many jaw-dropping performances in boxing that a top ten list would be required. I was always amazed at that featherweight champ who jumped 2 divisions (4 divisions if it was today) and ripped apart that welterweight champ to win his title weighing only 133 1/2. What was his name again? Oh, yeah, Armstrong. Also hanging in the shadows there was some very impressive Bob Satterfield results. 3 of his biggest KOs were over Cleveland Williams, Bob Baker and Johnny Holman. They all had 25 pounds on him and he did it with a glass jaw. However, if I'm going to look at the letter of the title of this subject: "the best result in the history of gloved boxing" and look back at my 45 years of following boxing, I would say one of the best results I ever saw was the 12 round thumping Marcos Maidana put on Adrien Broner. LOL! I know we're actually looking at the smaller man overcoming adversity and bulk but that one was just so damn satisfying.

 

Yes, a shopworn Hagler was impressive in holding off and beating Leonard.

 

No he wasn't.
A rusty unranked Leonard was impressive in making it close and nicking a dodgy decision, even if he lost.