The commentators of the Tye Fields/Roderick Willis fight yesterday made me think... I think more than ever fighters are aware of the long term, damaging effects of boxing. Society and the fight game as a whole are more comforting, even for players of "the hardest game". Rewind several decades and the story changes. Purses were smaller, fighters even more so than now coming from poverty. Fights were more frequent... If we go as far back as the depression even meals could be infrequent, fighting for each one. What fighters had the most "live" challengers? Never a easy night, always someone looking to make a name for themselves against said fighter? Ali comes to mind, not suprisingly. Every fighter from Lyle to Wepner & Blin seemed to realize that beating Ali could be their ticket to something bigger, and the huge majority of them gave it everything they had, even constructing specific fight plans against Ali. Your choice?
Well Sonny Liston took on nearly all of his contenders when They were young and in there prime, except he was so good he destroyed them. They were very good fighters too. 27 year old Cleveland Williams 2x, 27 year old Eddie Machen, 26 Year old Zora Folley, 26 year old Floyd Patterson 2x, 25 year old Mike Dejohn, 24 year old Wayne Bethea, 22 year old Johnny Summerlin 2x. 34 year old Nino Valdez is the only dangerous contender he faced who was up there in age. To fully answer your question..........I think Oscar DeLahoya, Harry Greb, Ike Williams, Sugar Ray Leonard, Salvador Sanchez
True on Hoya. He seemed to motivate fighters. Sturm's a great example of that. Maybe Forbes will too.
Archie Moore fought the tough scarps others could avoid and in his own words took the long hard road to the championship. Fought all those tough hungry pissed off black Fighters of the 40's when one else would. Moore had no choice or the luxury of fighting setups for big cash. Fought Charly Burly and Ezzard Chales and Harold Johnson, fought these guys in their primes. Fought Marciano, Ali and Patterson. The man fought into his 50"s. the List of Moore opponents is a whose who list of boxing greats.
