The Top 25 Welterweights of All-Time – 11 to 25

[The Gambler1981]

A couple things about it that makes is tricky is, where do you rate non-title fights that are a couple of lbs above the weight limit, and what about when you fight bigger guys?

Michael Spinks weighed 176 when he beat Marvin Johnson early in his career, a very good win (and spectacular KO) for Spinks. He's technically over the limit, but many fights take place a pound or two over the limit when it's a non-title bout. Charley Burley was 149 when he twice beat Fritzie Zivic (a WW).

Robinson weighed in the high 140s/low 150s for wins over Kid Gavilan and Jake LaMotta. Since Gavlian was more of a welterweight and LaMotta a MW, should the LaMotta win be counted as a MW win because LaMotta was more of a MW and Gavilan as a WW win since he was a WW, even though Gavlian was over 147 for the fight? Ray weighed 145 for his first two wins over LaMotta, does that count toward WW or MW? He's a welterweight, but beating a middleweight.

Armstrong weighed below the lightweight limit for some of his WELTERWEIGHT title defenses. Do we also take this into consideration when talking about the greatest 135 lb. fighters ever, since Armstrong was the size of one here?

Yea it is a tough call and it is not Robinson's fault he could not get a sniff at the 147 champ. I always liked Armstrong's work because he was a lightweight competing with bigger men. I really have no beef with Robinson as number 1 if he is there but I think an arguement can be made for Armstrong also.

[crold1]

cliff , one of these days , when you a have a slow boxing week , can you do a nice piece on duran?

One of these days...if Pac beats Cotto and goes on to beat May some day, a comparison of he and Duran might be in order.

[Left Hook Tua]

One of these days...if Pac beats Cotto and goes on to beat May some day, a comparison of he and Duran might be in order.

cool.........

[Bhopreign]

Tito's title numbers make him a must for me; his quality of competition was so-so minus some strong exceptions, particularly compared to others on the list. Considering who made the top ten, I find the notion of Tito there unjustifiable.

Has nothing to do with my reasoning.

[guzi815]

Felix Trinidad was a beast at 147lbs. Had Papa Trindad parted ways with Don King, you would have seen....

Tinidad -vs-....

Terry Norris
Ike Quartey
Shane Mosley
and a younger Pernill Whitaker

Tito Trinidad would've been top ten Welter Weight. But to put Trinidad at 21????

This list is inconclusive. I do agree Sugar Ray Leonard...the best there ever was.

[BennyST]

Are people ****ing ******? Did anyone actually read the article? Everyone bitching about it and about Oscar being in the top ten, and how him making the list would make it garbage, go and read the article.

He has already said that Oscar hasn't made the list at all, along with great WW's such as Cuevas, Cokes etc.

The WW's are possibly the greatest division along with the LW's with the deepest history of talent. Tito at 21 is amazing. If you think he is a top ten you don't know who's in the top ten because the fighters in there are all among the greatest ever and their records full of other greats.

Tito had a great run, but his record at the weight isn't full of many greats at all. In fact he fought two great fighters, one old and ****ed up and the other he probably lost too but still got the decision. That's it for him.

It's still an amazing run but having fifteen defenses with only a couple of great fighters doesn't make his run better than someone that had less defenses with many more greats on it.

The WW's would be among the hardest divisions to do this for. Rold has done a great job as usual. Stop bitching and try to remember that boxing didn't start ten years ago.

[ianblake]

Tito is a top 10 .... bah! this is BS im not going to follow this

[bunce101]

LMAO at Trinidad not being atleast in the top10 joke JOKE of a list, Trinindad has 15 defenses at welter and took like 5 different champions 0 and destroyed their careers, trinindad EASILY belongs in the top10

[daggum]

LMAO at Trinidad not being atleast in the top10 joke JOKE of a list, Trinindad has 15 defenses at welter and took like 5 different champions 0 and destroyed their careers, trinindad EASILY belongs in the top10

the only champions 0 he took was oscar and he didn't win that fight. i think you are referring to vargas and reid which was at 154.

[TheGreatA]

A couple things about it that makes is tricky is, where do you rate non-title fights that are a couple of lbs above the weight limit, and what about when you fight bigger guys?

Michael Spinks weighed 176 when he beat Marvin Johnson early in his career, a very good win (and spectacular KO) for Spinks. He's technically over the limit, but many fights take place a pound or two over the limit when it's a non-title bout. Charley Burley was 149 when he twice beat Fritzie Zivic (a WW).

Robinson weighed in the high 140s/low 150s for wins over Kid Gavilan and Jake LaMotta. Since Gavlian was more of a welterweight and LaMotta a MW, should the LaMotta win be counted as a MW win because LaMotta was more of a MW and Gavilan as a WW win since he was a WW, even though Gavlian was over 147 for the fight? Ray weighed 145 for his first two wins over LaMotta, does that count toward WW or MW? He's a welterweight, but beating a middleweight.

Armstrong weighed below the lightweight limit for some of his WELTERWEIGHT title defenses. Do we also take this into consideration when talking about the greatest 135 lb. fighters ever, since Armstrong was the size of one here?

I agree with what has been said here that a pound or two above the weight limit can be "forgiven" when doing these ratings.

However it should be noted that the truly meaningful Robinson-Gavilan fight of the two, the rematch, was fought at 147 and for the welterweight title. Sugar Ray won a clear decision.

The LaMotta wins I'd count in his middleweight record but it displays what kind of ability Robinson had when he could beat top ranked middleweights while weighing no more than a welterweight.

Armstrong never stuck around in the LW division and thus I don't rate him one of the all-time greats there but one must recognize what a monster he must have been at the weight. Could have beaten anybody at 135 in my opinion.

It's like Jose Napoles who was probably at his very best at 135/140, yet he moved up to 147 in order to get a title shot and created his legacy there.