Has there been a previous #1 P4P who retired undefeated?

[Larry the boss]

There have been several but for financial reasons they came back. Joe Louis for example. Most of the greats kept fighting and did not want to retire just to preserve their record. Eventually they lost but their legacy was secure even though they went on taking risks.

Joe Lewis was not undefeated when he retired

[Larry the boss]

Don't think there's a case for him to be #1 at that time.

Was Louis ever ranked P4P No.1? He had a loss, via KO, before he even became champion and long before he had the chance of being ranked P4P No.1. So no comparison.

P4P was not even around then...

[IronDanHamza]

Ricardo Lopez comes close

He does?

When was Lopez P4P #1?

[Sugar Adam Ali]

He does?

When was Lopez P4P #1?

I said came close... I don't think he was ever p4p #1 but a lot of that is a popularity contest.. Plus he was stuck with pernell and then roy... Out of anyone, he has come the closest.. Much closer than calzaghe, marciano, etc

[Humean]

P4P was not even around then...

It most probably was, i'm sure some people talked about some non-heavyweight fighter as being the best pound for pound, I think Benny Leonard is an example of that. It just held very little muster for most as the heavyweights had always ruled the sport. The reason pound for pound has become so important in recent years is because the dominant heavyweight champions have been British and Ukrainian.

[soul_survivor]

P4P was not even around then...

p4p was around in the 40s as Robinson was working his way through the welterweight division. It's the whole reason he was number one. But either way, Louis isn't a valid answer.

[joseph5620]

No. At least not since the term "pound for pound" has been used.

[joeandthebums]

Was Louis ever ranked P4P No.1? He had a loss, via KO, before he even became champion and long before he had the chance of being ranked P4P No.1. So no comparison.

Louis has a good case for being #1 pound-for-pound at some point from 1938 to 1942.