Tweet
So here it is, the turn of the Light Heavyweights:
Archie Moore, the wiley old mongoose was one of the oldest champions of all time, his reign as champion has gone down in history and he has more KOs than any other fighter...ever. His style, which at it's best was so difficult to figure out allowed him to post victories over such fellow greats and HOFers as Joey Maxim, Harold Johnson, Bobo Olson, Jimmy Bivins and countless others. The great 175lb champion there has ever been and probably ever will be.
A stunning 14 title defenses, only bettered by Virgil Hill, Foster was a true great at 175. His era may not have been as strong as it was during the 40s and 50s but his wins over the likes of **** Tiger, Eddie Cotton and undefeated challengers such as Mike Quarry can't be scoffed at. Add to that a brilliant left hook and a terrific KO ratio and you have a guy deserved of his place at the top.
Gene Tunney is often remembered as the man who beat Jack Dempsey but the bulk of his career took place in and around the light heavyweight division. He shellacking of Greb on multiple occasions is a great achievement in itself and his ability was such that he was regarded as a defensive genius. That's not to say he lacked an offensive game, just try and watch a few fight tapes and you'll see what I'm talking about. One of the first true boxing technicians of the early 20th century.
Sadly Michael Spinks is remembered far too often for his rather humorous KO at the hands of a young, unstoppable Mike Tyson but Spinks' legacy is far more than that. His resume includes wins over Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Eddie Mustafa, extraordinary fighters in their own right. His devastating right hand was known as the Spinks Jinx and that says it all about how dangerous and feared he was at 175.
7. Tommy LoughranTommy Loughran could easily have been ranked above Rosenbloom but his slightly shorter title reign stop him from being higher up. Tommy was a better puncher though and could take a punch just as well, going toe-to-toe with many of the same men Rosenbloom had faced.
9. Jimmy Bivins[/CENTER]
Another non champion to make my list, Bivins was a great fighter, he has wins over Burley, Yarosz and Christoforidis. If it wasn't for the race issues of the time, the politics and the war, Bivins may well have been champion.
RJJ may well have been the most talented fighter of his generation, a force at middleweight, supermiddleweight and light heavyweight, Jones is a certified HOFer but it is his run at 175 which is most impressive. Wins over a number of former champions and rightful contenders nabs him a place in my top 10. He has questions marks in his resume and there were a handful of fighters he could have/ should have fought but he made do with what he had at the time, often clowning and then stopping world class opponents.
1. Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Charles, one of the purest boxers to have grace a boxing ring never managed to get his hands on the 175lb championship belt but his list of conquered opponents is quite possibly the best out there, a list that includes Moore (3x), Jimmy Bivins (3x), Joey Maxim (5x) and plenty more. Charles isn't a sure fire number one (Moore has a say in that) but the fact that he beat the man who follows him on this list multiple times just can't be over looked.2. Archie Moore
Archie Moore, the wiley old mongoose was one of the oldest champions of all time, his reign as champion has gone down in history and he has more KOs than any other fighter...ever. His style, which at it's best was so difficult to figure out allowed him to post victories over such fellow greats and HOFers as Joey Maxim, Harold Johnson, Bobo Olson, Jimmy Bivins and countless others. The great 175lb champion there has ever been and probably ever will be.
3. Bob Foster
A stunning 14 title defenses, only bettered by Virgil Hill, Foster was a true great at 175. His era may not have been as strong as it was during the 40s and 50s but his wins over the likes of **** Tiger, Eddie Cotton and undefeated challengers such as Mike Quarry can't be scoffed at. Add to that a brilliant left hook and a terrific KO ratio and you have a guy deserved of his place at the top.
4. Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney is often remembered as the man who beat Jack Dempsey but the bulk of his career took place in and around the light heavyweight division. He shellacking of Greb on multiple occasions is a great achievement in itself and his ability was such that he was regarded as a defensive genius. That's not to say he lacked an offensive game, just try and watch a few fight tapes and you'll see what I'm talking about. One of the first true boxing technicians of the early 20th century.
5. Michael Spinks
Sadly Michael Spinks is remembered far too often for his rather humorous KO at the hands of a young, unstoppable Mike Tyson but Spinks' legacy is far more than that. His resume includes wins over Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Eddie Mustafa, extraordinary fighters in their own right. His devastating right hand was known as the Spinks Jinx and that says it all about how dangerous and feared he was at 175.
6. Maxie Rosenbloom
Maxie Rosenbloom is often overlooked when talking about great fighters but he was a truly great champion, 7 title defenses, wins over men such as Olin, Henry Lewis, Delaney and Slattery just can't be argued against. His lack of power (Rosenbloom has possibly the lowest KO percentage in all of boxing) hide the fact that he was exceptionally skilled, he could fight at range or up close and he could punches from the best of them.7. Tommy Loughran
8. Billy Conn
The legend of Billy Conn is immense in boxing, his 13 rounds with Joe Louis are the stuff of legend but people often fail to remember his successful run at light heavyweight, including wins over other titlists such as Gusnevich and Bettina, as well as HOFers like Zale, Krieger and Young Corbett II.9. Jimmy Bivins[/CENTER]
Another non champion to make my list, Bivins was a great fighter, he has wins over Burley, Yarosz and Christoforidis. If it wasn't for the race issues of the time, the politics and the war, Bivins may well have been champion.
10. Roy Jones Jr.
RJJ may well have been the most talented fighter of his generation, a force at middleweight, supermiddleweight and light heavyweight, Jones is a certified HOFer but it is his run at 175 which is most impressive. Wins over a number of former champions and rightful contenders nabs him a place in my top 10. He has questions marks in his resume and there were a handful of fighters he could have/ should have fought but he made do with what he had at the time, often clowning and then stopping world class opponents.
11. Harry Greb
12. Virgil Hill
13. Mathew Saad Muhammad
14. Jose Torres
15. Joey Maxim
16. Willie Pastrano
17. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
18. Bob Fitzsimmons
19. Bernard Hopkins
20. Dariusz Michalczewski
12. Virgil Hill
13. Mathew Saad Muhammad
14. Jose Torres
15. Joey Maxim
16. Willie Pastrano
17. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
18. Bob Fitzsimmons
19. Bernard Hopkins
20. Dariusz Michalczewski
Comment