Top Ten Middleweights pre-1950

Didn't it get dismissed as a myth that he sucker punched Ketchel?

It was a good era of HW fighters this. A great era in fact although everyone looks like a face first brawler on film.

 

Cerdan is pretty underrated in this forum. There isn't a lot of distance between #3 and #7 for me.

 

Please do a thread arguing that Cerdan is greater than Monzon.

 

Zale
H. Williams
Abrams
H Green
Delannoit
Turbin
Gilroy

A few of these guys are in the hall of fame and can be found in his thread. You listed Williams in your top ten, so Cerdan's win must mean something in your eyes.

Cerdan is 111-4! He was only stopped once and there was controversy. In fact, 2 of his defeats were via DQ and the other avenged. There is my math.

Flims show a forward mover with good defense, technique and power.

 

1 ) this is a pre 1950's thread.

2 ) I won't.

 

Paper thin resume. The evidence is in the last four names you listed.

 

I didn't make two points so I'm not sure why your reply was split into 2.

You do rank Cerdan above Monzon though don't you.

 

Cerdan was better at welterweight but would never have got a title shot.
Lloyd Marshall, Charles, Moore, Williams and Burley should have all had at least a title shot if not the world crown.

 

Yes that sucker punch story has been debunked. It didn't happen, though I'm sure I heard Bert Sugar repeat it a few times.

 

I agree with your point, however I wouldn't include Apostoli among Steele's best wins as he was just a 6 bout neophyte when Steele beat him.

 

Williams lost half of his fights post '46, had 75 fights more mileage, most of them fought in one of the most competitive scenes in MW history, with no punching power to guarantee him some early nights (meaning he had to last the distance with the likes of Wade, Lytell and Marshall multiple times) although he started only a couple of years before Cerdan.

And about Abrams, not a bad scalp but if you see any post fight pictures, you know it wasn't a cakewalk. Nothing to hold against Cerdan though. Abrams was no pushover, even if (like Zale) he wasn't the same after the war.