Has Jeff Chandler got a claim to being the greatest bantamweight ever?

[Eddie Futch]

I think he has! your thoughts?

[Southpaw16BF]

In my opinion no.

He just wasnt as great as the likes of Eder Jofre, Manuel Ortiz, Panama Al Brown, or Ruben Olivares.

Still great fighter do.

[1SILVA]

I think he has! your thoughts?

He was the best 118 pound fighter I ever saw live, but there are quite a few above him. My favorite bantam of all time.

[sonnyboyx2]

Ruben Olivares was the greatest bantamweight in history

[mickey malone]

My top 10 (in rough order, as i've never attempted a a top 10 BW list b4)

Eder Jofre, Lupe Pintor, Ruben Olivares, Panama Al Brown, Jeff Chandler, Sixto Escobar, Orlando Canizales, Manuel Ortiz, Jeff Fenech, Miguel Lora

I'm sure arguments could be made for Jimmy Carruthers, Pedlar Palmer and Jimmy Barry, but I've never seen any footage of them..

[1SILVA]

My top 10 (in rough order, as i've never attempted a a top 10 BW list b4)

Eder Jofre, Lupe Pintor, Ruben Olivares, Panama Al Brown, Jeff Chandler, Sixto Escobar, Orlando Canizales, Manuel Ortiz, Jeff Fenech, Miguel Lora

I'm sure arguments could be made for Jimmy Carruthers, Pedlar Palmer and Jimmy Barry, but I've never seen any footage of them..

What about Carlos Zarate? He was blatantly robbed in his loss to Pintor, and he totally destroyed that division before that. It is criminal that Pintor and Chandler never unified.

[sonnyboyx2]

My top 10 (in rough order, as i've never attempted a a top 10 BW list b4)

Eder Jofre, Lupe Pintor, Ruben Olivares, Panama Al Brown, Jeff Chandler, Sixto Escobar, Orlando Canizales, Manuel Ortiz, Jeff Fenech, Miguel Lora

I'm sure arguments could be made for Jimmy Carruthers, Pedlar Palmer and Jimmy Barry, but I've never seen any footage of them..

a few more ATG bantamweights - Terrible`Terry McGovern, Peter Herman, Joe Lynch, Charles`bud`Taylor, Rafael Marquez..

[mickey malone]

What about Carlos Zarate? He was blatantly robbed in his loss to Pintor, and he totally destroyed that division before that. It is criminal that Pintor and Chandler never unified.

Good point, I knew I'd forget someone..
Sonnyboy's mentioned a few that would end up on a lot of lists too, but I don't have any doubts as to who I believe should be no1 bantam.. Eder Jofre had the best all round skillset with complimentary power in both hands as well..

You took the words right out of my mouth with regard to a unification fight between JC and LP.. I wonder why that never happend?.. The same applies to Jose Roman vs Kaosai Galaxy at super-fly, and Azumah Nelson vs Brian Mitchell at featherweight.. All of those fights would have matched two very dominant simultaneous champs, prime 4 prime..
I don't have an accurate recollection of his fight with Zarate, but I always rated Pintor as a real hardman.. Him and Chandler would have been a classic fighter vs boxer confrontation for the undisputed belt, and had Chandler came out on top, I think he may have stood a much better chance of being voted the no1 ATBW..

[1SILVA]

Good point, I knew I'd forget someone..
Sonnyboy's mentioned a few that would end up on a lot of lists too, but I don't have any doubts as to who I believe should be no1 bantam.. Eder Jofre had the best all round skillset with complimentary power in both hands as well..

You took the words right out of my mouth with regard to a unification fight between JC and LP.. I wonder why that never happend?.. The same applies to Jose Roman vs Kaosai Galaxy at super-fly, and Azumah Nelson vs Brian Mitchell at featherweight.. All of those fights would have matched two very dominant simultaneous champs, prime 4 prime..
I don't have an accurate recollection of his fight with Zarate, but I always rated Pintor as a real hardman.. Him and Chandler would have been a classic fighter vs boxer confrontation for the undisputed belt, and had Chandler came out on top, I think he may have stood a much better chance of being voted the no1 ATBW..

Excellent post. Chandler would have outboxed Pintor. They had one common opponent-Ejiro Murata, who fought both to a draw. Chandler beat him twice in rematches. Other unification matches in the 80's that should have happened:

McCallum-Hearns
Holmes-Dokes
Saad Muhammad-Mustafa Muhammad