1 - Sugar Ray Robinson 2 - Charley Burley 3 - Mickey Walker 4 - Sugar Ray Leonard 5 - Barbados Joe Walcott 6 - Henry Armstrong 7 - Emile Griffith 8 - Roberto Duran 9 - Ted Kid Lewis 10-Jose Napoles 11-Wilfred Benitez 12-Jack Britton 13-Kid Gavlin 14-Fritzie Zivic 15-Carmen Bassilo 16-Barney Ross 17-Holman Williams 18-Oscar De La Hoya 19-Pernell Whitaker 20-Floyd Mayweather Mayweather could end up higher on this list yet, but it's not his best weight - I think 20 is high enough for him. Looking at it, maybe Britton should be higher. Is Benitez to low? Any other observations? Any other lists?
I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to see him in a top 20, although I consider him a tad overated. Who would you take off?
Where would you put Thomas Hearns, Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad, and Luis Rodriguez? I'm not too sure about Duran being in the top 10 if you factor in overall accomplishments and weigh it about 50/50. Head to head, he's top 10 though on his best night for sure. I'm also not sure about Mayweather being top 20 just based on Mitchell, Baldomir, Judah, and Hatton. If he beat Cotto or Williams, I wouldn't hesitate having him up there.
Just outside, is the best answer I have for you. Rodriguez being left out is the biggest stinger for me personally, but you only have those 20 slots, you know? McClarnin too. Yeah, it's an "all in list". I've tried to keep Duran ahead of the guys I feel he would have beaten that night. Fair shout; not unreasonable at all...i have Mayweather in there basically based on skillset. He's new to my list.
yea mayweather definately has the potential to be one of the best welter weights an has the skills but he hasnt fought any good welter weight so i dont know if he would be on the list quite yet
I try to rate active fighters as I go. My lists are open to criticism and i'm quite happy to change them based on new information (including Mayweather getting knocked out!).
That's the thing, though..I'd much rather wait till a fighter is completely finished with a division until I make a judgement. That way, you get a better idea of how he would fare throughout the entirety of his career/tenure at the weight. Mayweather's a great fighter...and I think he probably does stay with most of the atg's at 147lbs. But, until we see how he fares against some of the other stellar fighters in the class, I'm not going to rate him at the weight.
Whitaker higher. Trinidad in there, even over DLH. Hearns most certainly in there, don't get that exclusion at all. Gavilan too low, Napoles too low. Duran too high. And even Benitez a bit high. Griffith not too low actually, but I'd have him higher. And that's not even getting into Burley, which I'llleave alone because I know how you rate him. But c'mon, no Hearns? I'd take him over Burley at WW, head to head.
This isn't Whitaker's best weight, anything above 15 is a bit silly for him in my view. If he was at 16, 17, i've no objection to that, but I'm happy with him at 19 - for the moment. I'd have trinidad at 25 or 26 - I'd consider him one of ESB's more overated fighters, and although he has frightening power at the weight, I'd see him firmly outclassed in this sort of company. Would you have him clear of Shane Mosley, for example? There is a case for Gavilan being higher, and you could probably slide him above Benitez and Britton on my list, but i'd consider a direct comparison six and two three's. Napoles is a bone of contention for many people (he's actually up a place on my list, from 11!) but I feel that comparisons with Monzon are unwarented. Monzon was faster, rougher, more powerful and a better puncher, and I do mean pound for pound. Napoles has some of the same "get it done qualities" but i'd challenge you - who would you pick him to dominate over a trilogy out of the men listed above him? Duran is not to high. Duran Montreal beats most of these guys at the weight. I don't dislike Hearns - he's a cracking fighter, but one who tends to lose versus the best. I do actually think he has a very good chance against Burley, but that's style - both are sharpshooting power punchers, but Hearns has the better build for that type of contest (though Burley's superior reaction times might save him). Hearns is the fly in the ointment here - there are guys in the top 5 Hearns would give a horrible time to. But I bet he would lose to most of the men in this top 20. Interesting that you have Griffith so high...