Young Griffo: (september)1890-(september)1892 [vacates claim whilst dixon beats skelly] George Dixon: (september)1892-(november)1896 [loses to erne] Frank Erne: (november)1896-(march)1897 [loses to smith] Solly Smith: (march) 1897-(september)1898 [loses to sullivan] Dave Sullivan: (september)1898-(november)1898 [loses top dixon] George Dixon: (november)1898-(november)1898 [loses to gardner] Oscar Gardner: (november)1898-(march)1900 [loses to mcgovern] Terry McGovern: (march)1900-(november)1901 [loses to corbett II] Young Corbett II: (november)1901-(september)1903 [vacates claim whilst attell beats reagan] Abe Attell: (september)1903-(october)1904 [loses to sullivan] Tommy sullivan: (october)1904-(february)1906 [loses claim when attell beats walsh] Abe Attell: (february)1906-(february)1909 [loses to driscoll] Jim Driscoll: (february)1909-(february)1912 [loses claim when kilbane beats attell] Johnny Kilbane: (february)1912-(february)1920 [loses to valger] Benny Valger: (february)1920-(july)1922 [loses claim when criqui beats wynns] Eugen Criqui: (july)1922-(july)1923 [loses to dundee] Johnny Dundee: (july)1923-(january)1925 [vacates claim whilst kaplan beats kramer] Louis Kaplan: (january)1925-(november)1926 [vacates claim whilst finnegan beats suggs] Dick Finnegan: (november)1926-(october)1927 [vacates claim whilst canzoneri beats dundee] Tony Canzoneri: (october)1927-(september)1928 [loses to routis] Andre Routis: (september)1928-(february)1929 [loses claim when chocolate beats suggs] Kid Chocolate: (february)1929-(november)1930 [loses to la barba] Fidel La Barba: (november)1930-(december)1930 [loses to shea] Eddie Shea: (december)1930-(may)1931 [loses claim when battalino beats la barba] Battling Battalino: (may)1931-(august)1932 [vacates claim whilst chocolate beats shea] Kid Chocolate: (august)1932-(september)1934 [vacates claim whilst miller beats tarleton] Freddie Miller: (september)1934-(may)1936 [loses to sarron] Petey sarron: (may)1936-(october)1937 [loses to armstrong] Henry Armstrong: (october)1937-(october)1938 [vacates claim whilst rodak beats miller] Leo Rodak: (october)1938-(april)1939 [loses to archibald] Joey Archibald: (april)1939-(september)1939 [loses to chavez] Simon Chavez: (september)1939-(december)1939 [loses to scalzo] Pete Scalzo: (december)1939-(july)1942 [loses to lemos] Richie Lemos: (july)1942-(november)1941 [loses to wilson] Jackie Wilson: (november)1941-(june)1942 [loses claim when wright beats jeffra] Chalky Wright: (june)1942-(november)1942 [loses to pep] Willie Pep: (november)1942-(october)1948 [loses to saddler] Sandy Saddler: (october)1948-(february)1949 [loses to pep] Willie Pep: (february)1949-(september)1950 [loses to saddler] Sandy Saddler: (september)1950-(february)1953 [vacates claim whilst basset beats famechon] Percy Basset: (february)1953-(november)1954 [loses to davis] Teddy Dagvis: (november)1954-(february)1955 [loses to saddler] Sandy Saddler: (february)1955-(june)1957 [retires claim whilst bassey beats hamia] Hogan Bassey: (june)1957-(march)1959 [loses to moore] Davey Moore: (march)1959-(march)1963 [loses to ramos] Sugar Ramos: (march)1963-(september)1964 [loses to salvidar] Vicente Salvidar: (september)1964-(january)1968 [retires claim whilst winstone beats seki] Howard Winstone: (january)1968-(july)1968 [loses to legra] Jose Legra: (july)1968-(january)1969 [loses to famechon] Johnny Famechon: (january)1969-(may)1970 [loses to saldivar] Vicente Saldivar: (may)1970-(december)1970 [loses to shibata] Kuniaki Shibata: (december)1970-(november)1971 [loses to marcel] Ernesto Marcel: (november)1971-(may)1973 [loses claim when jofre beats legra] Eder Jofre: (may)1973-(february)1974 [loses claim when marcel beats arguello] Ernesto Marcel: (february)1974-(march)1974 [retires claim whilst olivares beats hafey] Ruben Olivares: (march)1974-(november)1974 [loses to arguello] Alexis Arguello: (november)1974-(november)1976 [vacates claim whilst lopez beats kotey] Danny Lopez: (november)1976-(february)1980 [loses to sanchez] Salvador Sanchez: (february)1980-(april)1983 [retires claim whilst pedroza beats lockridge] Eusebio Pedroz: (april)1983-(june)1985 [loses to mcguigan] Barry McGuigan: (june)1985-(june)1986 [loses to cruz] Steve Cruz: (june)1986-(march)1987 [loses to esparragoza] Antonio Esparagoza: (march)1987-(april)1989 [loses claim when fenech beats villasana] Jeff Fenech: (april)1989-(june)1990 [vacates claim whilst villasana beats hodkinson] Marcos Villasana: (june)1990-(november)1991 [loses to hodkinson] Paul Hodkinson: (november)1991-(april)1993 [loses to vargas] Gregorio Vargas: (april)1993-(december)1993 [loses to kelley] Kevin Kelley: (december)1993-(january)1995 [loses claim when johnson beats medina] Tom Johnson: (january)1995-(february)1997 [loses to hamed] Naseem Hamed: (february)1997-(april)2001 [loses to barrera] Marco Antonio Barrera: (april)2001-(november)2003 [loses to pacquiao] Manny Pacquiao: (november)2003-(september)2004 [vacates claim whilst marquez beats salido] Juan Marquez: (september)2004-(november)2007 [vacates claim whilst guerrero beats honario] Robert Guerrero: (november)2007-(february)2009 [vacates claim whilst john beats juarez] Chris John: (february)2009-(march)20010 [loses claim when gamboa beats barros] Yuriorkis Gamboa: (march)2010-present [premiere fw]
been working on this one for the last couple of days. I'm not really happy with what I have for the late 1910's because kilbane went comletely vacant but I couldn't find a better claimant (was tempted when pal moore beat criqui but valger had beaten kilbane shortly after and was in good form himself. I'm going to be updating this again at some point today and was wondering if I've made any glaring omissions in the first 50 years or so? I dismissed torpedo murphy's claims because he was essentially a bantamweight so I didn't find it relevant to the division, especially with young griffo knocking about. I am happy with kid chocolate's claim though, routis was quite a bad champion.
Ok I think i'm done now. Things get a bit messy once sanchez retires because the wba lineage slowly loses strength whilst the wbc lineage gains strength. I don't like rating azumah as never being number 1 but I'm quite happy with the WBA line up until esparagozza begins fighting no marks whilst feneceh beats villasana. From then it's plain sailing until kelley begins silly periods of inactivity and tom johnson seems like the top man. Hamed was quite poor at defending against the top guys though; norwood, marquez and espinosa were all right in his era and he didn't face any of them. Once Marquez leaves the division it gets messy because John's opposition is **** and then guerrero has the issue with his wife. Gamboa will soon move up leaving this division barren :-( Still, any thoughts or does it look it ok?