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

[Willow The Wisp]

That is quite a list. You only left out the milkman.

And the fighting Postman.

[Willow The Wisp]

I'm all for projecting, I really am, but I would say there has to be some sort of minimum amount of sample size to be out there actually at middleweight for someone to be considered. Otherwise, why not argue that Mayweather should be on the list? He never actually fought at middleweight, but he probably would be really good at it.

Canelo, and SRL both only have two wins at MW- against some big names for sure, but not really prime. Coincidentally, thats two more than other names I've read mentioned.

That's a legit statement, and I even alluded to those fly by night Middleweight traversers with an asterisk. But Leonard and Canelo were world champions; Leonard undisputed.

[Anthony342]

I'm all for projecting, I really am, but I would say there has to be some sort of minimum amount of sample size to be out there actually at middleweight for someone to be considered. Otherwise, why not argue that Mayweather should be on the list? He never actually fought at middleweight, but he probably would be really good at it.

Canelo, and SRL both only have two wins at MW- against some big names for sure, but not really prime. Coincidentally, thats two more than other names I've read mentioned.

Boom, good point. I agree you gotta spend a good amount of time there and be more dominant. Can't just beat the past prime champ, maybe defend a little and leave.

[QueensburyRules]

That's a legit statement, and I even alluded to those fly by night Middleweight traversers with an asterisk. But Leonard and Canelo were world champions; Leonard undisputed.

- - So was Canelo and GGG before him for all practical purposes.

[Willow The Wisp]

- - So was Canelo and GGG before him for all practical purposes.

Is this to ask if "greatness" points should be shaved off for limited time in the division? If so, these things are interpreted by the respondent.

[P to the J]

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.

One name that jumps out at me in your ‘honourable mentions’ is Kell Brook (being as I’m certainly no boxing historian, and am familiar with probably less than half of your list)

This inclusion raises the following question, if you don’t mind answering that is: upon what criteria have you determined the ‘honourable mention’ selection?

[dreamroom]

Leonard hasnt the resume at 160 to put him in any top 10 imo.
Norris had one fight there .Pryor none.

I was running out of favorites when I got down to 9 & 10. Put Taylor in Pryor's place. Leonard coming out of retirement to beat Hagler, who was undisputed and hadn't lost a fight in 10 years gets him on my list. I have him top 5 p4p, so, he makes any top 10 list for me. As a matter of fact, put De La Hoya in Norris's place. lol
BTW I took "best", to mean talent and skill wise. Longevity/#of fights does change the list. I'd have to research something like that, as I don't know that much about the middleweight division off the top of my head. Still, fun list.

[Willow The Wisp]

One name that jumps out at me in your ‘honourable mentions’ is Kell Brook (being as I’m certainly no boxing historian, and am familiar with probably less than half of your list)

This inclusion raises the following question, if you don’t mind answering that is: upon what criteria have you determined the ‘honourable mention’ selection?

Good question. It's a quickly thrown together pick list of some of the top middleweight contenders within that 50 year bracket. Very unscientific but informed. Look closely enough and you will find some omissions that were arguably better than some of the names on the lower part. Welterweight Kell Brook has no business on the list and should have read Curtis Parker! Good eye brother.

[The Old LefHook]

Boom, good point. I agree you gotta spend a good amount of time there and be more dominant. Can't just beat the past prime champ, maybe defend a little and leave.

Why? It's all about who beats whom to me. Yes, Leonard beat a past prime Hagler and did not stay long in the division. But so what? Hagler was not far past prime at all, it is not like he was washed up, and he would still have beaten almost everyone on the ATG middleweight list, you probably agree. How can I put anyone above Ray just because they won the title while old or defended a lot of times, when Hag would in all likelihood whip them good heads up?

[Willie Pep 229]

Why? It's all about who beats whom to me. Yes, Leonard beat a past prime Hagler and did not stay long in the division. But so what? Hagler was not far past prime at all, it is not like he was washed up, and he would still have beaten almost everyone on the ATG middleweight list, you probably agree. How can I put anyone above Ray just because they won the title while old or defended a lot of times, when Hag would in all likelihood whip them good heads up?

Argument solid but Hagler may have been way past his prime. I think it was a Jeff Ryan article in KO (might have the wrong guy) who spoke about watching Hagler trying to skip rope during his training camp, leading up to Leonard.

Ryan grabbed a phone and called a colleague over at Leonard's camp asking if Leonard could still fight even a little, because Hagler's timing was completely gone.

Eh, maybe just a boxing wag trying to show off, claiming he saw it before everyone else, or maybe Hagler was just that far past it.

[EDIT] I also remember an article where a wag was arguing (this time before the SRL fight) that Hagler looked terrible against Mugabi and that he was ready to be taken. That guy turned out to be prophetic.