Your 30 top welterweight contenders

A few weeks back, McVey started a thread called 'your 30 top heavyweight contenders'. I thought it was a terrific thread. It really made you think and to tell you the truth, I had a ball doing it. It veers away from the usual and customary names and digs deep into boxing lore of those great old fighters long forgotten. Anyways, I decided to try the welters and the criteria is your own. I did not include titlists at the weight. And by that I mean I did not include anyone who was a 147 world champ, NBA, WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO or NYSAC recognized world champ. The last one was a tough one because I had to rule out Hedgemon Lewis who would have made my list easily. But the NYSAC wielded a lot of power back in the day. Anyways, here we go in somewhat chronological order

-Dave Shade
-Jack Hood
-Ceferino Garcia
-Jimmy Leto
-Jack Carroll
-Kid Azteca
-Holman Williams
-Charley Burley
-Ernie Roderick
-Cocoa Kid
-Bernard Docusen
-Billy Graham
-Del Flanagan
-Gil Turner
-Isaac Logart
-Ralph Dupas
-Vince Martinez
-Gaspar Ortega
-Federico Thompson
-Manny Gonzalez
-Eddie Perkins
-Adolph Pruitt
-Raul Soriano
-Ernie Lopez
-Clyde Gray
-Armando Muniz
-Harold Weston
-Pete Ranzany
-Dave 'Boy' Green
-Oba Carr

OK, guys, have some fun. I could have kept going with Tommy Bell, George Costner and Brian Curvis. But this was my 30.

 

Guys, I think Bobby Dykes and Young Peter Jackson are outstanding picks. I never felt Billy Petrolle or Packey McFarland ever really ventured outside lightweight however. Maybe for the odd fight that had a good purse, but they were really career lightweights. As for Sam Langford, I never thought of him as a welter, but he did fight at the weight and actually for the title. But he outgrew the division by 1905 and fought at the heavier weights for the next 20 years. So it wasn't really a lengthy time at welter, but one can't deny he was there, so it is viable.

 

McVey, I guess I just don't have your touch. Either that or welters don't grab people like heavies.

 

BTW, Philly, I checked out the first Castro-Johnson fight over the weekend and inputted my score. however, it has already slid off to the second page.

 

Ra's, I didn't formulate rules, I just went with my own criteria. If you wish to recognise IBU champs, then do so, but remove IBU champs from your list. Remember, Contenders only. But please, let's see another 30 than just mine.

 

Ra's, I appreciate your passion, I really do. I also appreciate your passion for all things European, but they don't equate at the world level that we're talking about here. The IBU was never an equal to the NBA or NYSAC. Not even close. I have read articles on fights that carried the IBU tag and that title wasn't even mentioned. It was so peripheral the writer couldn't even bring it up. You mentioned Duilio Loi and Julio Cesar Chavez to the welterweight list, yet they didn't achieve anything at that weight class (and yes, I am aware Loi was Euro welter champ, but that was because the 140 title had not yet been reactivated). Conversely, you state that you don't rate Holman Williams or Ceferino Garcia as welters only middles. To be clear, Garcia was a ranked 147 pounder from '33 to '38 and fought for the welter title twice. Williams was ranked from '37 to '41 at that weight class with wins over Burley, Cocoa Kid and Izzy Jannozzo. They are both top welters. And please, don't even talk to me about Chris Christensen. He may have been fine in Europe, but when he did step up in class by going to the US to further his career (which he is to be applauded for) he had 9 fights and finished with a 3-6 record. He was strictly Euro-level, not world class.

 

So did McGirt. Colin jones was an excellent choice, however.

 

I loved Green and his 'muckspreader'. I think that left hook by Palomino damaged some goods there, however. Prime for prime it would be a helluva fight between Green and Jones. I think Green would take it on workrate.