Top 10 by Decade - Divisional Ranking Experiment

Gomez put up big numbers between 95 and 2005

 

Mauriello is overrated. And Turkey Thompson is underrated good shouts. Last man to beat Elmer ray before he went on his historic run.

Someone who totally slips through the cracks and had a pretty outstanding career. Bob Pastor. Absent from both the 30s and 40s list. I guess that happens when you career starts in the middle of one decade and ends early in the next. I’m sure their are plenty of others shortchanged by the start and end point of their career but was surprised he didn’t place anywhere.

 

Rummy makes some quality posts.

 

Archie Moore's dominance is astonishing. It will be great to compare his dominance to Sugar Ray Robinson's when (hopefully) the all time pound for pound lists are done.

 

Rumsfeld--"I'm curious if you could elaborate on Turkey Thompson."

Well, I think your system here doesn't underrate him, but puts him at about where he should be. This also indicates that The Ring also did a fair job of rating him during his career.

My take is that he has been historically underrated and largely forgotten, though more as a puncher perhaps than as a fighter. I think he was the most dangerous heavyweight puncher next to Louis of the 1940's. But he fought tough competition and so his final KO ratio--39 out of 72 fights--doesn't match up to let's say Tommy Gomez who had a much weaker resume. Gomez was a white fighter who fought almost all his bouts in the South at a time when mixed matches weren't allowed. I think Gomez only met two black heavyweights--Walcott and Satterfield, and lost to both of them. But like Cleveland Williams, he has the awesome appearing stats (65 KO's in 87 fights) that look overpowering on the surface.

But I think at least two men whom your system brings into the top ten were more dangerous punchers--

Thompson (KO'd Elmer Ray, Lee Q. Murray, Gus Dorazio, Pat Valentino, Al Hart, Eddie Blunt, etc.)

and Savold (KO'd Lou Nova, Lem Franklin, Johnny Flynn, Eddie Blunt, Nate Bolden, Bruce Woodcoc-, etc.)

As an overall fighter, Thompson could be out-boxed, and seems generally to have been the type who got you early or began running out of gas. He had Pastor down six times in the first round but let him off the hook and ended up losing. Had he stopped Pastor, or had the ref stepped in, I think Thompson would have today the recognition as a puncher he deserves.

What impact being a west coast fighter has on Thompson's long-term rep when compared to "New York" fighters is an interesting question.

 

Thanks for all the hard work. Comments--

1--besides Ezzard Charles, another name which jumps out at me (for not being on this list at all) is Billy Conn, the champion in 1939 & 1940 and better for certain than Bettina and Lesnevich. What it comes down to is that many of the best light-heavyweights--Charles, Conn, Spinks, Tunney--moved up into the big money heavyweight class.

2--Lesnevich--is overrated by this system with its WWII bias, but one could make the case he is somewhat underrated historically. Now he was not good enough to handle Conn (and probably not Charles or Moore) but as the ratings show, it was actually Billy Fox who was his #1 contender when they met in 1947, so perhaps Gus wasn't exactly ducking Charles and Moore. But the LaMotta fix thing interestingly helps Jake's career reputation, but devastates Lesnevich's. Ironic, I think. On Gus, if we subtract the three 10's from 1943 to 1945, he would still be the #1 guy during the decade.

3--Joey Maxim is screwed on the all-time ratings because he was rated at heavyweight by The Ring during most of the 1940's.

4--interesting for me in the 1950's is the strong showing of Yolande Pompey. (I personally am happy that Danny Nardico slipped into the top ten)

5--by far the most underrated light-heavyweight might be Maura Mina, who beat Eddie Cotton twice, as well as Gregorio Peralta and Bob Foster, and a slew of other names at the time. The Ring dropped the ball here, its ratings way too American centered. Beating guys down in Peru simply was not put in the same class as American guys getting hometown decisions up here.

6--by far the most overrated light-heavyweight is Eddie Cotton, a decent but far from outstanding contender, who manages to end up ahead of almost everyone in the 1960's, including of course Mina who beat him twice.