Vic Toweel or Jim Jeffries, who had the tougher run to the title?

I just have to add my comments. The argument that defeating Fitz is somehow under any circumstances less impressive than defeating Ortiz just doesn't wash with me after studying Ortiz's record.

1947

Carlos Chavez--Ortiz gives away 1 lb--loses
Harold Dade--even weight--loses
Manny Ortega--Ortiz gives up 1/2 lb and is stopped

1948

Lauro Salas--Ortiz has 5 1/2 lb weight pull--loses
Maxie Docusen--Ortiz gives up 3 lbs--loses

1949

Henry Davis--Ortiz gives up 1 1/2 lbs--loses
Roberto Coury--no weights given--loses
Jimmy Cooper--Ortiz is 3 1/2 lbs heavier--loses
Ronnie Clayton--Ortiz gives up 1 lb--loses

1950

Vic Toweel--Ortiz has 1/2 pound weight pull--loses
Eddie Chavez--Ortiz gives up 4 lbs--loses

1951

Lauro Salas--Ortiz has 2 lb weight pull--loses
Tirso De Rosario--even weights--loses
Jackie Graves--Ortiz has 7 1/2 pound weight pull--loses
Eddie Chaves--Ortiz gives up 1/2 pound--loses

**Laugh at me all you care to, but I don't think this compares to a Fitz who was champion from 147 on up from 1891 to 1905, and was bested by only one man during that time--Jeffries. In other words, there was a period of several years when only one man walking the Earth was capable of defeating Bob Fitzsimmons. Many men of 120 lbs or so could and did defeat Ortiz.
Doesn't compare at all.

Ortiz was not all that formidable even a few lbs over 118, and I think the question of whether he faced the best bantams from Britain, Europe, and Australia, which held many of the top bantams, is valid.


I think the polls taken of those who actually saw him fight or knew his achievements in his own era in this case might indeed be more valid than the opinions of those coming over sixty years later.

 

This is frustrating...I had a whole bunch of scans of Toweel ready to upload, but bloody photobucket won't upload them because the file size is too big. (!!)

If I scan at a lower resolution, the images look like crap.