The 20 greatest fighters, pre World War One. Gloved Era. No honourable mentions!

Just to throw out some names in no order:

John L. Sullivan
Joe Choynski
Jim Corbett
Bob Fitzsimmons
Jim Jeffries
Jack Dempsey (non-pareil)
Joe Gans
Terry McGovern
Sam Langford
Jack Johnson
Joe Walcott
Peter Jackson
Jack O'Brian
Tommy Ryan
Stanley Ketchel
JAck Blackburn
Young Griffo
Jimmy Wilde


I´m pretty sure I missed quite a few.

Don´t know if Mysterious Billy Smith, Battling Nelson or Kid Lavigne qualify as great.

 

1. Sam Langford
2. Joe Gans
3. Jimmy Wilde
4. Bob Fitzsimmons
5. Jim Driscoll
6. Packey McFarland
7. Joe Walcott
8. Terry McGovern
9. George Dixon
10. Tommy Ryan
11. Stanley Ketchel
12. Abe Attell
13. Owen Moran
14. Jack Johnson
15. Jack Blackburn
16. Dave Holly
17. Young Griffo
18. Mike Gibbons
19. Freddie Welsh
20. Kid Lavigne
21. Battling Nelson
22. Jack McAuliffe
23. Jack Non-Pareil Dempsey
24. Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
25. Young Corbett II

I'm pretty ignorant about the era so it's probably wrong on more than a few fronts but that's my stab at it.

I hope someone that does know the area fairly well, Senya, mans up and puts a list in. Janitor and a few others should loom large in this thread I feel.

 

Cheers mate, your criticism is probably fair, though I do look at McAuliffe's undefeated record as pretty dicey. Non-Pareil probably should be a lot higher, but I don't know much about him as a fighter to really confidently say.

I left out a lot of the bigger fighters as well from the higher weight classes, which might be an oversight.

 

1. Bob Fitzsimmons
2. Sam Langford
3. Tommy Ryan
4. Joe Gans
5. Terry McGovern
6. Packey McFarland
7. Joe Walcott
8. Mike Gibbons
9. Nonpareil Jack Dempsey
10. Jack Johnson
11. Jim Jeffries
12. Stanley Ketchell
13. George Dixon
14. Kid McCoy
15. Jack McAuliffe
16. Jim Corbett
17. Tommy Burns
18. Dixie Kid
19. Joe Choynski
20. Owen Moran

*Sullvan--transition fighter so I did not count him.
*Jimmy Wilde--contempory of Benny Leonard--I don't see him as a pre-WWI fighter.

 

All of them do beyond a shadow of a doubt.

They are all top 10 or at least top 15 in their respective weight class. All are more deserving of a spot than Jack O'Brien.

If you want me to elaborate further on any of them I will.

 

1) Jimmy Wilde
2) Sam Langford
3) Terry McGovern
4) Joe Gans
5) Jack Johnson
6) Stanley Ketchel
7) Johnny Coulon
8) Bob Fitzsimmons
9) Johnny Dundee
10) Owen Moran
11) George Dixon
12) Abe Attell
13) Tommy Ryan
14) Johnny Kilbane
15) Jim Driscoll
16) Harry Wills
17) Packey McFarland
18) Joe Jeannette
19) Charles LeDoux
20) Young Griffo

 

One name that has not come up that probably should have is Torpedo Billy Murphy.

 

89-0-1 before June 1914

 

20 GREATEST, no honorable mentions.

 

Its not an honourable mention I am just surprized that he hasnt made anybodys top 20 so far.