By Cliff Rold

The Eight, Pt. 5

For any new boxing fan, the time is not long before a fellow fan points out a magic number which grows more mythologized with time: eight.  As in boxing’s original eight weight classes.  The number represents in the mind of many a time when the sport was compressed into fields which couldn’t help but be talented, couldn’t help but draw crowds, because there were so few places on the scale to go.  They were divisions marked by single champions ever challenged by a depth of contenders today’s seventeen weight classes rarely know.

Reflection and research reveals this was not always the case, but it was true often enough to bestow a mystique on boxing’s ‘original eight weight classes’ which carries through to the modern day.  As good as they can be, as great as some of their competitors have been and still are, weight classes prefixed by a “Jr.” designation will always be seen some as bastard spawn which took something away from the game no matter what they added.

Even with classes taking up space in between the old markers, the eight continue to provide memories and spilled blood today.  Over the course of this series, homage is paid to boxing’s original eight by identifying the best of their lot through the years.

Light Heavyweight

This Saturday night, arguably the two premiere Light Heavyweights in the world, Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson, will square off for the second time.  Their first turn around the bend was a doozy.

This is a division which has never been short on doozies.  Skipping ahead from Lightweight in this series to coincide with the weekend action, Light Heavyweight has always been an interesting place on the scale.  The biggest money usually lurked one class below or above and the best Light Heavyweights have often tested the larger waters.  Set at 175 pounds since the National Sporting Club established the line in 1909, the division’s gloved era can trace its world title even farther to a 1903 battle between Jack Root and Charles “Kid” McCoy.

As noted in previous editions of this series, the only rule in “The Eight”’ is no one currently active in the division was considered…with one notable exception made this time around.  Given the richness and depth of history at Light Heavyweight, it is only fitting that the best of today finish their runs to earn placement with the very best.  The reason for the exception will be evident when it comes up in numbers 11-25.

The Top Twenty-Five

25) Virgil Hill (1984-2007): North Dakota’s “Quicksilver” followed a Silver Medal at Middleweight as part of the legendary 1984 U.S. Olympic squad with two lengthy title reigns at 175...career mark of 50-7, 23 KO…WBA titlist 1987-91, 10 defenses; 1992-97, 10 defenses; IBF titlist and lineal World champion 1996-97…turned pro in 1984, at Madison Square Garden, Hill used his quick hands and educated left jab to win his first 18 bouts, earning a shot at WBA titlist Leslie Stewart and scoring a fourth round stoppage…decisioned former IBF titlist Bobby Czyz over the course of his first reign before dropping the strap to the great Tommy Hearns in Hearns last great performance…Hill rebounded with a pair of wins before facing former Olympic teammate Frank Tate for the then-vacant WBA belt in September 1992, wining on points…the second reign would be more impressive than the first with wins over future Cruiserweight titlist Adolpho Washington and future Light Heavyweight titlists Fabrice Tiozzo and Lou De Valle…in his defining win, Hill would travel to Germany and unseat undefeated IBF titlist Henry Maske via spirited split decision…by virtue of his previous win over then-reigning WBA titlist Tiozzo, Hill earned the right to call himself, finally, the true Light Heavyweight champion…it would be a short lived celebration as he would lose his next bout to WBO titlist Dariusz Michalczewski by decision followed by a non-title fourth-round knockout loss to Roy Jones in his next bout…Hill would later go on to a pair of title reigns at Cruiserweight…decisive losses to arguably the three best men he faced at 175 hinder Hill but the Maske fight, and his lengthy title runs, deserve their accolades…Hill has not yet become eligible for a vote to the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF).

24) Dwight Muhammad Qawi (1978-98): Born Dwight Braxton, the “Camden Buzzsaw” began to learn his craft while incarcerated and, with no amateur career, built a lasting legacy in the sport with a take no prisoners style...career mark of 41-11-1, 25 KO…WBC titlist 1981-83, 3 defenses…drawing in his debut, and losing his third fight would be the only setbacks for Qawi in a first 16 bouts which featured a stoppage of former titlist Mike Rossman and a win versus then still-incarcerated fellow Rahway State prison alum James Scott (in the prison)…in his next bout, in December 1981, Qawi would end the thrill ride which was the reign of Matthew Saad Muhammad to win his first title…Qawi followed the tenth round stoppage of Muhammad with three defenses, including a stoppage of Muhammad in six of their rematch, before a unification showdown with WBA titlist Michael Spinks…the more experienced Spinks soundly outboxed Qawi over fifteen to be crowned undisputed Light Heavyweight…Qawi would move up the scale and briefly hold the WBA belt at Cruiserweight, losing what remains that division’s greatest fight in 1986 to a young Evander Holyfield…Qawi was elected to the IBHOF in 2004.

23) Willie Pastrano (1951-65): The New Orleans slickster began his career as a 15-year old Featherweight and toiled methodically for almost twelve years to make good on a shot at the top of the world…career mark of 63-13-8, 14 KO…World Champion 1963-65, two defenses...breakthrough win at Light Heavyweight came in a 1955 decision over former champion Joey Maxim and he would alternate between Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight for years…drew with an aging Archie Moore in 1962…finally snared a title shot against veteran champion Harold Johnson in June 1963, leaving with a competitive 15-round split decision in Las Vegas…he would defend twice, avenging a non-title loss to Gregorio Peralta and stopping former Middleweight champ Terry Downes in 1964…in his final fight, Pastrano was stopped in nine by Jose Torres…Pastrano on his best day could beat almost anyone but also had a penchant for losses at lousy times throughout his career…Pastrano was voted to the IBHOF in 2001.

22) Paul Berlenbach (1923-33): An Olympic Middleweight qualifier in 1920, sometimes errantly cited as a Gold Medalist though he missed Antwerp, New York’s “Astoria Assassin” turned to pugilism after a short run in amateur pugilism…career mark of 39-8-3, 33 KO, 1 no decision, 1 no contest…World champion 1925-26, 3 defenses…the big punching Berlenbach was matched tough from early on, stopped in only his 11th fight by future champion Jack Delaney…drew with Hall of Famer Young Stribling in 1924 and stopped former champion Battling Siki in ten the following year to set up a title shot…two years after winning the AAU Heavyweight wrestling title, Berlenbach defeated Mike McTigue in May 1925 on points for Boxing’s Light Heavyweight crown…lost one of seven fights over the next year, a non-title points loss to Johnny Risko, but successfully defended against the Hall of Fame trio of Delaney, Stribling, and Jimmy Slattery…dropped the title to Delaney in July 1926 and slid away from his prime as quick as he got there with additional losses to McTigue, Delaney and Mickey Walker by the end of 1927…while his peak was short, Berlenbach packed a lot into a short run…Berlenbach was voted to the IBHOF in 2001.

21) Dariusz Michalczewski (1991-2005): Following an excellent amateur mark of 133-15-2, Poland’s “Tiger” used a phone pole jab, powerful right, and crowd pleasing style to build a strong mark in class…career mark of 48-2, 38 KO…WBO titlist 1994-2003, 23 defenses; WBA/IBF titlist 1997; Lineal World champion 1997-2003, 14 defenses…Michalczewski won his first major title with a decision over Leeonzer Barber in September 1994 and made eight defenses, along with a one off WBO Cruiserweight title win, before a shot at the WBA and IBF belts and the lineal crown against Virgil Hill in June 1997…Michalczewski won a commanding decision over twelve…notably stopped former titlist Montell Griffin in four and avenged a controversial 1996 disqualification win over Graciano Rocchigiani in 2000 by decision…was 48-0 before suffering a first loss at age 35 to Julio Gonzalez in October 2003…stopped for the only time in his final bout in 2005 against Fabrice Tiozzo…suffers for sometimes poor opposition and the lack of a fight with the man who dominated the division in parallel to him, Roy Jones…gets credit for setting the overall consecutive title defense mark in the division as well as tying the consecutive lineal defense mark set by Bob Foster.  Note: In a previous article , Michalczewski was errantly given credit for topping Foster’s mark at 15.  The correction is noted here.

20) Joey Maxim (1941-58): Born Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli, Cleveland’s Maxim, behind tremendous defense and a chin which could be dented only once in over 100 bouts, fought one of the toughest slates of foes ever seen in the sport…career mark of 82-29-4, 21 KO…World Champion 1950-52, 2 defenses…on his way up the ranks, avenged his only knockout loss (by first round KO in 1943) in his very next fight with a decision over Curtis Sheppard…lost to the outstanding Lloyd Marshall in 1994 but won the first of three contests with future Heavyweight king Jersey Joe Walcott in 1946…between 1948-49, defeated the rugged Bob Satterfield, avenged an early loss to Hall of Famer Jimmy Bivins, decisioned former World champion Gus Lesnevich while losing close in the third of five career fights with Ezzard Charles...crossed the pond to London in January 1950, scoring a rare stoppage in ten to win the title from Freddie Mills…fell short in a shot at then-Heavyweight champion Charles in 1951 but picked up his most notable win the following year, outlasting the great Sugar Ray Robinson to defend the title in a legendarily humid, outdoor Bronx battle; it was the only stoppage loss of Robinson’s career…lost the title in his following bout to Archie Moore, their first of three contests…upset a young  Floyd Patterson in 1954 before beginning a final slide of eight losses in his final ten bouts…Maxim may have been seen as even greater in a less loaded era as eleven of his first 16 losses came to Hall of Fame greats Walcott, Moore, Charles and Bivins and two others came in his first twelve bouts…Maxim was voted to the IBHOF in 1994.

19) Bob Fitzsimmons (1885-1914): “Ruby Robert” was a pioneer of the gloved era, the first three division world champion with Middleweight and Heavyweight title reigns before the Light Heavyweight division was born…was the third Light Heavyweight champion, besting George Gardner in 20 at 40 years of age in November 1903…Fitzsimmons was stopped in 13 by Jack O’Brien in December 1905 to end his days as a champion…considering Fitzsimmons regularly weighed between 160 and 175 lbs. at a peak which included wins over Hall of Fame Heavyweights Tom Sharkey and James Corbett, he merits inclusion here even if his official peak body of work was limited in class…Fitzsimmons was an inaugural member of the IBHOF in 1990. 

18) Philadelphia Jack O’Brien (1896-1912): The self promoting, big punching Pennsylvanian might have been born too early, missing the eras of television and radio where his bluster might have made him an even bigger star than he was...career mark of 100-6-16, 51 KO, 57 no decisions…World Champion 1905…contested a who’s who of the scale on his way to the title with news wins and losses against World champions from Welter to Heavy including Marvin Hart, Dixie Kid, and “Barbados” Joe Walcott and Hall of Famer Joe Choynski…ended the title days of the great Bob Fitzsimmons, stopping him in 13 in December 1905 for the Light Heavyweight crown…drew and lost in 20 round challenges for the Heavyweight crown versus Tommy Burns in 1906 and 07…also went the six round distance with then-champion Jack Johnson in 1909…suffered knockout losses to the great Stanley Ketchell and Sam Langford in the final nine bouts of his career…O’Brien was elected to the IBHOF in 1994.

17) Matthew Saad Muhammad (1974-92): Born in Philadelphia as Matthew Franklin, Muhammad stands out as one of the most exciting fighters in the history of boxing...career mark of 39-16-3, 29 KO…WBC titlist 1979-81, 8 defenses…lost three of his first eighteen bouts, including losses future champs Eddie Mustapha Muhammad (Light Heavy) and Marvin Camel (Cruiser) before a nine fight win streak which included an epic 12th round knockout win over future titlist and former Olympian Marvin Johnson in 1977…culminated win streak with a second stoppage of Johnson, in eight, for the WBC belt in April 1979 in an all-time classic…first two defenses, by decision and stoppage, came over former titlist John Conteh…two fights later, rallied in the 1980 Fight of the Year to stop Yaqui Lopez in 14…made four more defenses before running out of room to war and suffering a round ten knockout to Qawi…lost the 1982 rematch and eleven of his last 19…Muhammad was elected to the IBHOF in 1998.

16) Harold Johnson (1946-71): Sticking with Philly, the ultimate warrior gives way to the cerebral brilliance of a man whose greatness was overshadowed by the ever slightly better Archie Moore…career mark of 76-11, 32 KO…NBA titlist 1961-62, 2 defenses; World Champion 62-63, 1 defense…won his first 24 bouts before losing to begin a five fight rivalry with Moore…Johnson won only the third of the series and had Moore down in the tenth of a 1954 title shot before suffering a 14th round stoppage…it would be his first and only shot until the early 1960s…before, after, and around the Moore rivalry, Johnson posted wins over Jimmy Bivins, Ezzard Charles, and Bob Satterfield…finally won the vacant World title with a decision over slick Doug Jones…lost the crown on a split decision to Pastrano and never contested for the title again…Johnson was elected to the IBHOF in 1993.

15) Jack Dillon (1908-23): Frankfurt, Indiana’s was small for the division in height and weight, regularly weighting in below the Middleweight limit, and yet held his own with some of the best Heavyweights of the day…career mark of 94-7-14, 64 KO, 129 no decisions, 1 no contest…World Champion 1914-16, 4 defenses…Dillon emerged as the strongest candidate for a crown languishing since O’Brien had vacated in 1905 with wins between 1912-14 over Hugo Kelly, Bob Moha, and Battling Levinsky….Levinsky would be arguably his great rival in the division, officially losing only in their ninth and final meeting which also marked the end of his reign as champion…with a look and demeanor which made for easy comparisons with Heavyweight Jack Dempsey, Dillon would face many of the same men in Heavyweight contenders like Billy Miske and Fireman Jim Flynn along with Middleweight champs like George Chip, Frank Klaus, and Al McCoy…Dillon was elected to the IBHOF in 1995.

14) John Henry Lewis (1931-39): In less than a decade, the Los Angeles-born Lewis would emerge as a dominant force with skill and enough power to make any man wary...career mark of 103-8-6, 60 KO…World Champion 1935-39, 5 defenses…amazingly, Lewis fought with impaired and degenerating vision in his left eye throughout his title reign…exactly when Lewis began his career can be a subject of debate with some historical records showing bouts as early as 1928…in 1932, Lewis bested perennial contender Lou Scozza and future heavy king Jim Braddock while suffering a points loss to Maxie Rosenbloom…Lewis avenged the loss twice in a 1933 campaign where he went 6-0-1…suffered a revenge defeat to Braddock in 1934 and lost two straight, to Rosenbloom and Abe Feldman in 1935, prior to his first title shot…In October 1935, won a unanimous decision over champion Bob Olin, promptly followed with a non-title loss in his fifth bout against Rosenbloom…stopped Tiger Jack Fox in a 1936 non-title contest and bested the excellent Brit Jock McAvoy on points to defend the title…added another notable Brit, Len Harvey, before the year was out…stopped Olin in eight of a title rematch the following year…rapidly blinding, Lewis was granted a Heavyweight title shot against Joe Louis in his final bout in 1939, stopped in the opening frame; he would attempt to continue but was not licensed…Lewis was elected to the IBHOF in 1994.

13) Jack Delaney (1919-32): Born in Canada, “Bright Eyes” used a learned right hand to became a popular attraction fighting out of New England…career mark of 77-10-2, 44 KO…World Champion 1926-27, 1 Defense…standing almost 6-foot tall, Delaney turned pro as a 19-year old Middleweight and stayed near 160 even as he began to tackle the best Light Heavyweights…topped a pair of future champs, Tommy Loughran on points and Paul Berlenbach by knockout, in early 1923…over a six month period beginning in October 1924, stopped Middleweight great Tiger Flowers twice but lost two decisions to Jimmy Slattery…a draw with Loughran came two bouts before his first title shot, a points loss to Berlenbach in December 1925…March wins over Mike McTigue, by stoppage, and Maxie Rosenbloom set up a third fight with Berlenbach and Delaney left as the champion, on points over 15, in July 1926…Delaney would defend only once, abdicating the throne and finishing with a mediocre run at Heavyweight, though he would stop Berlenbach again in 1927…Delaney’s run as champion was short but his record against many of the best of his time was impressive…Delaney was elected to the IBHOF in 1996.

12) Roy Jones Jr. (1989-Present): Pensacola’s Jones hinted at his future dominance at the 1988 Olympics, robbed into settling for a Silver Medal but named the first Val Barker Award winner for best overall fighter…career mark to date of 54-5, 40 KO... WBC titlist, 1996-97; 1997-98, 1 Defense; WBC/WBA 1998-99, 3 Defenses; WBC/WBA/IBF 1999-2002, 5 Defenses; Ring/WBC/WBA/IBF 2002-03, 2 Defenses; Ring 2003, 1 Defense; Ring/WBC 2003-04…needless to say, Jones held a lot of belts, in a lot of permutations, at 175 lbs. after previous title reigns at Middle and Super Middleweight…while the talent pool of his peak years wasn’t deep, Jones dominated most of the best in class with wins over eight men who had or would hold a major title, among them Mike McCallum, Julio Gonzalez, and Clinton Woods...his most impressive wins came over the other three he defeated…Jones avenged a stiff 1997 challenge from Montell Griffin, which ended with a Jones disqualification, by first round knockout to regain the WBC belt he won from McCallum the year before…the Griffin win was followed by a fourth round knockout of Hill on a memorable body shot…unified the WBA and IBF titles with decisions over Lou Del Valle in 1998 and Reggie Johnson in 1999…posted a last great victory with a gutsy late stand to retain his Ring belt against Antonio Tarver in 2003 one fight after winning the WBA Heavyweight belt from John Ruiz…the Tarver win would be followed by consecutive knockout losses to Tarver and Glen Johnson at age 35…Jones has since lost a Ring title try against Joe Calzaghe in 2008…Jones loses a bit in not having faced the next best fighter through most of his reign (Michalczewski) but gets credit for the ease with which he dominated what he did face for most of seven years…the only active Light Heavyweight on the list, it would have been silly to leave him off.  Jones at 40 continues as a shell of his former self, past the point where he can hurt his standing and unlikely to add to it.

11) Harry Greb (1913-26): More recalled for his greatness at Middleweight, the “Pittsburgh Windmill” was perhaps just as good at Light Heavyweight...career mark of 105-8-3, 48 KO, 183 no decisions…given his unreal volume of fights, and a lack of fight film, Greb can be hard to assess beyond written accounts and the record he left behind but, oh my, what a record!…often fighting between the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight limits, Greb posted official wins over Light Heavy champs Tommy Loughran and Jimmy Slattery, Hall of Famer Tommy Gibbons…he also posted news wins over past, present and future champs Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky, Maxie Rosenbloom and Mike McTigue and Hall of Famer Kid Norfolk, along with besting notable Heavyweight contenders like Billy Miske…In arguably his greatest win, in any weight class, Greb became the only man to defeat the great Gene Tunney in a battle for billing as the American Light Heavyweight champ in 1922…Tunney would later avenge the loss officially, twice over, in a five fight series…Had Greb been entirely focused at Light Heavyweight, he might have rated higher and any arguments that he should have anyways are welcome…Greb was an inaugural member of the Hall of Fame in 1990.

To Be Continued with the Top Ten

Previous Installments of “The Eight”:

Semantics

The results here are compiled in two parts which tweaks the format used for the review of the nine Jr. Divisions conducted earlier this year.

First, a points-based comparison assigns points in part based on:
Number of fellow champions faced (total) then divided into a competition score to flatten the field due to the fluctuation in titles recognized.
Lineal World Titles
Sanctioning Body Titles
Title Defenses
2 Points per KO; -2 per KOBY; 1 per UD against fellow titlists
Quality Wins (Points Assigned based on opponent accomplishments; i.e. lineal champions can count for 1, a single sanctioning body champion based on their sanctioning body total, discretionary points for established champions from other weight classes)
Quality Losses (Losses to champion opponents -1 point; selective non-title losses)
Draws (.5 points)

From this, a baseline is established and the top fifty fighters are identified.  Further analysis focuses on the context of wins and losses, the relative dominance displayed in a fighter’s prime, and the strength of one’s era versus the competition faced, to get to a final top twenty-five.

Note: The websites of the IBHOF, Cyber Boxing Zone, International Boxing Research Organization, and BoxRec.com were all heavily consulted in compiling this effort.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com