I rank him #3 all time P4P. Marvelous fighter. Unending stamina and workrate combined with clubbing power and top notch durability. Never took a break in the ring. Very few stylists throughout history of similar size would've been capable of beating him consistently over 15 rounds.
I think a case can be made for him as the greatest fighter that ever lived. He is in my top 3 pound for pound.
A 'must' top 5 all-time great. One of the best pure pressure fighters of all-time. Superb body attack with body both hands. Underrated defense on the front-foot. Extremely powerful, especially in the south divisions he competed in, featherweight and lightweight. His punch at welterweight wasn't bad either. Him and Duran spring to mind as the best attackers ever.
I noticed that Joe Frazier had a very similar style to him and read somewhere that he was influenced by him.
Armstrong used his right more than Frazier to the head and the body. Mainly the head. He was probably a better two fisted, well rounded fighter, across the board.
A Great fighter overrated by boxing fans. Duran competed through the same weight classes (he started at super bantam) and was technically a superior fighter. Mayweather also went through similar weight classes and is also technically superior Whats more he was never the best Welter in the world with the likes of Burley, Holman Williams, Cerdan and Cocoa Kid in the same division. I also think its dodgy that he got to keep the Welter Lineage after losing the LW title to Ambers, shouldnt the WW title have gone too (controversal or not)
Wow, I knew he would be in almost any educated fight fans top 10, but I didn't know he was so utterly respected on here.
Second only to Mr Walker Smith Jr! To think he held three of the eight World Championships simultaneously and went from December 1936 to September 1940 only losing one fight and one championship in the ring and having a 58-1-1 record in the process.
Should've held 4 titles simultaneously if he would've been rightfully awarded the decision over Garcia in their MW title fight. Truly amazing when you think about it.
Garcia was only holding alphabet crap at the time though, so it makes that bit sweeter in that Armstrong was the man at three weight divison at the same time, basically ruling virtually half of boxing at one time, I do not think we will his likes again. But hey if we do, my god, I will be at permanent orgasm!