Where does Tony Zale rank among the all-time middleweights ?

He would have to in the top ten

 

#12 IMO:

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I agree, he could be in a top ten for some , towards the lower end though , but i would definitly have him top 20. I've been away from here for a while , but i think my last top 10 MW ATG list was something like -

1. Greb
2. Robinson
3. Hagler
4. Monzon
5. Hopkins
6. Ketchel
7. Fulmer
8. Cerdan
9. Toney
10. Papke

Zale would probably follow in the next few with Toney, Benvenuti and Lamotta , with Graziano and Turpin after them.

I feel strongly about my top 6, the top 4 are so close imo that they could be changed, the same goes for 5 and 6, after them there are a bunch of ATGs that have a shout, but i like my top 10 at the mo. I believe my top 6 to be the ELITE achievers at 160 though, whereas the guys that follow are ATGs, its not all about achievement at the weight though, how good a fighter is (when exceptional) gets credit aswell, like Toney.

I know Cerdan gets dissed on here for not fighting the best , but he looked amazing and its my list!!

 

Oh and - good luck with that top 30, must be annoying tryin' to get them in an order that your'e happy with! You doing that in all 17 divisions? I'd just do the classics first and give the newer ones a go afterwards

 

Top 15

 

Had there not been a WWII, perhaps Zale would have rank higher on the list perhaps. He was action pack and evey one rembers his battles with Rocky, when pass his best.

Cerdan relly did beat Zale pretty badly.

 

Co-Signed.

 

I have him 17th at the moment, but mine is far from a solid list. I only feel very strongly for the top ten or so, the others get shifted around every so often in the infrequent event that I get to learn something new about the middleweights.

 

I want to say yes, but don't quote me on it.

 

Tony's fight with Cerdan: actually my first exposure to both. I remember at the time thinking that Cerdan was very much a fighter who resembled Rocky Marciano. He was a rabid machine that night. And even though Zale was an aging champion, Cerdan left no doubt in my mind who the better man was.

Regarding the other fight, I haven't seen the bout in full, but I know highlights of the it were filmed. In fact, last I checked, it was posted on youtube. That was another long drawn-out fight. Cerdan dislocated his shoulder. He put on a valiant effort, but in the end he was reduced to flailing sporadic and ineffective rights against the superb combination punching of Jake LaMotta.

 

I find it funny how no one, and I mean NO one, would fault Cerdan for quitting that night.

But Vitali...

 

One of the few perks of dying too soon I guess....