The top 5 fighters in each weight division on a h2h basis as evidenced by film

Thread title is pretty self-explanatory. Who are the best five fighters for every weight class in a head-to-head sense by virtue of the evidence we have on film?

I don't want to hear names like Fitzsimmons, Wilde, Greb, Langford, B.Leonard, Gans etc., because the film available simply doesn't back those claims up. It is either too scant, unclear or non-existent all together.

I want lists from fighters you have seen a fair amount of.

Let me start by putting forth my picks for the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight divisions - the divisions I feel most comfortable in.


Bantamweight
1. Eder Jofre
2. Carlos Zarate
3. Ruben Olivares
4. Fighting Harada
5. Jeff Fenech

Featherweight
1. Sandy Saddler
2. Salvador Sanchez
3. Azumah Nelson
4. Vicente Saldivar
5. Eusebio Pedroza

Lightweight
1. Roberto Duran
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Pernell Whitaker
4. Julio Cesar Chavez
5. Barney Ross

 

Cheers man :good Look forward to the responses to this one.

 

I must admit Rock, I am extrapolating from higher weight divisions. The biggest question mark for me is Fenech's chin. If he can take the shots of the division's best, he is a chance to push all of them to their limits by virtue of his grit, determination and workrate.

I'm unsure that he can take the heat from the likes of Jofre, Zarate and Olivares, but I'm kind of assuming that he can here, based largely on his ability to take shots from larger men. I am of course assuming that Nelson was not as ill as is made out and Fenech indeed legitimately beat a Nelson in decent shape (obviously not in the very best of shape though, that is obvious). A win like that bolsters my thinking that Fenech could possibly take the punches of smaller guys, but it's a belief that I could be wrong about.

 

I don't think I have anything on film from Armstrong's featherweight days JT. All the fights I have (Arizmendi, Roderick, Ross, Ambers, Garcia) feature Armstrong at 130+.

Armstrong was just hitting his prime as he was exiting 126, and if he had chosen to remain there I think he would have been a terror and I think he would give all the guys in my top 5 here hell and probably would have come out on top.

Given the lack of Armstrong footage from his featherweight days and the short prime he enjoyed there I'm inclined not to include him here or rank him at 126.

 

Rock, how do you think Tunney would fair against a Roy Jones or Harold Johnson? Would you favour him in those matchups?

 

Interesting list. I'd probably have Canto and Ebihara in there instead of Ohba and Borkhorsor, but I haven't seen anything of Venice at flyweight.

Do you know if Borkhorsor's fight with Betulio Gonzalez is available on film?

 

I think Tunney, Johnson, Loughran and Jones would all be worthy of filling a spot in the top 5. I don't think much separates them in a head to head basis really. There's not much film of Tunney at 175 (have only seen a short Carpentier clip myself) and so perhaps he might be left off, but even what is available clearly shows his skills, as do the heavyweight bouts available.