THE CLASSIC HALL OF FAME INAUGURAL INDUCTION: The Welterweights (Closed - Results In)

SRR
SRL
Emile Griffith
Mickey Walker
Jose Napoles
Ted Lewis
Barbados Joe Walcott

 

I'm surprised to see how many lists omit Tommy Ryan. He only lost twice in around a 100 contests (unless you also include a NWS 6rnd loss to a heavyweight Denver Ed Martin in his final fight following an almost 5 year retirement), 1 to the much bigger and brilliant Kid McCoy the other a DQ. Unbeaten at his natural welterweight and never anything more than a natural Welterweight, its hugely impressive to me that he also went on to dominate at Middlewight once McCoy moved up

 

The reason i omitted him is sad to say my ignorance of his achievements

 

Very honest of you.

As brilliant as Britton, Gavilan, Griffiths and Napoles were, I think it's clear Ryan was better relative to his era than any of those were to theirs. None were unbeaten at their prime natural weight or dominant at the weight above. Ryan was both.

The counter is Ryan's best wins arent as well regarded, today, as the best wins of the aforementioned. I suppose whether you include Ryan or not boils down to whether you think that was because they weren't as good or whether its because they're no longer as well known.

I'm probably more influenced by how good I think a fighter was relative to his own era, whilst making less allowances for one era, on the whole, being significantly better or worse than others, than most people.

 

Ray Robinson
Napoles
Gavillan
Griffith
Leonard
McLarnin
Walker

Damn me for excluding Walcott

 

This would make me pull my hair out, if I had any!


Robinson
Leonard
Ryan
Gavilan
Napoles
Walker
Griffith

That'll probably change.

 

Not any wrong answers here , just different ones really

 

Damn me for excluding McLarnin!

 

So difficult....

 

Very good knowledge but you gotta realize I'm in my early 20s, so I'm still a massive work in progress regarding fighters of that era. So that's why it's good we have threads like this so I can learn.

 

Absolutely mate, my surprise at his omission wasnt intended as criticism. I dare say NP Jack Dempsey will be one of the Middleweight nominees and I dont know enough about him and his best opposition to accurately appraise him, so I wont consider him. And I'm 40 ;-)

 

4 - You are voting on the ENTIRE career of the fighters to hand. You are NOT just inducting them as Welterweights - consider their whole career when voting.

 

These threads are great.

 

Hey I understand just you young bucks are saying! I'm in my 50's, and remember waaaay back in the day, but still I have to draw the line somewhere lol. I don't know much about the early pioneers; Figg, Cribb, Mendoza, Louis Ortiz, Molineaux, etc., etc., etc.