What did Benny Leonard, Joe Gans and Ike Williams achieve to become the standard Lightweight Goats?

Speaking strictly of Benny, resume aside, I think he’s regarded as a quantum leap forward into the more modern style of boxing. A guy ahead of his time. Not saying everyone jumped on board his way of fighting the minute he appeared on the scene, but he more resembled guys of later eras style-wise than guys of his own.

 

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/my-own-re-evaluation-of-benny-leonard-p4p-sense.649357/

Benny Leonard especially of those three is incredibly impressive. When I wrote out my top 50 LWs, Benny Leonard beat.Nine of them. That was the highest number by a distance.

 

From age 20 onwards Benny Leonard went 81-0 in fights contested at LW until his retirement, allowing a few lbs over in non title fights.

Those 81 straight wins included 10 x lineal world title fights and victories over top 10 ATG LW Freddie Welsh, ATG Jack Britton, Johnny Dundee, Lew Tendler x 2 and Rocky Kansas x 4. His LW resume is absurd.

 

Hi Buddy.
One of the forums premier posters has provided you with a brief guide as to why Benny Leonard is often labeled as the No 1 , as for Williams I will try to give you a insight into his career and inclusion to the mix, not worth giving you chapter and verse, because the names and backgrounds of his opponents might not mean that much to you at the moment.
He turned pro around 1940 and in 44 he beat a spoiler type in Sammy Angott twice, also a title holder in his career, he then went on to beat Bob Montgomery ( they would have history ) for the title, think he defended it 8 times overall, he had managerial problems at some stage, and unwisely hooked up with 2 notorious mobsters, and was cheated and robbed by both during the later part of his run, like so many of that era, he was a wasp waisted LW, lean and mean, and along with Gavilan and Garcia had a hurtful and accurate bolo punch in his repertoire, which he used to good effect when he came to the UK to defend against our Ronnie James, Peter Wilson " the yank employed a punch called the bolo, the like of which we in the UK had not seen before, and he used it to good effect, raising huge red welts on James rather pale body " his big problem was making the LW limit, he struggled for most of the title fights and beyond, stories of him spending hours in saunas, and being flayed with hot towels, in his last fight he beat Beau Jack also a champ, so all in all, he was a box/fighter with speed and endurance, who gladly took the likes of Gavilan and Bratton, and gave them good fights, he would properly be in most posters top ten, possibly the bottom half more so.
There you go, hope the above gave you a brief account of Ike Williams.
stay safe buddy, chat soon.