My Top 20 All Time

[LacedUp]

Ok I kinda get that explanation, I've met people who don't rank heavies in lists such as this because p4p might become irrelevant when talking about a fully fledged heavyweight.

You won't see any argument from me for NOT having Charles or Moore in a list such as this, they are great fighters no doubt.

Fitzsimmons and Langford must have been great fighters in their for they are so highly spoken of but watching the rare footage you can find of those guys...it's not good to watch, especially Fitzsimmons. Boxers in those days stood back twirling their arms and threw a handful of punches per round (considering the fights often went well over 20 rounds). I just don't think those names, in terms of skill or accomplishments stand up to the test, especially since the sport really took off and evolved by the 1920s.

Yes Langford was tiny and fought at heavyweight but it goes to show the relative weakness of the division rather than the exceptional quality of a fighter (Langford was no doubt skilled but he would have lost to the leading heavyweight contenders just 15 years later, that's how fast boxing moved in the early 20th century).

I know I have Langford in my list but I have to admit, it's more to do with his reputation and how integral he was to early boxing rather than how I think he'd compare, p4p to other fighters throughout history.

Langford wasn't tiny at all. He was a solid 185 in his prime. Some people might think he's tiny because Jack Johnson was so much bigger than him, but Johnson was also known as a giant, though only standing at around 6'. Remember this guy went from Lightweight to heavyweight and beat some of the best fighters of all times. For example beat Joe Gans, one many believe to be one of the best fighters of all times. Unfortunately it was a non-title fight, so he couldn't claim to be champion, by formality.

Apparently he was also robbed against Joe Walcott who he cut and knocked down. Same thing goes with his fight against Jack Johnson, who also didn't want to fight him again.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters that ever lived, and should have been much higher on my list.

[soul_survivor]

Langford wasn't tiny at all. He was a solid 185 in his prime. Some people might think he's tiny because Jack Johnson was so much bigger than him, but Johnson was also known as a giant, though only standing at around 6'. Remember this guy went from Lightweight to heavyweight and beat some of the best fighters of all times. For example beat Joe Gans, one many believe to be one of the best fighters of all times. Unfortunately it was a non-title fight, so he couldn't claim to be champion, by formality.

Apparently he was also robbed against Joe Walcott who he cut and knocked down. Same thing goes with his fight against Jack Johnson, who also didn't want to fight him again.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters that ever lived, and should have been much higher on my list.

I mean he was tiny considering he managed to fight at heavyweight. I'd have to check boxrec but I think he stood at 5'7' or 5'8', that's Floyd/Canelo height and having seen imaged of Langford at hw he looked a bit chubby.

And hey, I'm not dissing any of his achievements, it's terrific what he did and how he did it, that's why I have him on my list but the geenral quality and the styles in which guys fought at that time just don't hold up, from what I've seen of vids.

Like I mentioned, imagine transporting the hw version Langford to say, the 1930s, when the sport had evolved into a place where fighters were far more skilled and better equipped to deal with volume punching. I just don't think he'd hold up, p4p against the top contenders of the day.

Compare videos of men like Fitzsimmons to legends of later day heavies or light heavies, I know people won't agree bur Fitz looks like a amateur.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LahuGrcO1Wo

Watch the above vid, I didn't know how to embed it. The guys have terrible defence, they throw punches in ones and twos max and clinch half the time. I know the output is due to the number of rounds etc but they can't hold up to latter day legends. It's just not possible.

[Sweet Pea 50]

JCC..

Number #9?

Naw.

[soul_survivor]

Updated to include 50 names, it's the longest list I've ever made and took a lot of research, hope you guys enjoy it.

[SBleeder]

11. Sam "Boston Tar Baby" Langford
12. Archie "The Old Mongoose" Moore
13. Mickey "Toy Bulldog" Walker
14. "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler
15. Harry "Pittsburgh Windmill" Greb
16. "Big" George Foreman
17. Jimmy "Mighty Atom" Wilde
18. "The Fighting Marine" Gene Tunney
19. "The Executioner" Bernard Hopkins
20. Joe "The Old Master" Gans
21. Carlos "Escopeta" Monzon
22. Joseph "Sandy" Saddler
23. "Pitssburgh Kid" Billy Conn
24. "Galveston Giant" Jack Johnson
25. Marcel "Casablanca Clouter" Cerdan
26. Dov-Ber Rosovsky AKA Barney Ross
27. Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns
28. "The Easton Assassin" Larry Holmes
29. Eder "O Galo Do Ouro" Jofre
30. "The Brockton Blockbuster" Rocky Marciano
31. "Smokin'" Joe Frazier
32. Tony Canzoneri
33. "Sweet Pea" Pernell Whitaker
34. Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles
35. Emile Griffith
36. Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey
37. "El Flaco Explosivo" Alexis Arguello
38. Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao
39. Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta
40. Lennox "The Lion" Lewis
41. Evander "Real Deal" Holyfield
42. Oscar "Golden Boy" De La Hoya
43. "Baby Faced Assassin" Marco Antonio Barrera
44. Felix "Tito" Trinidad
45. "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather
46. "Iron" Mike Tyson
47. Roy Jones Jr
48. Erik "El Terrible" Morales
49. James "Lights Out" Toney
50. "The Champ" Salvador Sanchez[/CENTER]

Way too many HWs.

[soul_survivor]

Way too many HWs.

what do you mean? you don't think the lieks of holy, dempsey, lewis, holmes and tyson deserve to be rated in the top 50? the only guy i see not being there is tyson

[Boxing Goat]

47. Roy Jones Jr

No offense, but.......

Roy at 47th and Bhop that high?

You have got to be kidding.

[soul_survivor]

No offense, but.......

Roy at 47th and Bhop that high?

You have got to be kidding.

Hopkins has more titles, longer reign and a better resume, I can't see it any other way tbh. RJJ had two truly top level names on his resume in his prime where he could have had more. Skill and talent wise he was THE fighter from 94-probably 2000 but the way he fell off is ridiculous.

[ShoulderRoll]

Apparently he was also robbed against Joe Walcott who he cut and knocked down. Same thing goes with his fight against Jack Johnson, who also didn't want to fight him again.

He wasn't robbed against Jack Johnson. That was a clear and wide victory for Jack.

[LacedUp]

He wasn't robbed against Jack Johnson. That was a clear and wide victory for Jack.

It was noted by newspapers that "many spectators felt Langford won the fight".