Rate these fighters ...

Collins wasn't British but he fought Johnson, McCallum, Thornton, Watts, Kalumbay.
Watson's career was cut short. Eubank had a sweetheart deal with Sky that he wasn't going to risk. Benn fought a few but basically they were making decent money without major risk. Graham was probably avoided a bit, difficult to look good against-unless you were Julian Jackson!

 

Jackson didnt look good against Graham.

Needless to say all of them at 160 beat any of the current champions, convincingly

 

Benn was a hideous hitter, unpredictable timing and angles, with superb natural punching leverages that were something to behold. The most aggressive fighter ever? He probably threw more right hooks than any orthodox fighter I can think of.

Watson had a wonderful guard, fingers pressing either side of forehead and elbows covering ribs, and could throw any shot from that position even though he was stiff, awkward and wooden-like. Very smooth. And a HUGE middleweight.

Collins was another huge middleweight, as strong as an ox. He probably had the ugliest style of a top fighter... his punching, standing and moving all looked unpretty but he was deceptively very effective - quick, sneaky, with a tricky short counter overarm right, and a concrete chin.

Graham may have been the most awkward fighter ever. An outrageous hands-down, switch-hitting, mobile style to go with super reflexes and sharp, slick punching. Grossly avoided, like the plague.

And then there was Eubank. This guy barely had a heartbeat, he'd posture like a statue before, after and even during rounds. When punches were coming at him, his face remained poker stone, no blinking, and he would evade them with the slightest head motion. Another awkward stylist who would throw mostly out-of-range shots or six-inch shots, no middle ground!

 

I did an almost identical thread to this about a year and a half ago. Love watching that round-robin thing they had there at the time, though I mentally exclude Graham for some reason. Not sure why.

Watson
Eubank
Benn
Graham
Collins

I don't think Nunn wanted anyhting to do with these guys, honestly. Barkley had his go with Benn and that didn't go too well, but he was growing out of the division anyway.

 

Yeah the round-robin thing between Benn, Watson, and Eubank was tremendous.

 

This was a good competitive group. Using Ring Magazine annual ratings from 1989-1994, no man ever ranked higher than 5th at middle weight.

They were a notch below Hagler, Hearns, Barley, Leonard, and Toney as middle weights.

I would rank them.

1A Benn
1B Eubank
3. Watson
4. Collins
5. Graham


[url]http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine's_Annual_Ratings[/url]

 

Nigel Benn is number 1 for me

 

Why would Collins be in the list his not British?

 

I have them:

1. Eubank as far as Im concerned he could do it all
2. Benn
3. Watson or Graham (like Salsanchez said above I mentally exclude him for some reason, probably because I cannot stand the Brendan Ingle school of boxing)
4. Collins came around at the right time when everyone was fading out. Even then I thought Eubank beat him. Just like the Thompson fights Eubank let him off the hook when he had him hurt. That had to be a byproduct of the Watson fight.

Eubank is my favorite of the bunch but he could be maddeningly frustrating by fighting up or down to the level of his competition.

 

On any given day..they could all beat each other...a tremedous group of fighting men.All were great competitors as well as boxers .Shame there wasnt more fights involving them and the USA legends of the era.Eubank was never the same after the Watson incident. At his best however he was superior to the others overall.

 

Eubank
Benn
Watson
Collins
Graham

same order that you listed them in the first post

 

Eubank was surely the best of them and most complete. A hugely talented outfighter who beat Watson and Benn at their own game - inside - in Watson I and Benn II. And if it came down to two men throwing punches toe-to-toe, I'd pick Eubank over anyone if a gun was to my head [ie Benn I, Watson II, and he let Collins (I), Calzaghe (dying seconds) and 210lb Thompson (I) off the hook when he needed that second pull of a trigger, having pulled it once - a rarity in itself].

 

Mind you, he could look horrendously horrible when forced to force the fight, could Eubank...

 

Collins
Eubanks
Graham
Watson
Benn

Collins & Eubanks r klows , bat Collins' mach supirior quality of opozishen teix it 4 him.
BTW boxrec laik I du, renx Collins ebav Eubanks @ 168 .
Collins @ #2 , Eubanks @ #5.
Collins was older & more shot than Eubanks when they fought.
6 months younger than Benn, but having fought a much tougher variation of opponents than Benn, so if anything Benn fought Collins @ d r8 taim 4 Benn & stil got stopt 2 aut of 2 taims .


Benn fot e dreind 2des Barkley, chited end enjoyd d kurapt referi's help egeinst en olredy brein injerd McClellan, stopt n old Robbie Sims, got e lot of problems bay en old Sanderline Williams end bay e yet iven older Thulani Malinga end i dabt if hi dizervd 2 win egeinst him in deir 1st fait.


Graham on hiz part intenshenali sambd Julian Jackson end stil got KOd bay him.
Laik Collins, Graham feild 2 get d decijen over d older McCallum & Kalambay.
Probabli olso chited vs Lindell Holmes (bating) end olso got e gift over Sanderline Williams.