Vic, Beau Jack has a special place in my heart, because he was in the main event in the first PRO fight card my dad took me to...I saw the tornado that was Beau Jack many times after at MSG against Henry Armstrong, Tippy Larkin, Bob Montgomery, Al [Bummy ] Davis, Tony Janiro, Ike Williams in Philly etc, and every fight of his was action packed with his cyclonic attack. The great Beau Jack was ruined by bad management that booked him into about 60 tough bouts in 3-4 years. He started to burn out by the time Ike Williams almost killed the brave Beau in Philly in 1948. How i would love for our ESB posters to have seen Beau Jack in his prime ! We only have him on film I believe once against Ike Williams,in Philly which i and a boyhood friend traveled by bus to see. He was on the way out by this time. He ended up shining shoes at the famous Fountainbleu in Miami, Fl, broke but was befriended by Frank Sinatra,and other fans whom he gave so many thrills to. We all loved Beau Jack, who SOLD out the old MSG SEVEN times in ONE YEAR...Good ole Sidney Walker....Cheers V...
Love these picks, Burt! Wasn't expecting you to go purely from your own time, but I think the results and selections are better for it.
+1 Would really like to hear reasons and opinions too. I always thought Newsboy Brown quite forgotten and underrated in a really great era of flys. Panama Al brown, Kid Chocolate, Mc Larnin, Battalino, Larbaba, Genaro. Bushy Graham is another that doesnt get mentioned alot. Very surprised if no-ones written a book on Nelson.
Minimumweight: Ricardo Lopez Light Flyweight: Michael Carbajal Flyweight: Fighting Harada Super Flyweight: Vic Darchinyan Bantamweight: Jeff Fenech Super Bantamweight: Wilfredo Gomez Featherweight: Erik Morales Super Featherweight: Manny Pacquiao Lightweight: Roberto Duran Super Lightweight: Aaron Pryor Welterweight: Oscar De La Hoya Super Welterweight: Mike McCallum Middleweight: Marvin Hagler Super Middleweight: Roy Jones Jr. Light Heavyweight: Dwight Muhammad Qawi Cruiserweight: James Toney Heavyweight: Mike Tyson
Heavyweight: Muhammad Ali Light Heavyweight: Eddie Mustafa Muhammad Super Middleweight: Roy Jones Middleweight: Bernard Hopkins Light Middleweight: Thomas Hearns Welterweight: SRL/SRR Junior Welterweight: Roberto Duran :smoke Lightweight: Edwin Rosario Super Featherweight: Alexis Arguello Featherweight: Jeff Fenech Super Bantamweight: Wilfredo Gomez Bantamweight: Jeff Chandler/Lupe Pintor
Don't forget Wee Willie Davies (who was better than just about all of them), Midget Wolgast, Black Bill, Spider Pladner and Corporal Izzy Schwartz. Just an insanely tough division.
Heavyweight: Larry Holmes Cruiserweight: None Light Heavyweight: Harold Johnson Super Middleweight: None (though I'm trying to like Andre Ward to keep some sort of an interest in the sport nowadays) Middleweight: Marvin Hagler, Joey Archer, Joey Giardello, Yama Bahama Light Middleweight: Winky Wright Welterweight: Kid Gavilan, Billy Graham, Luis Federico Thomspon, Jose Napoles, Marlon Starling Super Lightweight: Nicolino Locche, Buddy MCGirt, Packey MCFarland, Harold Brazier Lightweight: Pernell Whitaker, Stevie Johnston, Ismael Laguna, Manuel Alvarez Super Featherweight: None Featherweight: Ernesto Marcel, Johnny Famechon, Jim Driscoll Super Bantamweight: Jeff Fenech Bantamweight: Miguel Lora Super Flyweight: None Flyweight: Miguel Canto, Mark Johnson, Betulio Gonzalez Light Flyweight: Myung Woo Yuh Straweight: None
Heavyweight - Joe Frazier, Jersey Joe Walcott. Light Heavyweight - Ezzard Charles Middleweight - Marvin Hagler Welterweight - Carmen Basilio, Kid Gavilan Lightweight - Roberto Duran, Ken Buchanan, Alexis Arguello. Featherweight - Juan Manuel Marquez.
HW: Louis CW: Holyfield LHW: Saad Muhammad SMW: Meh MW: Hagler JMW: McCallum WW: Curry JWW: Meh LW: Mando Ramos JLW: Arguello and Chacon FW: Sanchez and Chacon JFW: Israel Vasquez BW: Israel Vasquez
Meh on 140 Sal'? Even though it features pugilistic masters such as Chavez, Locche, Cervantes, Fuji?!? Thought one of 'em would've tickled your fancy.
HW: Bugner, Young CW: Entertainer Nelson LHW: Tarver SMW: Ottke MW: Pender, Corro JMW: DLH, Dagge WW: Saxton JWW: Arcari LW: Vilomar Fernandez, Edwin Viruet JLW: Serrano FW: Jim McDonnell, Medina JFW: Yum BW: Ray Minus, Montiel SFW: Greg Richardson MIdget freaks: Calderon
Eh............I could pick Cervantes I guess, by default. Chavez I hate with the heat of a thousand suns, and Locche was a clown.