Why is Eder Jofre rated so highly?

[Steak]

You think Medel was his best win too? I thought you thought Salidvar was?

Medel is just what I personally think it is, and again, not exactly because of who, but how. Considering what he went on to do.

He didn't win a world title because at that time it was a pretty damn difficult task. The guy stopped Fighting Harada, he did pretty much everything but win a world title.

Let's not compare Tyson's reign to Jofres. I know you admit to knowing little aboout Jofre but seriously, lets not compare the two.

I never said Saldivar was his best win, but it was certainly the best 'name' on his record...the fact that Saldviar was not in his prime and had not fought in over 2 years definitely brings down the win a lot.

Im just having a hard time seeing how Jofre is top 10 p4p all time when his best wins arent that legendary and he lost to the best fighter he ever faced.

How is he higher than Whitaker, Leonard, Moore, Charles, Pep, Armstrong, Robinson, Duran, Langford and Greb, for starters...

[Pastrano]

Eder Jofre is a top 10 ATG. You got no case. His only 2 losses are to the same man-Fighting Harada. And both are on points. He destroyed VICENTE SALDIVAR after coming back from retirement and moving up from BW to FW. Who else did that??!

He was 37, Saldivar was 30. And don't forget Jose Legra either, that was a very good win.

[T.Horton]

for some reason I never got into watching fights below fwt. clearly i have been missing out. where can i get some Jofre fights?

[Barn]

for some reason I never got into watching fights below fwt. clearly i have been missing out. where can i get some Jofre fights?

Just take a trip into the Video Trading Block. Or PM the user NChristo who is a massive Jofre fan and has some things others don't I think.

He doesn't post as much anymore so he may take a while to reply.

[T.Horton]

Just take a trip into the Video Trading Block. Or PM the user NChristo who is a massive Jofre fan and has some things others don't I think.

He doesn't post as much anymore so he may take a while to reply.

thanks, shame about Nchristo. He seems like an encyclopedia.

[Steak]

Eder Jofre is a top 10 ATG. You got no case. His only 2 losses are to the same man-Fighting Harada. And both are on points. He destroyed VICENTE SALDIVAR after coming back from retirement and moving up from BW to FW. Who else did that??!

He was 37, Saldivar was 30. And don't forget Jose Legra either, that was a very good win.

Saldivar had retired 6 years previous and literally had not been in the ring for over 2 years prior to fighting Jofre. Talk about ring rust. You flat out can NOT say that he was anywhere near prime, especially seeing as he went straight back into retirement after the one fight with Jofre.

Jofre seems to be highly ranked simply because of his dominance, but in reality he didnt beat as many top ranked opponents as someone like Monzon, Halger, or Napoles for example.
And his dominance ended when he fought his best opponent: Fighting Harada.

[crold1]

Saldivar had retired 6 years previous and literally had not been in the ring for over 2 years prior to fighting Jofre. Talk about ring rust. You flat out can NOT say that he was anywhere near prime, especially seeing as he went straight back into retirement after the one fight with Jofre.

Jofre seems to be highly ranked simply because of his dominance, but in reality he didnt beat as many top ranked opponents as someone like Monzon, Halger, or Napoles for example.
And his dominance ended when he fought his best opponent: Fighting Harada.

There are a lot of people who thought he got hometowned in both those fights. I think one also has to consider the comeback, which culminated with the Featherweight crown and a high quality Legra win. Jofre was a technical genius who beat a lot of guys who might otherwise have been champion.

From my Bantamweight Piece:

1) Eder Jofre (1957-76)

*Record: 72-2-4, 50 KO*

*World Champion 1960-65, 8 Defenses*

*Batamweight Titlists/Champions Faced - 2: (Johnny Caldwell, Fighting Harada)*

Comparing a fighter’s skill level to Sugar Ray Robinson is usually a great way to start an argument…or get a laugh. No one laughs when the comparison is made to Jofre. The greatest fighter ever produced by Brazil by a stretch, Jofre dominated the Bantamweight division with precision, technique, and power. Outside a pair of draws in his first ten fights with the more experienced Ernesto Miranda, and another in 1958 versus Ruben Caceres, Jofre’s march to the title was clean. In 1960, he decisioned and stopped Miranda to erase both draws and then knocked out veteran Jose Medel in a title eliminator. Two fights later, Eloy Sanchez was knocked out in six and the reign was on. Johnny Caldwell was the British-recognized champion, coming off a pair of wins over former world champ Alphonse Halimi; Jofre dismissed him in ten. Medel attempted revenge and got only to round six. Katsutoshi Aoki had lost only one 35 contests and was carted out in three while a 39-0-1 Bernard Caraballo was dusted in seven. It took hostile turf, a body struggling with the weight limit, and a genuine all-time great to knock Jofre off the throne, all of those things coming together in a title defense versus Fighting Harada in 1965. A split decision begat an obvious rematch, Jofre again finding defeat in May 1966. It would be his end…for a time.

Why He’s Here: Jofre of course would return for a jaw dropping run at Featherweight in 1969, winning another World title and stamping his legacy complete. Few fighters ever truly have an aura of invincibility. Mike Tyson had it for a while in recent years; Roy Jones did as well. Such was the case with Jofre. He looked unbeatable at his best, by and large because he was. While he didn’t face the deep pool of former champions others on this list did, or post the title numbers of others, his title challengers were by and large excellent and excellently vanquished and his reign was just shy of double digit defenses. Jofre is the sum of his parts and the sum of a boxing knowledge which had frightening consequences for the Bantamweights of his time. Jofre was inducted to the IBHOF in 1992.

He was and is the greatest the Bantamweights ever produced.

[Steak]

There are a lot of people who thought he got hometowned in both those fights. I think one also has to consider the comeback, which culminated with the Featherweight crown and a high quality Legra win. Jofre was a technical genius who beat a lot of guys who might otherwise have been champion.

From my Bantamweight Piece:

1) Eder Jofre (1957-76)

*Record: 72-2-4, 50 KO*

*World Champion 1960-65, 8 Defenses*

*Batamweight Titlists/Champions Faced - 2: (Johnny Caldwell, Fighting Harada)*

Comparing a fighter’s skill level to Sugar Ray Robinson is usually a great way to start an argument…or get a laugh. No one laughs when the comparison is made to Jofre. The greatest fighter ever produced by Brazil by a stretch, Jofre dominated the Bantamweight division with precision, technique, and power. Outside a pair of draws in his first ten fights with the more experienced Ernesto Miranda, and another in 1958 versus Ruben Caceres, Jofre’s march to the title was clean. In 1960, he decisioned and stopped Miranda to erase both draws and then knocked out veteran Jose Medel in a title eliminator. Two fights later, Eloy Sanchez was knocked out in six and the reign was on. Johnny Caldwell was the British-recognized champion, coming off a pair of wins over former world champ Alphonse Halimi; Jofre dismissed him in ten. Medel attempted revenge and got only to round six. Katsutoshi Aoki had lost only one 35 contests and was carted out in three while a 39-0-1 Bernard Caraballo was dusted in seven. It took hostile turf, a body struggling with the weight limit, and a genuine all-time great to knock Jofre off the throne, all of those things coming together in a title defense versus Fighting Harada in 1965. A split decision begat an obvious rematch, Jofre again finding defeat in May 1966. It would be his end…for a time.

Why He’s Here: Jofre of course would return for a jaw dropping run at Featherweight in 1969, winning another World title and stamping his legacy complete. Few fighters ever truly have an aura of invincibility. Mike Tyson had it for a while in recent years; Roy Jones did as well. Such was the case with Jofre. He looked unbeatable at his best, by and large because he was. While he didn’t face the deep pool of former champions others on this list did, or post the title numbers of others, his title challengers were by and large excellent and excellently vanquished and his reign was just shy of double digit defenses. Jofre is the sum of his parts and the sum of a boxing knowledge which had frightening consequences for the Bantamweights of his time. Jofre was inducted to the IBHOF in 1992.

He was and is the greatest the Bantamweights ever produced.

I actually did read your piece on him before making this thread. and I have no issue with his ATG status whatsoever. but top 10 p4p sounds very excessive, simply because there have been a LOT of very talented fighters throughout history.

Also Ive read the Legra win was controversial, although I dont know how truth there is in that.

[crold1]

I actually did read your piece on him before making this thread. and I have no issue with his ATG status whatsoever. but top 10 p4p sounds very excessive, simply because there have been a LOT of very talented fighters throughout history.

Also Ive read the Legra win was controversial, although I dont know how truth there is in that.

That's fine. I have yet to put together a top ten all time. I think Jofre would make it but there are certainly others with greater comp. Sometimes, the sum is greater than the parts. I think being the GOAT at Bantam, an almost universal praise, is a BIG plus. Think of what, who, has been at Bantam. The GOAT at each of the original eight has a top ten case on that merit alone IMO.

It is, in my opinion, a mistake to lock in a single standard for greatness. Boxing isn't like other sports. Greatness can come in a wild varaition of forms: divisional dominance, murderer's row opp, defensive genius, offensive tear...

the more I study, the more I learn and appreciate all the ways boxing can be looked at.

[Steak]

Ive always considered greatness to be almost exclusively based on who you beat, since its not the most difficult thing(for an ATG) to look dominant against weaker opposition.

Ive just seen other fighters with such better accomplishments than Jofre. He only has one win over a HOF fighter, and Saldivar was obviously past prime. and other fighters beat more top competition in their title reigns than Jofre too.

also I dont consider Bantamweight to be as historically stacked as say Lightweight, Welterweight, or Middleweight.