Best Middleweights of the last 50 years

[dr_devious]

Monzon "would have him". Do you mean on points Irene? I dont see any middleweight in history stopping Hagler.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Monzon "would have him". Do you mean on points Irene? I dont see any middleweight in history stopping Hagler.

Yes. Hagler is too good to be stopped, but Monzon would outpoint him, I'm quite sure (as sure as one can be in an all-time great match-up, anyway).

Fight goes the distance.

[Ezzard]

Monzon has to be the number 1. Hagler would be close behind and after that it's a bit more arbitrary. Other than the Fullmer ranking I like Alp's picks.

[Seamus]

1.Marvin Hagler
2.Carlos Monzon
3.Bernard Hopkins
4.Nino Benvenuti
5.Dick Tiger
6.Rodrigo Valdez
7.Gene Fullmer
8.Joey Giardello
9.Sumbu Kalambay
10.Emile Griffith

[dr_devious]

Kalambay over Nunn? My top 10 is: -
1. Hagler
2. Monzon
3. Jones
4. Hopkins
5. Valdez
6. McCallum
7. Toney
8. Tiger
9. Griffiths
10. Benvenuti

[Arbachakov]

McCallum arguably lost all 4(including being almost shut-out in one) of his fights against the best two men he fought at this weight.I only had him edging the second Toney fight and losing the others.

He doesn't belong in a top ten of the past 50 years considering the brevity of his stay imo.

[Seamus]

Nunn's one punch KO of Kalambay in the 1st round is a good argument, but in assessing their overall careers at MW, I'm actually more impressed with Kalambay. After that big win, Michael Nunn was never quite the same. He was still a pretty good fighter, and still showed moments of brilliance almost till the end of his career, but he had too many letdown performances. I'm particularly inclined to hold his 11th round TKO loss to Toney against him, because A) he really should not have let a one sided decision get away and B) I think Toney was a bit overrated at MW.

[dr_devious]

McCallum arguably lost all 4(including being almost shut-out in one) of his fights against the best two men he fought at this weight.I only had him edging the second Toney fight and losing the others.

He doesn't belong in a top ten of the past 50 years considering the brevity of his stay imo.

McCallum was getting on when he fought Toney. Also, the only other fight he lost at MW was his first loss in pro boxing against Kalambay which he later avenged. McCallum also beat Herol Graham (very underrated) and Micheal Watson (up and coming MW star at the time).
I rated him at 6 because of his P4P achievements as well, some at MW have better resumes at the weight but historically arent as good as McCallum imo

[Martin Sosa Cameron]

Anybody remembers, for example, Eduardo Lausse or Henry Hank?


:)

[granberry]

Anybody remembers, for example, Eduardo Lausse or Henry Hank?


:)

Good question.

[ringsider]

Nunn's one punch KO of Kalambay in the 1st round is a good argument, but in assessing their overall careers at MW, I'm actually more impressed with Kalambay. After that big win, Michael Nunn was never quite the same. He was still a pretty good fighter, and still showed moments of brilliance almost till the end of his career, but he had too many letdown performances. I'm particularly inclined to hold his 11th round TKO loss to Toney against him, because A) he really should not have let a one sided decision get away and B) I think Toney was a bit overrated at MW.

Nunn was another goofy southpaw. Anytime they get beat (Thank you "Lights Out") it is a great day for boxing. Good riddance to Nunn and his backwards ass southpaw fighting types. If anything Toney was under rated at MW.

[The Durable Dane]

What about Laszlo Papp???

[HomicideHenry]

1. Carlos Monzon
2. Marvin Hagler
3. Gene Fullmer
4. Emile Griffith
5. Dick Tiger
6. Nino Benvenuti
7. Ray Robinson
8. Joey Giardello
9. Bernard Hopkins
10. James Toney
11. Michael Nunn
12. Mike McCallum
13. Rodrigo Valdez
14. Paul Pender
15. Alan Minter
16. Vito Antuofermo
17. Hugo Corro
18. Spider Webb
19. Benny Briscoe
20. Sumbu Kalambay

How the hell can you have Minter OVER the vastly under-rated Spider Webb????? I actually would have given you greater credit than that Alp, damn man...

1. Carlos Monzon
2. Marvin Hagler
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Dick Tiger
5. Gene Fullmer
6. Emile Griffith
7. Nino Benvenutti
8. Rodrigo Valdez
9. Paul Pender
10. Roy Jones, Jr.

elmersalsa...are you F'ING kidding me? Pender at #9??? And ffs, Jones didnt stay at middleweight long enough to genuinely have an impact on that division ffs...give me a break!

[granberry]

What about Laszlo Papp???

He spent too many of his best years under the Soviet system

to know how far he really could have gone as a pro.

[Arbachakov]

1. Carlos Monzon
2. Marvin Hagler
3. Gene Fullmer
4. Emile Griffith
5. Dick Tiger
6. Nino Benvenuti
7. Ray Robinson
8. Joey Giardello
9. Bernard Hopkins
10. James Toney
11. Michael Nunn
12. Mike McCallum
13. Rodrigo Valdez
14. Paul Pender
15. Alan Minter
16. Vito Antuofermo
17. Hugo Corro
18. Spider Webb
19. Benny Briscoe
20. Sumbu Kalambay

How the hell can you have Minter OVER the vastly under-rated Spider Webb????? I actually would have given you greater credit than that Alp, damn man...

1. Carlos Monzon
2. Marvin Hagler
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Dick Tiger
5. Gene Fullmer
6. Emile Griffith
7. Nino Benvenutti
8. Rodrigo Valdez
9. Paul Pender
10. Roy Jones, Jr.

elmersalsa...are you F'ING kidding me? Pender at #9??? And ffs, Jones didnt stay at middleweight long enough to genuinely have an impact on that division ffs...give me a break!

You are complaining about Minter, yet Antuofermo and the inept Corro are also above him.I'd say those are more egregious in their inclusion.

[Ambling Alp]

A lot of these guys are very close. Webb had a couple of big wins, but he also had his setbacks. The same is true for Minter, Antuofermo, Corro, and Brisco.
These guys were all good but not great fighters. You certainly could make a case for Webb being higher, but not by much.

[I Feel Fine]

In regards to the point about McCallum, I thought the Toney-McCallum draw was fair, but I also had McCallum winning the rematch. Not sure where I would put McCallum, though.

[HomicideHenry]

You are complaining about Minter, yet Antuofermo and the inept Corro are also above him.I'd say those are more egregious in their inclusion.

I'd rather have Terry Downes on the list than I would Corro and Antuofermo; but even Downes lost to Webb, but he did win over Pender.

[Ambling Alp]

You left out some important facts.

-Pender did lose to Downes once, but he also beat Downes twice.
-Downes wasn't as experienced when he fought Webb; He was only 22 and only had 21 fights, and hadn't beaten any of the top fighters yet.

[giacomino]

1. Carlos Monzon
2. Marvin Hagler
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Nino Benvenuti
5. Dick Tiger
6. Emile Griffith
7. Ray Robinson
8. Rodrigo Valdez
9. James Toney
10. Roy Jones

[Elton John]

1 Marvin Hagler. Unmatched ferocity, skill, right jab, chin, defense, along with an irresistable right hook. Footwork second only to the great Monzon.

2 Harry Greb. Terror of the 1920's with wins over the cream of the crop. Once made Mickey Walker plead with tears to let him survive 15.

3 Ray Robinson. Greatest combination puncher ever. Close to being the perfect fighter. Already at an astounding record of 110-1 and past his prime when he won the World Middleweight title.

4 Roy Jones. A true Sugar Ray in the ring-unbeatable at any weight he competed at, un paralleled hand speed. Could debilitate a man with a single body shot and untouchable when he wanted to be. Chin still a question mark.

5 Carlos Monzon. Dominant in his own decade, beating legends Benvenuti, Briscoe, Griffith, Napoles, and Valdez with the greatest of ease before retiring as undefeated champion.

The rest:

6 Marcel Cerdan

7 Dick Tiger

8 Stan Ketchel

9 Mickey Walker

10 Charley Burley (based soley on hearsay)