Ten best Middleweights of the past 50 Years 1972 – 2022 – Who've You got?

[Willow The Wisp]

My quick picks:

1. Carlos Monzon
2. Marvelous Marvin Hagler
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Gennadiy Golovkin
5. Sergio Martinez
6. Rodrigo Valdez
7. Saul Canelo Alvarez
8. Thomas Hearns*
9. Sugar Ray Leonard*
10. Roy Jones Jr.*

Honorable Mention selections:




Bad Bennie Briscoe

James Toney*

Mike McCallum*

Chris Eubank*

Gerald McClellan

Steve Collins

Michael Nunn

Kelly Pavlik

Julian Jackson*

Hugo Corro

Arthur Abraham

Vito Antuofermo

Roberto Duran*

Iran Barkley*

Jermain Taylor

Ronald Winky Wright*

Herol Graham

Jean Claude Bouttier

Alan Minter

Mustafa Hamsho

Bobby Boogaloo Watts

John Mugabi

Nigel Benn*

Sumbu Kalambay

Billy Joe Saunders

Jermall Charlo

Kell Brook

Gratien Tonna

Daniel Geale

Felix Sturm

Miguel Cotto*

Felix Trinidad*

Juan Domingo Roldan

Michael Watson

William Joppy

Dwight Davison

Reggie Johnson

Demetrius Andrade

Frank Fletcher

Keith Holmes

Ronnie Harris

Tony Mundine

Tom Bogs

Thomas Tate*

Jaime Munguia

Kevin Finnegan

Emile Griffith

Daniel Jacobs*

Tony Sibson

Sam Soliman

Willie The Worm Monroe

Marco Antonio Rubio

Sugar Ray Seales

Bobby Czyz*

Paul Williams*

David Lemieux

Tony Licata

Eugene Cyclone Hart

Fulgencio Obelmejias

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr

Howard Eastman

Nessim Max Cohen

• * = Much of their career work done outside of the Middleweight division.

[JAB5239]

At a glance, I'd place Eubank, McCallum and some others ahead of Martinez. Sergio toe is kind of like Reggie Johnson. Very good fighter, just doesn't get over the hump to greatness though.

[IronDanHamza]

At a glance, I'd place Eubank, McCallum and some others ahead of Martinez. Sergio toe is kind of like Reggie Johnson. Very good fighter, just doesn't get over the hump to greatness though.

Reggie Johnson quality fighter, beat Toney in my eyes and some other bad decisions too but surely he can’t be considered the same level as Martinez, who was Lineal Champion for a short while.

Eubank’s career was poor, and McCallum a great fighter was more of a Jr MW.

[JAB5239]

Reggie Johnson quality fighter, beat Toney in my eyes and some other bad decisions too but surely he can’t be considered the same level as Martinez, who was Lineal Champion for a short while.

Eubank’s career was poor, and McCallum a great fighter was more of a Jr MW.

Yes, you're right about Eubank. The bulk of his best wins were at super middle. I disagree about McCallum. He did some very good work at middleweight and I believe he comfortably grew into that weight. Martinez best win was Pavlik, who could no longer make the middleweight limit. And while I'm a fan of both Kelly and Sergio, I'm not sure where I'd put them in the pantheon of great middleights. I believe the lineal championship is the be all/end all of championships. But I don't think it supercedes resume when talking about greatness.

[IronDanHamza]

Yes, you're right about Eubank. The bulk of his best wins were at super middle. I disagree about McCallum. He did some very good work at middleweight and I believe he comfortably grew into that weight. Martinez best win was Pavlik, who could no longer make the middleweight limit. And while I'm a fan of both Kelly and Sergio, I'm not sure where I'd put them in the pantheon of great middleights. I believe the lineal championship is the be all/end all of championships. But I don't think it supercedes resume when talking about greatness.

He had a decent run at MW certainly but he was better at Jr MW. McCallum that is.

I don’t see how Johnson could be ranked above Martinez. And I’m a big fan of Johnson. Martinez was the man at the weight for a number of years. Johnson never even that category.

[JAB5239]

He had a decent run at MW certainly but he was better at Jr MW. McCallum that is.

I don’t see how Johnson could be ranked above Martinez. And I’m a big fan of Johnson. Martinez was the man at the weight for a number of years. Johnson never even that category.

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not saying I would rate Reggie higher. I think they are on the the same level. Both very good fighters, but a tad shy of greatness.

What about Jermaine Taylor? he was lineal and has a better middleweight resume than a few of the guys on this list.

When I get time I'll compile a list of my own. I've been driving for most of the day and night.

[dreamroom]

Leonard
Hearns
Hagler
Monson
Golovkin
Toney
Hopkins
Alvarez
Norris
Pryor

[JAB5239]

Hagler
Monzon
Hopkins
Golovkin
Hearns
Leonard
Alverez
Toney
Taylor
McCallum

[The Old LefHook]

Antefuermo and Fullmer would have been quite a brawl between two maulers without a great punch.

[QueensburyRules]

- - Canelo only had a stop over at middleweight though arguably beating the best middle of all time in Golovkin.