Best 3 Year Period

[New England]

Henry Armstrong from 1937 - 1940

Won the Featherweight title from Petey Sarron
Won the Welterweight title from Barney Ross
Won the Lightweight title from Lou Ambers

Held all three simultaneously for a while.

Defended the Welterweight title a record 19 times (dropping the FW and losing the LW title in a rematch to Ambers). A record I believe still stands to this day

Stepped up to Middleweight to challenge Cerefino Garcia, who was recognised by some as the MW champ, earning himself a draw in a bout that many thought he won.

Finally lost to the great Fritzie Zivic in Oct 1940.

He never hit those heights again. Tbh, i'm not sure anyone ever has.

final record for the 3 year period 37 wins (30 ko's)- 2 losses - 1 draw

almost surely the best three year stretch in the career of any fighter. especially considering that he was weighing in on the same day, he couldn't manipulate his weight much. he just kind of accepted that he was around 130ish or so lbs when he did his best fighting and fought. also have to consider that he defended his title(s) a dozen times in a year, and 3X in the month of march at one point if memory serves right. and his style as well. wasn't like he was willie pep dancing around without getting the part in his hair messed up, he put his head on dudes' chests and won many of his fights through attrition and via knockout.

you really shouldn't ask anything more of a fighter. how he lived to be nearly 80 will always blow me away.

[chrisJS]

Vargas wasn't all that let's not be silly lol

But regardless the issue is it's not a great 3 year run when we take into account what mab, Morales, pac, Holyfield and Co have done in the last 30 years

He was a highly regarded undefeated champion with good form. Beat Winky Wright (barely) in a good test, hammered Ike Quartey (who arguably beat Oscar). Not saying he was the next Hagler, but he was very good in 2000.

I think it was a great run. They all had great runs. I just think fair is fair if your going to say Whitaker is shot it's also worth noting Tapia and Kelley (woefully so) were shot and actually weren't at the level Whitaker had been at (not great anymore not as faded as Tapia and not hopelessly shot like Kelley).

I think Marquez also had a great 3 year run from 2007-2010

Barrera (lineal and reigning champ off great form), controversial loss to Pacquaio, beat the lineal and reigning lightweight champ (off the back of a great win) Casamayor and then turned back two very good challenges - Juan Diaz (1st fight) and Katsidis. In the middle of that jumped up multiple weights to fight Mayweather. Also sandwiched in a good win over Rocky Juarez. Nobody at that point had 120-108 Juarez the way Marquez did.

Now again, Diaz didn't have the career of Tapia but that's clearly a superior win than beating Tapia in 2002 at Featherweight.

[chrisJS]

almost surely the best three year stretch in the career of any fighter. especially considering that he was weighing in on the same day, he couldn't manipulate his weight much. he just kind of accepted that he was around 130ish or so lbs when he did his best fighting and fought. also have to consider that he defended his title(s) a dozen times in a year, and 3X in the month of march at one point if memory serves right. and his style as well. wasn't like he was willie pep dancing around without getting the part in his hair messed up, he put his head on dudes' chests and won many of his fights through attrition and via knockout.

you really shouldn't ask anything more of a fighter. how he lived to be nearly 80 will always blow me away.

That's the best run in the history of Boxing. If that was his entire career and nothing before or after it's still enough to be top 5 ever. Think about that.