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Who are the best 160lb fighters of the 21st century. To make things less predictable I'm excluding Bernard Hopkins from the running.
So list your top 10 and keep the following criteria in mind:
I'm not looking at h2h, as that becomes far too subjective and people start letting personal opinions rule the roost. I'm trying to make the most objective list possible.
1. Sergio Martinez
It's got to be Maravilla, he avenged his only loss in 9 years against Williams by a brutal 2nd round KO, Williams a former multi-weight titlist. He also beat the lineal champion in Pavlik after jumping up from spending years at 154. It was a pretty convincing win too and then went on a run of beating some of the best middleweight contenders on the planet, all of which were ranked in the top 10. Chavez Jr was considered by many as the second best and Martinez made him look like an amateur, completely dominating the fight except for 30 seconds of round 12. He has beaten Williams, Pavlik (champion), Chavez Jr and Barker, all either titlists at the time, in the past or would become titlists after.
2. Jermain Taylor
Taylor gets a lot of bad press these days but he beat Hopkins twice. The same Hopkins who has gone on to win titles against the likes of Tarver and Pascal at LHW, both men were leading champions in the division at the time. The decisions were close and may be regarded as controversial but I think Taylor pulled out two good wins. His championship run consisted of a decent bout with Wright, which he in all honesty, should have lost. A win against Spinks was decent. In Marquez, Spinks, Wright, Joppy and Hopkins, Taylor beat 5 former/future titlists/champion during his run at 160. I don't think the wins are over legitimate MW threats, apart from Hopkins and possibly Wright.
3. Kelly Pavlik
The man who beat Taylor had a good run and terrific power in his prime. Wins over Miranda and Rubio are pretty damn good too. If only Pavlik hadn't fallen to his drink demons, he may well have managed to hold onto the title a bit longer. Sad thing is that he had so much promise but never lived up to it. It's not the best resume but stopping Taylor, Miranda and Rubio must still count for something, as does being the man in the division for almost 3 years. Champion/titlist that he beat include Taylor and McKart.
4. Felix Sturm
Sturm spent too long in Germany fighting men who weren't truly worthy of title shots, while fighters like Hopkins, Taylor, Pavlik, Williams and Martinez fought for the true middleweight championship of the world. He has stepped up competition in recent years, fighting guys like Barker, Murray, Macklin and Geale, all of whom are legitimate top 10 ranked guys at 160lb. He should arguably have losses to Macklin and Murray but both fights were damn close and by that same token, he should have a win over the great Oscar DLH. His wins over titlists include Masoe, Castillejo, Sylvester and Barker. Sadly there are no wins over true champions of the division.
5. Arthur Abraham
One of the hardest hitting fighters in the division in recent times, Abraham loved to start slow behind the famous high guard, inch forward, look for openings and then ****, knock his opponents senseless. His brutal fight with Miranda is a highlight, showing his his resilience and heart. He also holds wins against pretty good fighters in Eastman and Marquez but sadly fights against the likes of Pavlik never materialised. At mw, his only win over a titlist, former/present/future is Marquez, which isn't great but AA had a lengthy reign as champion and defended against decent fighters.
6. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
Chavez Jr gets a lot of hate, and I mean a lot but if you look at his middleweight run, it's been pretty damn good. Wins over Lee, Duddy, Rubio and Zbik are nothing to be scoffed at, considering most of these fights were back to back. It's true that Jr holds no wins over any titlists but we must remember that the guys he has beaten were worthy challengers and Zbik was unbeaten, having won regional titles.
7. Daniel Geale
A bit of an underrated fighter at 160, especially since his run near the top was limited but he is quick, has a good work rate and can mix it up. His punch selection is some of the best in the division and looking at the guys he has beaten, it's not a bad list at all. That includes wins against German champions IN Germany. Titlists he has beaten include Mundine, Sylvester and Sturm. That's a solid time at 160 right there, which may include a rematch with Sturm in the future and another title.
8. Ronald Wright
He doesn't hold a single championship win in the division but should have got the nod against Taylor for the undisputed title, he does however hold wins against Trinidad (admittedly almost shot), Quartey (same as Trinidad) and Soliman. Wright in that time has beaten a former middleweight titlist in Trinidad and Quartey who held titles in a lower division. All of this while he was on the down turn of his physical peak.
9. Gennady Golovkin
Quite possibly the best middleweight not crowned as champion, that's what many fans and pundits will have you believe. He may well be in the future but as of now his run at middleweight hasn't been the best in terms of opponents, bar Macklin. Proksa may be added to that list but it's slim pickings after that. What gets Golovkin on this list is his immense power, a good technique and his reign as undefeated titlist.
10. Sebastien Sylvester
A good run as IBF champion but makes it onto the list due to Barker's short time near the top and Murray and Macklins inability to win titles. Its a weak resume but title wins and defences can't be discounted. Stepping up and losing to guys like Sturm and Geale is counted against him.
So list your top 10 and keep the following criteria in mind:
- World championship wins
- Quality of opposition faced, including former/future/present champions or titlists
- Title reign
- Skill level
- Also take into account any losses and who those losses were against
I'm not looking at h2h, as that becomes far too subjective and people start letting personal opinions rule the roost. I'm trying to make the most objective list possible.
1. Sergio Martinez
It's got to be Maravilla, he avenged his only loss in 9 years against Williams by a brutal 2nd round KO, Williams a former multi-weight titlist. He also beat the lineal champion in Pavlik after jumping up from spending years at 154. It was a pretty convincing win too and then went on a run of beating some of the best middleweight contenders on the planet, all of which were ranked in the top 10. Chavez Jr was considered by many as the second best and Martinez made him look like an amateur, completely dominating the fight except for 30 seconds of round 12. He has beaten Williams, Pavlik (champion), Chavez Jr and Barker, all either titlists at the time, in the past or would become titlists after.
2. Jermain Taylor
Taylor gets a lot of bad press these days but he beat Hopkins twice. The same Hopkins who has gone on to win titles against the likes of Tarver and Pascal at LHW, both men were leading champions in the division at the time. The decisions were close and may be regarded as controversial but I think Taylor pulled out two good wins. His championship run consisted of a decent bout with Wright, which he in all honesty, should have lost. A win against Spinks was decent. In Marquez, Spinks, Wright, Joppy and Hopkins, Taylor beat 5 former/future titlists/champion during his run at 160. I don't think the wins are over legitimate MW threats, apart from Hopkins and possibly Wright.
3. Kelly Pavlik
The man who beat Taylor had a good run and terrific power in his prime. Wins over Miranda and Rubio are pretty damn good too. If only Pavlik hadn't fallen to his drink demons, he may well have managed to hold onto the title a bit longer. Sad thing is that he had so much promise but never lived up to it. It's not the best resume but stopping Taylor, Miranda and Rubio must still count for something, as does being the man in the division for almost 3 years. Champion/titlist that he beat include Taylor and McKart.
4. Felix Sturm
Sturm spent too long in Germany fighting men who weren't truly worthy of title shots, while fighters like Hopkins, Taylor, Pavlik, Williams and Martinez fought for the true middleweight championship of the world. He has stepped up competition in recent years, fighting guys like Barker, Murray, Macklin and Geale, all of whom are legitimate top 10 ranked guys at 160lb. He should arguably have losses to Macklin and Murray but both fights were damn close and by that same token, he should have a win over the great Oscar DLH. His wins over titlists include Masoe, Castillejo, Sylvester and Barker. Sadly there are no wins over true champions of the division.
5. Arthur Abraham
One of the hardest hitting fighters in the division in recent times, Abraham loved to start slow behind the famous high guard, inch forward, look for openings and then ****, knock his opponents senseless. His brutal fight with Miranda is a highlight, showing his his resilience and heart. He also holds wins against pretty good fighters in Eastman and Marquez but sadly fights against the likes of Pavlik never materialised. At mw, his only win over a titlist, former/present/future is Marquez, which isn't great but AA had a lengthy reign as champion and defended against decent fighters.
6. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
Chavez Jr gets a lot of hate, and I mean a lot but if you look at his middleweight run, it's been pretty damn good. Wins over Lee, Duddy, Rubio and Zbik are nothing to be scoffed at, considering most of these fights were back to back. It's true that Jr holds no wins over any titlists but we must remember that the guys he has beaten were worthy challengers and Zbik was unbeaten, having won regional titles.
7. Daniel Geale
A bit of an underrated fighter at 160, especially since his run near the top was limited but he is quick, has a good work rate and can mix it up. His punch selection is some of the best in the division and looking at the guys he has beaten, it's not a bad list at all. That includes wins against German champions IN Germany. Titlists he has beaten include Mundine, Sylvester and Sturm. That's a solid time at 160 right there, which may include a rematch with Sturm in the future and another title.
8. Ronald Wright
He doesn't hold a single championship win in the division but should have got the nod against Taylor for the undisputed title, he does however hold wins against Trinidad (admittedly almost shot), Quartey (same as Trinidad) and Soliman. Wright in that time has beaten a former middleweight titlist in Trinidad and Quartey who held titles in a lower division. All of this while he was on the down turn of his physical peak.
9. Gennady Golovkin
Quite possibly the best middleweight not crowned as champion, that's what many fans and pundits will have you believe. He may well be in the future but as of now his run at middleweight hasn't been the best in terms of opponents, bar Macklin. Proksa may be added to that list but it's slim pickings after that. What gets Golovkin on this list is his immense power, a good technique and his reign as undefeated titlist.
10. Sebastien Sylvester
A good run as IBF champion but makes it onto the list due to Barker's short time near the top and Murray and Macklins inability to win titles. Its a weak resume but title wins and defences can't be discounted. Stepping up and losing to guys like Sturm and Geale is counted against him.
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