Most Competitive Top-10 For Any Division (All-Time)?

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Which weightclass in Boxing history is the hardest to crack a top-10 all-time spot for (put another way, which has the most all-time legends).

To me, the answer is Lightweight --- being a top-20 or even top-25 LW of all-time is akin to being a top-10 all-timer at HW, the division is that steep for greats. Even then, there are other worthy weightclasses as answers to this question.

Which division do you nominate?

[Heavy Bag]

Welterweight would surely be up there. That division is just stacked with ATG after ATG.

Ring Magazine done a top 20 147lb list back in 2008.

Here was the top 10
1.Sugar Ray Robinson
2.Henry Armstrong
3.Kid Gavilan
4.Charley Burley
5.Sugar Ray Leonard
6.Carmen Basilio
7.Jose Napoles
8.Tommy Ryan
9.Joe Walcott
10.Emile Griffith

But look how many were left out, Hearns, Ross, Walker, Rodriguez, Britton, McLarnin, Dixie Kid, Trinidad, Britton, Lewis, Grahem, Cuevas, De La Hoya, etc.

[StarshipTrooper]

Welterweight, followed closely by Middleweight and Lightweight. Those three divisions have been the deepest historically.

Poet

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Welterweight was on my mind when I said there were other exceptionally steep divisions, too. Obviously, I went for Lightweight, but it's close. Middleweight & Featherweight (not yet mentioned) are worthy shouts.

[SCtrojansbaby]

As far as modern boxing I think the answer is middle weight

Roy Jones
Hopkins
Toney
Hagler
Hearns
Monzon
Nunn
McCullum
Eubank
Sturm
Benvenuti

[BattlingNelson]

I reckon it's LW as well. It's probably the division with the largest pool of fighters all-time and the top is truely awesome.

[Barn]

As far as modern boxing I think the answer is middle weight

Roy Jones
Hopkins
Toney
Hagler
Hearns
Monzon
Nunn
McCullum
Eubank
Sturm
Benvenuti

Your missing:
Ketchel
Langford
Greb
Zale
Walker
etc.

Welterweight, Middleweight, or Lightweight definitely.

For an ordering I'd be sitting at:

Welterweight
Lightweight
Middleweight

[Barn]

Welterweight was on my mind when I said there were other exceptionally steep divisions, too. Obviously, I went for Lightweight, but it's close. Middleweight & Featherweight (not yet mentioned) are worthy shouts.

Featherweight is another. With Pep, Saddler, Armstrong, Atell, Agruello just to name a few.

[RubenSonny]

Featherweight is another. With Pep, Saddler, Armstrong, Atell, Agruello just to name a few.

Nelson, Sanchez, Marquez, Kid Chocolate, Pedroza.

[Joey Giardello]

Its got to be heavyweight! you have fighters like Ali, Holmes, Dempsey, Langford, Marciano, Jeffries, O sulivan, Corbett, Tunney, Lennox lewis, Tyson, Joe Louis, Holyfield, Joe Fraizer, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, George Foreman and Rid**** Bowe to choose from