My top 20 Light Heavyweights, All Time

Since there's a thread on this I'll go ahead and post a list. Top 17, the first three are pretty much a three-way tie.

1. Gene Tunney
2. Sam Langford
3. Ezzard Charles
4. Archie Moore
5. Tommy Loughran
6. Jack Dillon
7. Tommy Gibbons
8. Michael Spinks
9. Billy Conn
10. Bob Fitzsimmons
11. Kid Norfolk
12. Billy Miske
13. Philadelphia Jack O’ Brian
14. Battling Levinsky
15. Georges Carpentier
16. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
17. Maxie Rosenbloom

 

How come you have Fitzsimmons fixed at middleweight yet Burley is all over the place, making appearances at light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight? This is not a challenge, McGrain, just a simple query. I think I know the answer anyway. :hey

What's your position on rating fighters (except the great Charley Burley, of course) at their best weight only? Is this not generally a simpler, more effective method?

P.S. All joking aside, I think I'd do you proud with my personal placement of Burley at middleweight.

 

1. Ezzard Charles
2. Gene Tunney
3. Mike Spinks
4. Archie Moore
5. Bob Foster
6. Tommy Loughran
7. Roy Jones jr.
8. Billy Conn
9. Sam Langford
10. Georges Carpentier
11. Harry Greb
12. Jack Dillon
13. Harold Johnson
14. Philadelphia Jack O' Brien
15. Maxie Rosenbloom
16. Jimmy Bivins (could be higher but Ido believe his own personal best weight was middleweight , and I have him higher there)
17. Lloyd Marshall
18. Battling Siki
19. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
20. Dariusz Michalczewski

My list is very open to interpretation , not set in stone at all , but I won't budge my top 6.

Burley's best weight was welter , it is right to rank nim high amongst middles though , that is where his best performances occurred. I believe it would take a really great fighter to beat Buley at his best at 147.

 

Nice work McGrain

My top 10:

1. Charles
2. Langford
3. Moore
4. Tunney
5. Conn
6. Spinks
7. Foster
8. Loughran
9. Gibbons
10. Johnson

 

Maybe , I've got him top 10 though , I feel strongly about my top 6 , considering that Langford is just 3 behind them says a lot for him. Maybe its wrong to have him below Conn and Jones though. I just can't stop thinking about Jones' brilliance though , it may be that clouds my judgement with him. Maybe not though.

 

If you look at Dillons record you will see that he beat a number of the top heavyweights of his era while weighing under the supermiddleweight limit.

Pound for pound he was a 5' 7'' wrecking ball.

 

He did indeed.

Jack Dempsey was only ever the "bigger version of Jack Dillon".

 

I did say that below my top 6 is very open to interpratation and not thought through too well. I still like my list though. Swap Conn for Langford then. But I don't agree that Langford beat too many fighters better than Jones , I'm completely aware of what Langford did at all weights. But Jones to me is amazing. His performances overshadow his criticisms in my eyes. It could be argued that as soon as he got hit (by Tarver) he was exposed. It can also be argued that he was well past it though. I agree that Langford beat better fighters than what Jones did, but I don't agree Langford was better than Jones though. I'm not saying you're definitely wrong though. Insight is good.
Thanks for complimenting my list by the way.

P.S. - Langford beats Jones for hart allday , undobtedly

 

No fighters who are active at the weight are rated in this list:

1. Ezzard Charles
2. Archie Moore
3. Micheal Spinks
4. Sam Langford
5. Tommy Loughran
6. Bob Foster
7. Gene Tunney
8. Billy Conn
9. Harold Johnson
10. Jack Delaney
11. Jimmy Bivens
12. Maxie Rosenbloom
13. Matthew Saad Muhammad
14. Victor Galindez
15. Jack Dillon
16. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
17. John Henry Lewis
18. Joey Maxim
19. Virgil Hill
20. Loyd Marshall

Edit: If Roy Jones were to retire today, he'd land somewhere between #8-#11...according to my mood.