JULY
2007
01 | The Life and Times of
a Boxing Pioneer By Enrique
Encinosa
02 | Poem of the
Month By Colleen Aycock
03 | In the Ring with James J. Corbett : Book Sample
By Adam Pollack
04 | My Candidate for
Manager of the Year: Cameron Dunkin
By Adam Pollack
05 | Touching
Gloves with Ruben Navarro By
Dan Hanley
06 | Flashback
to the 2006 World Boxing Hall of Fame Banquet
By Dan Hanley
07 | Why the Old Soviet
Block of Nations is having Success in Boxing
By Rocky Alkazoff
08 | "I'm from Down-Under
too" Reflections from IBHOF 2007
By Orion Foote
09 | Prelims:the Art &
Science of Matchmaking [pdf]
By Don
Cogswell
10 |
Boxing's Lineal Mathematics : Champion Versus Champion
By
Cliff Rold |
Boxing's Lineal Mathematics: Champion
Versus Champion
by
CLIFF ROLD
INTRODUCTION
Over the
course of this series, I will examine the battles between the sports elite, the
who fought who and how many times. By limiting the scope to only those men who
have held true lineal world championships in the now seventeen weight divisions
that dot the landscape, I don’t expect to find a definitive answer to who the
greatest of all time were. I do think light can be shed in a way that has not
been done before.
PART
TWO: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
In the
first part of this series, printed in the September issue of Wail!, I
reviewed the battles that had taken place between men who once held the
heavyweight championship of the world. Below heavyweight, things get more
interesting. That’s because, below heavyweight, some of the battles we find
among the lower weight champions might not have taken place at the weight class
in question. For instance, Sugar Ray Robinson fought Carmen Basilio
at middleweight but they both are counted as champions at middleweight AND
welterweight. The purpose of this study is to weigh how champions did against
each other (a round robin tournament of champions if you will) so in a case like
Robinson-Basilio, the results of their bouts will count in both weight classes.
You will also note later, in divisions like Lightweight, that the list of
champions diverts from what you might find in the Cyber Boxing Zone encyclopedia
of lineal champions. These champions will be noted in Italics and are mostly
recent Ring Magazine champions whom I believe held legitimate claim to
the World Championship (this will not include every Ring-recognized reign in
every division since they began reissuing titles in 2002). The scoring works
simply:
·
One point for each
fellow lineal champion in the division in question faced at any time in one’s
career (not just limited to title fights)
·
One point for a
win
·
Minus One point
for a loss
·
Half a point for a
draw or no contest
·
Two points for a
knockout win
·
Minus two points
for a knockout loss
·
An * is used to
denote a still-active fighter
·
Italics
represent a Championship reign I find accurate but not reflected at CBZ
·
Records are
compiled by checking BoxRec.com and CBZ and a recorded
newspaper decision from either is counted as a win
In
examining the light heavyweight division, one thing that jumps out is the lack
of continuity in the division, with the title vacant almost thirty of the last
one-hundred years. Its position below the heavyweight division has provided the
cash impetus to leave the confines of 175 lbs. whenever one has been able to
truly establish a name there. There have been notable exceptions and those men
emerge as strong presences all-time. The end of one period of vacancy will be
sure to inflame some fans, particularly in the United States.
The debate
will rage for years about just who was the light heavyweight champion beginning
around 1996. This list recognizes the start of the correct line of champions as
the result of Virgil Hill-Henry Maske for the following reasons:
1)
In 1996,
unification of the alphabet titles was still the primary way of separating
champions from titlists.
2)
In 1996, Hill was
the WBA titlist and Maske the IBF beltholder. The WBC
title was held by Fabrice Tiozzo.
3)
Prior to Hill-Maske,
Hill defended the WBA title against Tiozzo successfully. Tiozzo won his belt
after that fight but still concurrent with Hill’s reign.
4)
That result left
Hill and Maske as the only viable claimants to the crown at 175 when that fight
was signed. Notably, Roy Jones had yet to enter the division and would have his
first fight at 175 the same weekend as Hill-Maske.
The rest is
history…disputed history at that. I note this vacancy because contemporary fans
will wonder about the lack of Jones, Antonio Tarver and Bernard
Hopkins on this list as theirs is the more popular if historically
inaccurate line of champions at 175. For the purpose of fairness, if we
recognize Jones as the first light heavyweight champion since Michael Spinks
rather than Hill, then the points breakdown for that line would be based on
their career mark against each other and distributes as:
·
Roy Jones: -2
·
Antonio Tarver:
5
·
Glenn Johnson:
1
·
Bernard
Hopkins: 6
As you will
see on the total list of champions that would have been enough to see Tarver and
Hopkins finish among the top five in the tournament of champions format. It
would also mark Tarver as the first man in history ever to regain the lineal
title at 175. Roy would not get credit for wins against Hill and Julio Gonzalez
because only one historical line can be correct. That is the significance of
recognizing Hill-Maske as the birth of the modern light heavyweight line.
The chart
below features the accomplishments and scores of every lineal light heavyweight
champion in chronological order, followed by a look at the top 10.
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT: THE NUMBERS
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Jack
Root (1903) |
1 |
2-2-1,
1 KOBY |
-0.5 |
George
Gardner (1903) |
2 |
2-3-1,
1 KO |
3.5 |
Bob
Fitzsimmons (1903-1905) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KOBY |
0 |
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien (1905) |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
Jack
Dillon (1914-16) |
1 |
5-2-2 |
5 |
Battling Levisnky (1916-20) |
3 |
3-6-2,
1 KOBY |
-1 |
Georges
Carpentier (1920-22) |
3 |
1-2-1,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
2.5 |
Battling Siki (1922-24) |
3 |
1-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Mike
McTigue (1923-25) |
5 |
3-5, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
3 |
Paul
Berlenbach (1925-26) |
3 |
3-4, 1
KO, 3 KOBY |
-2 |
Jack
Delaney (1926-27) |
4 |
6-1-1,
1 KO |
11.5 |
Tommy
Loughran (1927) |
3 |
4-2-1 |
5.5 |
Maxie
Rosenbloom (1932-34) |
3 |
3-4 |
2 |
Bob
Olin (1934-35) |
3 |
1-4, 1
KOBY |
-2 |
John
Henry Lewis (1935-39) |
2 |
4-2, 1
KO |
6 |
Billy
Conn (1939-41) |
1 |
2-0 |
3 |
Gus
Lesnevich (1941-48) |
5 |
2-5, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Freddie
Mills (1948-50) |
2 |
1-2, 2
KOBY |
-3 |
Joey
Maxim (1950-52) |
4 |
2-4, 1
KO |
4 |
Archie
Moore (1952-62) |
3 |
6-1-1,
1 KO |
10.5 |
Harold
Johnson (1962-63) |
2 |
1-5, 1
KOBY |
-4 |
Willie
Pastrano (1963-65) |
4 |
3-1-1,
1 KOBY |
4.5 |
Jose
Torres (1965-66) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KO |
3 |
Dick
Tiger (1966-68) |
2 |
2-1, 1
KOBY |
1 |
Bob
Foster (1968-74) |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
Michael
Spinks (1983-85) |
0 |
|
0 |
Virgil
Hill (1996-97)* |
1 |
0-1 |
0 |
Dariusz
Michalzewski (1997-2003) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Julio
Gonzalez (2003)* |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Zsolt
Erdei (2004-Present)* |
1 |
1-0 |
2 |
TOP TEN
AT LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION
The top ten
names that emerge from this list span a century of time, covering the divisions
rich history almost from start to finish. They are…
10)
George Gardner
·
The second light
heavyweight champion…Faced only two others (Jack Root and Bob Fitzsimmons),
winning two and losing three with a knockout of Root in their first bout. – 3.5
points
7)
Bob Foster
·
In a three way tie
for seventh, Foster is considered by many the greatest of all light heavyweight
champions…Foster suffers from his own dominance…He faced only one fellow light
heavyweight champion, Dick Tiger, whom he obliterated by knockout – 4 points
7) Joey Maxim
·
Notable for his
willingness to face black fighters at a time when white fighters could easily
avoid them, Maxim was the only man ever to stop Sugar Ray Robinson…Maxim faced
four fellow light heavyweight champions (Moore, Pastrano, Lesnevich, Mills) with
two wins against four losses and a KO of Mills – 4 points
7)
Philadelphia Jack O’Brien
·
The strength of
the knockout win on this list surfaces here as O’Brien faced only one fellow
titlist, Fitzimmons, to capture the title by KO. – 4 points
6) Willie Pastrano
·
Immensely
popular fighter in the 50’s and 60’s suffered from inconsistency throughout his
career…Master boxer fought twelve years before capturing crown…Faced four
titlists (Johnson, Moore, Maxim, Torres) winning three and losing once by
stoppage.– 4.5 points
5)
Jack Dillon
·
A near two-year
reign from 1914-1916…Faced only one fellow titlist, Battling Levinsky, an
amazing 9 times winning five and drawing twice…Campaigned in his time against
the best from welterweight to heavyweight. – 5 points
4)
Tommy
Loughran
·
A true legend
in his time or any defeated Hall of Famers from welterweight to
heavyweight…captured title in 1927 from Mike McTigue and vacated in 1929 to
campaign at heavyweight…Also did battle with Georges Carpentier and Jack
Delaney…Never defeated Delaney with whom he lost and drew. – 5.5 points
3)
John Henry
Lewis
·
Like most light
heavyweights, most famous for a loss at heavyweight…Famously stopped while
losing his sight in one round by a Joe Louis who wanted to see him get a solid
payday…It would be Lewis’ final fight and he retired still king at 175…Faced two
fellow champions (Rosenbloom and Olin) for a record of 4 wins against two losses
with a knockout victory of Olin in a 1937 title defense. – 6 points
2)
Archie Moore
·
A light
heavyweight actually famous for being a great light heavyweight…the ‘Old
Mongoose’ didn’t capture the crown until his late thirties due to the color line
and the competitive character of Joey Maxim…Faced three fellow titlists (Maxim,
Johnson and Pastrano) for six wins against a lone loss and draw – 10.5 points
1) Jack Delaney
·
Won the title
from Paul Berlenbach in 1926 but never defended it, choosing as so many before
to move to heavyweight with mixed results…Rugged Canadian faced four fellow
titlists (Loughran, Rosenbloom, Berlenbach, McTigue) garnering six wins against
a lone loss and draw…Defeated each at least once. – 11.5 points
While few
would favor Delaney over Moore, the Canadians extra man faced from this list
(four to Moore’s three) is enough to make the difference. This is not though
the end of this reflection. In 1979, the light heavyweight and heavyweight
divisions were slightly fractured by the birth of the cruiserweight division.
Its lineage crumbled in 1988 by the departure of World champion Evander
Holyfield, no one would claim the divisions true World title again until 2006
(O’Neill Bell) which may explain why so many still ask “What the hell is a
cruiserweight?” It’s a fighter above 175 pounds but below 200 and their
champions have been:
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Marvin
Camel (1980) |
1 |
0-2, 1
KOBY |
-3 |
Carlos
DeLeon (1980-82, 83-85, 86-88) |
5 |
4-3, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
6 |
S.T.
Gordon (1982-83) |
1 |
1-1, 1
KO |
3 |
Alonzo
Ratliff (1985) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Bernard
Benton (1986) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Evander
Holyfield (1988)* |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
Jean
Marc Mormeck (2005-06, 07-Present)* |
1 |
1-1, 1
KOBY |
-1 |
O'Neill
Bell (2006-07)* |
1 |
1-1, 1
KO |
3 |
As
evidenced above, there isn’t a particularly deep or memorable history in this
class, but two champions deserve some mention…
2)
Evander
Holyfield
·
Considered rightly
by most to be the greatest of all time at cruiserweight, he didn’t stick around
long…Second place finish goes nicely with third place finish under these
measuring standards at heavyweight…defeated easily the only lineal cruiserweight
champion he faced, Carlos De Leon on the way to unifying all of the various
belts in the division. – 4 points
1)
Carlos De Leon
·
The most steady
performer in the first decade of cruiserweight history would hold the title
three times…Faced every man on the list from the division’s inception until
Holyfield’s departure…Fun fighter with a shaky chin. – 6 points
What is the
common denominator for both these weight classes? Simply that being a light
heavyweight, or cruiserweight, was just never as profitable as being a real
heavyweight. That said, there is enough dramatic history to provide these men
with a special place in boxing history. If you’re ready now, you can click
below to unveil the head to head champions of the middleweight class.
PART
THREE: THE MIDDLEWEIGHTS
The
cliché description is that middleweights have the speed of the little guys and
the knockout flair of the big ones. As you’ll see, there is a lot of truth in
that analysis. Unfortunately, the rich history of the division through the
first sixty years of the twentieth century had been a bit diluted over the last
forty with the birth of the super and junior classes to the division. I
struggled over whether to include super-middleweights here or with the light
heavyweights; after all, their weight limit (168) was encompassed by light
heavyweight until the division was established in 1984. Ultimately, it was the
fact that the bulk of the best fighters at 168 have been more associated with
middleweight than the class above that placed them here. In total, twenty slots
(though a few more than twenty fighters) from the three classes are rated.
The chart
below features the accomplishments and scores of every lineal super-middleweight
champion in chronological order, followed by a look at the top 3 (no need for
ten with such a short history).
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Murray
Sutherland (1984) |
1 |
0-1, 1
KOBY |
-2 |
Chong
Pal-Park (1984-88) |
3 |
1-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Fulgencio Olbemejias (1988-89) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KOBY |
0 |
In-Chul
Baek (1989-90) |
3 |
2-1, 2
KO, 1 KOBY |
6 |
Chris
Tiozzo (1990-91) |
1 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
1 |
Victor
Cordoba (1991-1992) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KO |
3 |
Michael
Nunn (1992-94) |
3 |
2-2 |
3 |
Steve
Little (1994) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Frank
Liles (1994-99) |
3 |
2-1, 1
KOBY |
2 |
Byron
Mitchell (1999-2000) |
3 |
1-2-1,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
2.5 |
Bruno
Girard (2000-2001) |
1 |
1-0-1 |
2.5 |
Joe
Calzaghe (2006)* |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
TOP
THREE AT SUPER MIDDLWEIGHT CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION
The top
names that emerge aren’t likely to be remembered with the all-time greats with
the exception of one, and due to this lists focus on lineal titles a great
number of the best fighters in the class (men like Roy Jones, James Toney
and Sven Ottke) do not appear here. That said, it is a weight class
beginning to emerge in 2006, and for a period in the 1990’s, as an elite
division worth watching. The top three champs are…
3)
Michael Nunn
& Victor Cordoba
·
Well, actually
it’s four and not a bit ironic that these two would share that spot...Nunn won
the title from Cordoba in 1992 on a controversial nod and kept it in similar
fashion…Cordoba faced two fellow champions (winning the title from Chris Tiozzo)
going 1-2 with 1 KO…Nunn faced three titlists total (Cordoba, Little, Liles),
going 2-2, and is the only fighter in history to capture the lineal title at 168
and at the classic 160 lb. middleweight class…3 points
2)
Joe Calzaghe
·
Calzaghe is the
current World champion of the division…Defended alphabet title (WBO) 19
times and gained recognition as the head of the class in 2006 with a win over
American Jeff Lacy…His score is unlikely to rise with all of the former
champions of the division retired but he may go down as the best yet in the
class…Did face then-former champion Byron Mitchell in as sensational a
two-round bout as there can be…4 points
1)
In-Chul Baek
·
South Korean
native not a memorable name but had a successful run at 168…Held World title for
less than one year…Ultimately faced three other champions (Park, Obelmejias,
Tiozzo) going 2-1 with a knockout finish in every one of those three bouts…6
points
If Super
middleweight is short on history, middleweight has more than enough to spare. A
division with so many legitimate Hall of Famers on its champions rolls that it
could be its own wing in Canastota, middleweight may also be the source of more
fight of the year-type battles than any other class. Two decades in the last 11
have seen the title splintered among multiple claimants (the 1930’s and 1990’s)
but for the most part it has been a class with remarkable consistency to its
lineal crown.
The chart
below features the accomplishments and scores of every lineal middleweight
champion in chronological order, followed by a look at the top 10. Take your
time in perusing…the depth of names is awe-inspiring.
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Jack
Dempsey (1884-1891) |
2 |
0-2, 2
KOBY |
-4 |
Bob
Fitzsimmons (1891-1985) |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
Tommy
Ryan (1898-1906) |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
Stanley
Ketchel (1907-08, 08) |
2 |
3-1-1,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
4.5 |
Billy
Papke (1908) |
2 |
1-4-1,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
-0.5 |
Frank
Klaus (1913) |
3 |
1-2-2,
2 KOBY |
-1 |
George
Chip (1913-14) |
3 |
4-4, 2
KO, 1 KOBY |
5 |
Al
McCoy (1914-17) |
3 |
1-6, 1
KO, 2 KOBY |
-4 |
Mike
O'Dowd (1917-20) |
3 |
3-2, 2
KO |
8 |
Johnny
Wilson (1920-23) |
3 |
2-4,
1KOBY |
-1 |
Harry
Greb (1923-26) |
6 |
8-5 |
9 |
Tiger
Flowers (1926) |
3 |
3-2, 1
KO |
6 |
Mickey
Walker (1926-31) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Tony
Zale (1941-47, 48) |
2 |
2-2, 2
KO, 2 KOBY |
2 |
Rocky
Graziano (1947-48) |
2 |
1-3, 1
KO, 3 KOBY |
-4 |
Marcel
Cerdan (1948-49) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Jake
LaMotta (1949-51) |
2 |
2-4, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
0 |
Sugar
Ray Robinson (1951, 51-52, 55-57, 57, 58-60) |
9 |
13-9-1,
7 KO |
27.5 |
Randy
Turpin (1951) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
1 |
Carl
Olson (1952-55) |
2 |
1-4, 3
KOBY |
-7 |
Gene
Fullmer (1957) |
4 |
5-3-2,
2 KO, 2 KOBY |
7 |
Carmen
Basilio (1957-58) |
3 |
1-4, 2
KOBY |
-4 |
Paul
Pender (1960-61, 62-63) |
4 |
5-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
7 |
Terry
Downes (1961-62) |
4 |
3-3, 1
KO, 2 KOBY |
2 |
Dick
Tiger (1963, 65-66) |
5 |
6-4-1,
2 KO |
11.5 |
Joey
Giardello (1963-65) |
4 |
3-3-1 |
4.5 |
Emile
Griffith (1966-67, 67) |
5 |
3-6, 1
KOBY |
0 |
Nino
Benvenuti (1967, 1968-70) |
3 |
2-4, 2
KOBY |
-3 |
Carlos
Monzon (1970-1977) |
3 |
6-0, 3
KO |
15 |
Rodrigo
Valdez (1977-78) |
2 |
0-4 |
-2 |
Hugo
Corro (1978-79) |
2 |
2-1 |
3 |
Vito
Antufermo (1979-80) |
3 |
1-3-1,
2 KOBY |
-2.5 |
Alan
Minter (1980) |
3 |
3-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
5 |
Marvin
Hagler (1980-87) |
3 |
2-1-1,
2 KO |
8.5 |
Ray
Leonard (1987) |
1 |
1-0 |
2 |
Michael
Nunn (1989-91) |
1 |
0-1, 1
KOBY |
-2 |
James
Toney (1991-93)* |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
Bernard
Hopkins (2001-2005)* |
1 |
0-2 |
-1 |
Jermain
Taylor (2005-Present)* |
1 |
2-0 |
3 |
TOP TEN
AT MIDDLWEIGHT CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION
This is a
list in little need of introduction as almost everyone on it is in the Hall of
Fame. I will say that it is likely that only his untimely death at age 24 that
kept Stanley Ketchel from the upper echelon here. So great that the top
ten needed eleven fighters…
10)
tie - George
Chip & Alan Minter
·
Easily forgotten
names got some good business done ¾ of a century apart…Chip faced three fellow
champs (Klaus, McCoy, Greb) eight times with four wins against the same number
of losses with two stops and one KO loss…Minter is probably most famous for the
riot his fans caused following his stoppage on a cut to Marvin Hagler…Faced
three champs (Griffith, Antufermo, Hagler) posting three wins versus a single
loss…5 points
9)
Tiger Flowers
·
Untimely death of
“The Georgia Deacon” on the operating table keeps him from soaring to greater
heights…Legend says he was robbed of title against Mickey Walker…bested Harry
Greb two of three…Faced three total (Wilson, Greb, Walker) five times with three
wins against two losses…6 points
7) Paul Pender
·
The man who ended
the reign of Sugar Ray Robinson once and for all…Not fondly remembered but
posted impressive mark against fellow champions…Faced four (Robinson, Downes,
Fullmer, Basilio) seven times winning five against two losses…Captured title
twice and retired as middleweight king…7 points
7)
Gene Fullmer
·
A legendary,
humble warrior who humorously has said “Robinson couldn’t be the best ever if I
beat him”…Along with heavyweight Jack Dempsey, gives Mormon country some
bragging rights for toughness…Faced four champions in ten bouts(Robinson,
Pender, Basilio, Tiger) winning five against three losses…First fight with
Basilio the 1959 Fight of the Year…7 points
6) Mike O’Dowd
·
A surprise to this
writer as I knew little of this former champion…Stopped only once in 108
fights…Faced three championship alum (Wilson, McCoy and Greb) in five fights
posting three wins against two losses…Stopped McCoy twice…8 points
5) Marvelous Marvin Hagler
·
A top five
finish? Anything less would be uncivilized…Probably beat better middleweights on
his way to the title but had amazing class of welterweights rise to challenge
him as champion…Faced three alum over four bouts (Antufermo, Minter, Leonard)
with both wins by KO…Draw with Vito and loss to Leonard still draw howls of
controversy…8.5 points
4)
Harry Greb
·
Faced second
most fellow middleweight champions (6 – Chip, McCoy, O’Dowd, Wilson, Walker,
Flowers) in an impressive 13 bouts and suffers only for lack of knockout
punch…Considered by many not just best ever at 160 but best period…Beat every
man to hold title from 1913-1931…Died on operating table at age 32 with plenty
of fight left in him…9 points
3)
Dick Tiger
·
Perhaps
greatest African fighter to ever live and among the physically strongest from
any nation…Deadly grinder faced five alum (Downes, Giardello, Fullmer, Griffith,
Benvenuti) eleven times with six wins…only Griffith could escape Tiger without a
loss and Fullmer’s career ended at his hands…11.5 points
2)
Carlos
Monzon
·
Strong argument
that his 14 lineal title defenses is still division record over the twenty
fractured defenses of Bernard Hopkins…Argentine beast ruled division from
1970-77 and defeated every man who did or would hold the crown from
1966-78…Faced three fellow champions (Griffith, Benvenuti, Valdes) for a perfect
6-0 mark and three knockout wins…15 points
1)
Sugar Ray
Robinson
·
No surprise
here for five-time middleweight king with a lopsided ledger in favor of perhaps
the greatest fighter to ever live…Robinson faced more fellow middleweight
champions than any one in history (9 – LaMotta, Graziano, Turpin, Oslon, Fullmer,
Basilio, Pender, Downes, Giardello) a remarkable 23 total times with a record of
13-9-1 and 7 KO’S…Draw with Fullmer in third fight still highly disputed…Both
bouts with Basilio named Fight of the Year (1957, 58)…27.5 points
The only
thing one can say after looking at that list of champions and what they did
against each other is “Wow!” Of course, that’s not the end of the legacy of the
middleweight division. In 1962, Emile Griffith would be crowned the first
champion at 154 pounds (or junior middleweight). Outside of short runs for
Griffith and Nino Benvenuti, the division languished without much respect until
the era of Sugar Ray Leonard when it became a way-station for welterweights who
had outgrown their class but could still draw top dollar without tempting the
rough waters at 160. Their roll call of champions features enough Hall of Fame
names to have carved a distinct and respectable history to consider.
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Emile
Griffith (1962) |
2 |
2-2, 1
KO |
4 |
Ralph
Dupas (1963) |
2 |
0-4, 3
KOBY |
-8 |
Sandro
Mazzhinghi (1963-65, 68) |
4 |
3-2-1,
2 KO, 1 KOBY |
7.5 |
Nino
Benvenuti (1965-66) |
3 |
4-2, 1
KO |
7 |
Ki-Soo
Kim (1966-68) |
3 |
2-1 |
4 |
Freddie
Little (1969-70) |
3 |
1-2-1,
1 KO |
6.5 |
Carmelo
Bossi (1970-71) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KOBY |
-1 |
Koichi
Wajima (1971-74, 75, 76) |
5 |
3-4, 1
KO, 4 KOBY |
-2 |
Oscar
Albarado (1974-75) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
1 |
Jae-Do
Yuh (1975-76) |
1 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
1 |
Jose
Duran (1976) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KO |
4 |
Miguel
Castellini (1976-77) |
3 |
2-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
3 |
Eddie
Gazo (1977-78) |
4 |
2-3, 1
KO, 2 KOBY |
1 |
Masashi
Kudo (1978-79) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Ayub
Kalule (1979-81) |
5 |
4-1, 3
KO, 1 KOBY |
12 |
Ray
Leonard (1981) |
3 |
2-2-1,
2 KO |
7.5 |
Thomas
Hearns (1984-86)* |
2 |
1-1-1,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
2.5 |
Terry
Norris (1995-97) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KOBY |
1 |
Keith
Mullings (1997-1999) |
3 |
1-2, 1
KOBY |
4 |
Javier
Castillejo (1999-2001)* |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Oscar
De La Hoya (2001-2003)* |
2 |
1-2 |
1 |
Shane
Mosley (2003-2004)* |
2 |
2-2 |
2 |
Winky
Wright (2004-2005)* |
2 |
3-0 |
5 |
TOP
SEVEN AT JUNIOR MIDDLWEIGHT CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION
Due to
its shorter history, I meant to rank only seven men but a four-way tie at that
spot leaves ten names here as well.
7)
tie – Emile Griffith, Jose Duran, Ki-Soo Kim, Keith Mullings
·
Not much
separating these four…Griffith the first king of the class…4 points
6)
Ronald “Winky” Wright
·
Last man to
hold Junior middle crown made his bones there for near a decade…Often ducked and
avoided by big names finally broke through against Shane Mosley twice in
2004…Faced two fellow champs (Mullings, Mosley) three times without a loss
before beginning ongoing campaign at 160…5 points
5)
Freddie Little
·
Short reign but
faced three alum (Kim, Bossi, Mazzinghi) a total of four times…Missippi native a
model of perseverance who scored five straight wins after dropping title…6.5
points
4)
Nino Benvenuti
·
Olympic Gold
Medalist would later add two reigns as king of middleweights…Faced three alum of
this championship class (Griffith, Mazzinghi, Kim) picking up four wins and a
single KO…7 points
2)
Sandro Mazzinghi
·
Two-time
champion in formative years of the weight class…Faced four fellow kings (Dupas,
Little, Kim, Benvenuti)…Outclassed by Benvenuti on both occasions but beat each
of the other three…7.5 points
2)
Ray Leonard
·
Biggest money
draw in Boxing during the 1980’s...Credit here for bouts against Hearns as each
held real world title at 154 and the knockout win over Kalule looms large…Faced
three total championship alum (Kalule, Hearns, Norris)…1981 bout with Hearns at
Welterweight was Fight of the Year…Norris bout formatively ended Leonard era…7.5
points
1)
Ayub Kalule
·
Perhaps a
surprise considering KO loss to Leonard but Kalule got a lot of business done at
154…Tied with Koichi Wajima for most fellow 154 lb. champs faced at five
(Leonard, Kudo, Castellini, Duran, Albarado) once apiece with three wins by
KO…12 points
Not a
bad little history for this lineal championship though the plethora of alphabet
titles means that this list can’t tell the whole history of the class. Still,
any list with room for Wright, Leonard, Griffith and Benvenuti has a lot to say
for itself though certainly not as much as the history of the welterweight class
will say. Click below to move on to my look at the welterweight champions.
PART
FOUR: THE WELTERWEIGHTS
This
list surprised me as names I wasn’t that familiar with drowned out some that I
assumed when beginning this research would be right near the top. You’ll see
what I mean. That said, this is a weight class almost without peer, a spot that
has provided big money, big memories and big names for over a century. No list
of the greatest fighters that ever lived fails to look closely at the men who
wore the crown at 147 pounds and with good reason.
In this
analysis of champions versus champions, there are two weight classes to
consider. With measurable prominence, a junior welterweight class first emerged
in 1922 and has defined a raw history for itself. In this fourth chapter, I
will look at the top ten all-time at welterweight along with the top five at
junior welterweight (140 lbs.).
The
modern welterweight championship begins around the waist of Paddy Duffy
in 1888 and resides today with Floyd Mayweather.
There have been innumerable fights amongst the men who held that crown in the
118 years this list covers and their contests produced the following results.
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Paddy
Duffy (1888-90) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Billy
Smith (1892-94, 98-00) |
4 |
2-8-5,
4 KOBY |
-7.5 |
Tommy
Ryan (1894-98) |
1 |
3-0-4,
1 KO |
10 |
Matty
Matthews (1900, 00-01) |
4 |
4-7-1,
2 KO, 3 KOBY |
-0.5 |
Eddie
Connolly (1900) |
3 |
1-4-1,
3 KOBY |
-5.5 |
Rube
Ferns (1900, 01) |
4 |
6-3, 4
KO, 1 KOBY |
13 |
Joe
Walcott (1901-04, 04-06) |
4 |
4-3-2,
3 KO, 1 KOBY |
10 |
Dixie
Kid (1904) |
2 |
1-0-1 |
3.5 |
Honey
Mellody (1906-07) |
4 |
4-1, 2
KO |
11 |
Mike
Sullivan (1907-08) |
2 |
2-0 |
4 |
Waldemar Holberg (1914) |
1 |
0-1 |
0 |
Tom
McCormick (1914) |
2 |
1-1 |
1 |
Matt
Wells (1914-15) |
3 |
1-2, 1
KOBY |
0 |
Mike
Glover (1915) |
3 |
3-4 |
2 |
Jack
Britton (1915, 16-17, 19-22) |
3 |
12-8-5,
1 KO |
11.5 |
Ted
Lewis (1915-16, 17-19) |
3 |
10-8-5,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
7.5 |
Mickey Walker (1922-26) |
5 |
2-5, 1 KOBY |
0 |
Petey
Latzo (1926-27) |
2 |
1-2 |
1 |
Joe
Dundee (1927-29) |
4 |
2-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
4 |
Jackie
Fields (1929-30, 32-33) |
5 |
4-4, 1
KOBY |
3 |
Jack
Thompson (1931) |
5 |
2-7-1,
1 KO |
2.5 |
Lou
Brouillard (1931-32) |
5 |
5-1 |
9 |
Young
Corbett III (1933) |
5 |
6-2-1,
1 KOBY |
7.5 |
Jimmy
McLarnin (1933-34, 34-35) |
5 |
5-2, 2
KO |
12 |
Barney
Ross (1934, 35-38) |
2 |
2-2 |
2 |
Henry
Armstrong (1938-40) |
3 |
2-3, 1
KOBY |
0 |
Fritzie
Zivic (1940-41) |
3 |
3-4,
1KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Freddie
Cochrane (1941-46) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KOBY |
3 |
Marty
Servo (1946) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KO |
3 |
Sugar
Ray Robinson (1946-50) |
5 |
8-1, 1
KO |
14 |
Kid
Gavilan (1951-54) |
4 |
1-4 |
1 |
Johnny
Saxton (1954-55, 56) |
4 |
3-3, 3
KOBY |
-2 |
Tony
DeMarco (1955) |
5 |
3-4, 2
KO, 3 KOBY |
2 |
Carmen
Basilio (1955-56, 56-57) |
4 |
5-3, 4
KO |
14 |
Virgil
Akins (1958) |
4 |
2-5, 2
KO |
5 |
Don
Jordan (1958-60) |
3 |
2-2 |
3 |
Benny
Paret (1960-61, 61-62) |
2 |
1-4, 2
KOBY |
-5 |
Emile
Griffith (1961, 62-63, 63-66) |
3 |
5-2, 2
KO |
10 |
Luis
Rodriguez (1963) |
4 |
6-5, 1
KOBY |
3 |
Curtis
Cokes (1966-69) |
2 |
2-3, 1
KO, 2 KOBY |
-1 |
Jose Napoles (1969-70, 71-75) |
4 |
4-2, 3 KO, 2 KOBY |
8 |
Billy
Backus (1970-71) |
1 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
1 |
John
Stracey (1975-76) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Carlos
Palomino (1976-79) |
3 |
1-2, 1
KO |
4 |
Wilfred Benitez (1979) |
3 |
2-1, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Ray
Leonard (1979-80, 80-82) |
2 |
3-1, 2
KO |
8 |
Roberto
Duran (1980) |
3 |
2-2, 1
KOBY |
1 |
Donald
Curry (1985-86) |
2 |
2-1, 1
KOBY |
1 |
Lloyd
Honeyghan (1986-87, 88-89) |
4 |
3-2, 2
KO, 1 KOBY |
7 |
Jorge
Vaca (1987-88) |
4 |
2-3, 1
KO, 3 KOBY |
-1 |
Marlon
Starling (1989-90) |
4 |
2-3, 1
KO |
5 |
Maurice
Blocker (1990-91) |
4 |
1-3, 2
KOBY |
-2 |
Simon
Brown (1991) |
4 |
2-2, 2
KO |
8 |
Buddy
McGirt (1991-93) |
2 |
1-2 |
1 |
Pernell
Whitaker (1993-97) |
3 |
2-2 |
3 |
Oscar De La Hoya (1997-99)* |
5 |
2-4, 1 KO |
5 |
Felix
Trinidad (1999) |
4 |
4-0, 2
KO |
12 |
Shane
Mosley (2000-2002)* |
2 |
2-2 |
2 |
Vernon
Forrest (2002-2003)* |
3 |
3-2, 1
KOBY |
2 |
Ricardo
Mayorga (2003)* |
4 |
2-3, 1
KO, 2 KOBY |
1 |
Cory Spinks (2003-2005)* |
3 |
3-1, 1KO, 1 KOBY |
5 |
Zab
Judah (2005-2006)* |
2 |
1-2, 1
KO |
3 |
Carlos
Baldomir (2006)* |
3 |
1-2 |
2 |
Floyd Mayweather (2006-Present)* |
3 |
3-0 |
6 |
TOP TEN
AT WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION
Reading
through a list of the welterweight champions brings any Boxing fan a flood of
memories no matter when they were born. From Armstrong to Robinson to Leonard,
the word greatness just never seems enough. Surprisingly, neither Armstrong nor
Leonard makes the top ten here. Armstrong holds the record for title defenses
in the class (18) but scored a zero on this scale having faced three fellow
champions but posting only two wins against three losses, no knockout wins and a
stoppage loss to Zivic. Leonard scored better at eight points, two points shy
of a tie for tenth and one point shy of a tie for the next slot with Jose
Napoles. The top ten is as follows, beginning and ending with ties:
10)
tie – Tommy Ryan, Joe Walcott, Emile Griffith
·
Three
remarkable Hall of Famers share the number ten spot…Had the term been popular in
his day, Ryan may well have been considered the pound-for-pound king; faced only
one other champ (Smith) seven times with three wins and 4 draws…Walcott stood
only 5’1 but was a giant; faced four (Smith, Ferns, Dixie and Mellody) going
4-3-2 with 3 KO’s…Griffith fought in one of the great early 1960’s, capturing
the crown three times; faced three (Napoles, Rodriguez, Paret) winning five and
scoring two KO’s including the fatal stoppage of Paret in their third bout…10
points
7)
Honey Mellody
·
From three Hall
of Fame names to a man who may not join them but held his own with the
best…Largely forgotten champion who lost near a third of his fights did
remarkably well against his fellow champions…Faced four (Matthews, Sullivan,
Walcott, Connolly) going 4-1 with two KO’s…11 points
6)
Jack Britton
·
Three-time
champ will always be remembered for amazing twenty fight series with Ted
Lewis…Hall of Fame welter faced 3 alum of the championship class (Walker,
Glover, Lewis) twenty-five times with twelve wins and at least one against each
man…Scored only one KO in those bouts (of Lewis of course)…11.5 points
4) Felix Trinidad
·
Certain future
Hall of Famer tied for fourth…Younger fans may be scratching their heads at some
of the early names on this list but they’ll know this one…Undefeated in 36 bouts
at welterweight, he held the IBF title for near six years and 13 defenses before
defeating Oscar De la Hoya in 1999 for the crown in his last fight at
welter…Faced four fellow champs (Blocker, Whitaker, De la Hoya, Mayorga) for
four wins, two by knockout…Considered among Puerto Rico’s greatest offerings to
the game…12 points
4)
Jimmy McLarnin
·
Two time champ
best remembered for three fight series with great Barney Ross…Started career
facing top flyweights...Won crown with shocking first round KO of Corbett and
lost crown in first defense of each reign…Faced five champions (Corbett III,
Ross, Thompson, Brouillard, Fields) defeating them all with two KO’s…12 points
3) Rube Ferns
·
One of only two
men listed in the top ten not enshrined at Canastota…Ferns shortly reigned twice
at the turn of the century…Faced four fellow titlists (Matthews, Smith,
Connolly, Walcott) a total of nine times with six wins…Scored four knockouts
versus one knockout loss…13 points
1) Carmen Basilio
·
Arguably the
greatest action fighter in the history of Boxing, fought in five consecutive
Fight of the Year winners…Fitting that he finished tied with Robinson as their
personal rivalry series remains forever tied…Faced four fellow champs (Robinson,
DeMarco, Saxton, Gavilan) with five wins and three KO’s…Only Gavilan could
escape Basilio without a loss…14 points
1)
Sugar Ray Robinson
·
Considered by
most the greatest welterweight in history…he never lost at 147 pounds in over
100 bouts at the weight… Won welter crown after being avoided for some span of
years in a bout to fill the then-vacant crown against Tommy Bell…Tied
with McLarnin and six others for most fellow welter kings faced (5 – Armstrong,
Zivic, Servo, Gavilan, Basilio) nine times but scored only one KO…Only loss to a
fellow welter king was at Middleweight against Basilio…Not enough superlatives
for the Sugar man…14 points
In both
divisions where he has appeared, Robinson finishes first (though tied here).
Could it be more fitting? The thing I really like about these lists is the
balance we find reflected between the old and new eras of the game. The thing I
love about this class is just how tough it was to crack the top ten and how many
undeniably great fighters fell short. Great business has been done at
welterweight.
The same
can be said at 140 lbs. or junior welterweight. It is a division with its own
rich history and one that recently produced arguably the best fight of the
1980’s (Aaron Pryor- Alexis Arguello) and 1990’s (Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick
Taylor); don’t be surprised if Arturo Gatti-Mickey Ward wins fight of this
decade to make it three in a row for the division. Sure to surprise some fans,
Chavez, perhaps the most dominant champion of this class and arguably the best
Mexican fighter ever finished with the lowest score in champion versus champion
comparison. The division basically died from the mid-1930s to the late 1950s
but has never looked back since. The total list is as follows:
Champion |
Fellow
Champions Fought |
Record |
Final
Score |
Pinky
Mitchell (1922-1926) |
1 |
0-1 |
0 |
Mushy
Callahan (1926-30) |
2 |
1-2, 1
KOBY |
0 |
Jackie
Berg (1930-31) |
3 |
4-2, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
5 |
Tony
Canzoneri (1931-32, 33) |
4 |
3-5, 1
KO |
4 |
Johnny
Jaddick (1932-33) |
2 |
2-1 |
3 |
Battling Shaw (1933) |
2 |
1-1 |
2 |
Barney
Ross (1933-35) |
1 |
2-0 |
3 |
Tippy
Larkin (1946) |
1 |
0-1 |
0 |
Carlos
Ortiz (1959-60) |
2 |
1-2-1 |
1.5 |
Duilio
Loi (1960-62, 62-63) |
2 |
3-2-1 |
3.5 |
Eddie
Perkins (1962, 63-65) |
3 |
1-3-1 |
1.5 |
Carlos
Hernandez (1965-66) |
3 |
1-3 |
1 |
Sandro
Lopopolo (1966-67) |
3 |
1-2, 1
KOBY |
0 |
Paul
Fuji (1967-68) |
2 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Nicolino Locche (1968-72) |
6 |
5-2-1,
1 KO, 1 KOBY |
9.5 |
Alfonso
Frazier (1972) |
3 |
1-3, 3
KOBY |
-5 |
Antonio
Cervantes (1972-76) |
4 |
3-3, 3
KO, 1 KOBY |
8 |
Wilfred
Benitez (1976-79) |
1 |
1-0 |
2 |
Aaron
Pryor (1983-86) |
2 |
2-0, 2
KO |
8 |
Julio
Cesar Chavez (1990-94, 94-96) |
3 |
1-4, 3
KOBY |
-6 |
Frankie
Randall (1994) |
1 |
1-1 |
1 |
Oscar
De La Hoya (1996-97)* |
1 |
2-0, 2
KO |
7 |
Kostya
Tszyu (2001-2005)* |
2 |
1-1, 1
KO, 1 KOBY |
2 |
Ricky
Hatton (2005-Present)* |
1 |
1-0, 1
KO |
4 |
TOP FIVE
AT JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION
Again we
get a good spread of talent across the ages with the top five here. Four of the
five are in the Hall of Fame; the other will certainly join them.
5) Jackie Berg
·
Berg a true
all-time great and the first truly great champion at 140…First man to defeat
Kid Chocolate pro or amateur…Classic three fight series with Tony
Canzoneri, the man who finished one point behind him on the list of
champions, though Berg lost two of the three…Faced three total champs (Callahan,
Canzoneri, Larkin) a total of six times winning four of those bouts…5 points
4)
Oscar De la Hoya
·
Unlikely to see
score rise or fall, this was likely the best weight for the “Golden Boy”…Two
bouts against Chavez (one at 147 lbs.); both ended by knockout…Only two fights
total in the division…7 points
2)
Aaron Pryor
·
Considered by
many the greatest ever at 140…Only rose to weight because of merciless ducking
at 135…Drug abuse shortened career and harmed legacy…Always to be remembered for
bouts with Arguello…Fought and knocked out two fellow kings (Cervantes,
Frazier)…It’s “Hawk Time”…8 points
2) Antonio Cervantes
·
Tied with the
man who ended his championship experience at 140…Cervantes was as slick as they
came…Never managed to get lightweight great Roberto Duran in the ring but
did defeat Duran rival Esteban DeJesus…Faced four fellow champs a total
of six times (Loche, Frazier, Benitez, Pryor) scoring three wins and knockouts…8
points
1)
Nicolino Locche
·
Nicknamed “The
Untouchable,” this Argentine defensive genius lost only four times in 135 fights
but had 14 draws…Stopped only once in Cervantes rematch after decision win in
first bout…Faced six fellow champions (Ortiz, Lopopolo, Perkins, Cervantes,
Frazier, Fuji) a total of eight times with five wins to show for it…Finally
added to the Hall of Fame in 2003…Name belongs with Willie Pep and Pernell
Whitaker in race for greatest defensive fighter of twentieth century…9.5 points
That
leaves us at about the halfway mark for Boxing’s seventeen weight classes. In
the next issue of Wail! you’ll find the results for every remaining
weight division from light to straw-weight but that is not the end. A series in
four submissions, the final chapter will lay every champion, from every weight
class, onto the same list, with the same formula, to see who emerges as the top
twenty-five champions (pound-for-pound if you will). As I’m sure is noticeable,
there are a lot of numbers to crunch here. If anyone spots an error in
calculation, feel free to email me at
roldboxing@hotmail.com and that error will be corrected by the final act.
As an addendum and indication of this, I erred in compiling the numbers fro
Lennox Lewis whose record against heavyweight champions should have read 11.5
points (I had failed to credit him with three knockout wins instead only listing
two). See you in the next issue of Wail!
Note:
Cliff Rold is a regular columnist at BoxingScene.com
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