My best at 147

[Ezzard]

I really started to follow boxing in the early 1980s and counting from Ray Leonard onwards who do you consider the top at 147 from then until now…

1 - Ray Leonard
2 - Roberto Duran
3 - Thomas Hearns

Top 3 are in stone but you could move them around if you like.

4 - Oscar De La Hoya
5 - Felix Trinidad
6 - Donald Curry
7 - Pernell Whittaker
8 - Floyd Mayweather
9 - Marlon Starling
10 - Lloyd Honeyghan

[Expug]

Nice list Ez, I'd throw Benitez in there at four or five.
Palomino in there maybe at nine or ten.

[Expug]

Might have the time frame wrong on those two actually.
They didnt do too much at 47 post Leonard.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I'd have Whitaker & Mosley over Oscar.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

McCrory over Trinidad, Oscar & Mosley? How?

And not that it matters but Wilfred didn't do anything at Welter before 77. So i'm not sure what you mean by that.

Nice list though. I'd have Cuevas on the honorable mention list in place of Mayorga.

[LeedsLad]

Mayweather shouldn't be anywhere near the top 10, he's not beaten a single top class welterweight in their prime.

In no particular order.....

Benitez
Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Breland
Honeyghan
Cuevas
Trinidad
DLH
Mosley
Forrest
McCrory
Starling
McGirt
Pacquiao

All better/more proven welters. Apologies for missing anyone

[SaadOffTheDeck]

No worries, I'd rate them all well above Milton. McCrory might not even make my top 20.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

And while I'm criticizing I should post my own.

Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Benitez
Whitaker
Mosley
Curry
DelaHoya
Trinidad
Starling

[SaadOffTheDeck]

And while I'm criticizing I should post my own.

Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Benitez
Whitaker
Mosley
Curry
DelaHoya
Trinidad
Starling

no love for honeyghan? eh?

I was actually a bit of a fan, it's just a tough list to crack. You wont like this, but I think I'd have Cotto over Honeygahn.

[LeedsLad]

Mayweather shouldn't be anywhere near the top 10, he's not beaten a single top class welterweight in their prime.

In no particular order.....

Benitez
Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Breland
Honeyghan
Cuevas
Trinidad
DLH
Mosley
Forrest
McCrory
Starling
McGirt
Pacquiao

All better/more proven welters. Apologies for missing anyone

you go and say that comment about mayweather jr. yet you then go ahead and list pacquiao as one of your candidates. so go ahead and fill me in on which welterweight (besides clottey) that pacquiao has beat in his prime. that's right you can't. you go ahead and say i'm on the "cotto post margacheato bandwagon" but the truth is: i never thought anything of cotto to begin with even before the margacheato fight. and after that fight cotto has showed very little to show me he's been able to mentally overcome that loss. you know what i'll be nice and give you "cotto" (even though that shit was fought at a catchweight of 145!).

word to the wise (for future comments) don't contradict yourself in the same post.

I was fishing for a response like that

Didn't take long...... the truth is that neither Pacquiao or Mayweather are great welters.... but Pacquiao is the greater fighter of the two, of that I'm certain. All Floyd has over him is being unbeaten..... but Pacquiao's fought Barrera, Morales, Marquez - so many great fighters I can't list them.

I would rank Pac above him at WW though, the version of Cotto he beat was better than anything Floyd beat, and the manner of victory was very impressive, as opposed to putting a glass eye to sleep against crappy Baldomir and Zab.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

no love for honeyghan? eh?

I was actually a bit of a fan, it's just a tough list to crack. You wont like this, but I think I'd have Cotto over Honeygahn.

yeah, i def. don't like it.

honeyghan:

rosi
curry
blocker
vaca

add in bumphus & hatcher if you want (i don't know if i even would if we're talking about top wins)

vs.

cotto

clottey
mosley
judah

that curry win (for honeyghan) does huge (for me at least) when placing rank. so i gotta side w/lloyd in that match-up of rankings.

Beating Curry was a big deal. Getting destroyed by Starling & Breland hurts as well as losing to Vaca. It's just too deep a division for me to rate a guy that highly off of one win. Cotto is consistently better for my money.

[NazNaci1]

1 - Ray Leonard
2 - Roberto Duran
3 - Thomas Hearns
4 - Oscar De La Hoya
5 - Felix Trinidad
6 - Donald Curry
7 - Pernell Whittaker
8 - Lloyd Honeyghan
9 - Marlon Starling
10 - Floyd Mayweather

[Idisagree]

REVISED LIST (1977-present at Welter)

1] Sugar Ray Leonard
2] Roberto Duran
3] Thomas Hearns
4] Pernell Whitaker
5] Wilfred Benitez
6] Donald Curry
7] Pipino Cuevas
8] Floyd Mayweather Jr.
9] Lloyd Honeyghan
10] Marlin Starling

i would have put mccrory over trinidad because i thought trinidad was fighting second-rate opposition and didn't deserve to decision over de la hoya.

mccrory over de la hoya because i don't think de la hoya deserved the decision over whitaker (though the bout was VERY close), the quartey win was pretty good (though i wish this fight was made in '97) and i'm not sure how i feel about the chavez win in '98.

mccrory over mosley i'm not so sure on. this could be the closest.

if we compare:

mosley has:

de la hoya ('00)
diaz ('00)
margarito ('09)

vs.

mccrory

stafford ('82)
jones (draw - '83)
jones (win - '83)

and i just realized my error in analyzing mccrory - his win over Gilles Elbilia shouldn't even be looked at and i completely forgot how LaRocca was beating Elbilia before he had that injury that took him out of the fight. woops. haha disregard what i said just above (too lazy to delete it) and just go off my revised list.

I don't get your logic of not ranking Trinidad in your top ten but yet you find room for Mayweather. Can you tell me exactly what Mayweather has done at 147? The great Baldomir? You missed him on your list too? Judah? or Mosley? Maybe the great Ricky Hatton? You cannot have it both ways. If is based only in the talent then Mayweather should be ahead. However, if you are talking accomplishment wise then Trinidad did accomplish way more at 147.

[Idisagree]

1. Sugar Ray Leonard
2. Roberto Duran
3. Thomas Hearns
4. Wilfredo Benitez
5. Pernell Whitaker
6. Felix Trinidad
7. Oscar De La Hoya
8. Shane Mosley
9. Donald Curry
10. Marlon Starling

[dempseyfire]

Floyd hasn't done jack at 147 besides beat an old Mosley and Zab Judah . . how anyone could rank him above the late 80s bunch of Curry, Honeyghan, Starling etc. I just don't understand.


1) Ray Leonard

2) Tommy Hearns

3) Roberto Duran

4) Wilfred Benitez

5) Pernell Whitaker

6) Oscar Dela Hoya

7) Donald Curry

8 ) Lloyd Honeyghan

9) Marlon Starling

10) Shane Mosley

Hon. Mention: Vernon Forrest, Buddy McGirt, Antonio Margarito (JK )

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Honeyghan over Starling is an odd one. If you have them that closely grouped, why wouldn't an absolutely dominating head to head victory be the decider? That doesn't even delve into Starling having the greater volume of quality wins.

[Ezzard]

Nice list Ez, I'd throw Benitez in there at four or five.
Palomino in there maybe at nine or ten.

Mate, I didn’t put them in because I never really saw much of these guys at this weight. I became an avid follower of the sport around the times they lost their titles. But they were definitely good enough for the top 10. Maybe Cuevas too.

I was 40 a few weeks ago and have started going through the old boxing books and magazines etc… Thought I’d look back over the weight classes too.

[Ezzard]

I'd have Whitaker & Mosley over Oscar.

Ah mate, forgot to consider Moseley...

[Ezzard]

Mayweather shouldn't be anywhere near the top 10, he's not beaten a single top class welterweight in their prime.

In no particular order.....

Benitez
Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Breland
Honeyghan
Cuevas
Trinidad
DLH
Mosley
Forrest
McCrory
Starling
McGirt
Pacquiao

All better/more proven welters. Apologies for missing anyone

Yes, you're right about Mayweather. He's in there as a wild card maybe... I've given him a huge, huge slice of benefit of he doubt. I should probably take him out and put Moseley in.

[King Carlos]

Duran
Leonard
Hearns
Benitez
Curry
Whitaker
De La Hoya
Trinidad
Starling
McGirt

[dempseyfire]

Honeyghan over Starling is an odd one. If you have them that closely grouped, why wouldn't an absolutely dominating head to head victory be the decider? That doesn't even delve into Starling having the greater volume of quality wins.

You could put Starling ahead, I think I edged Lloyd up just b/c the first Curry W was so big. But I can see a clear argument to put Starling ahead of Lloyd.

[LeedsLad]

Mayweather shouldn't be anywhere near the top 10, he's not beaten a single top class welterweight in their prime.

In no particular order.....

Benitez
Leonard
Hearns
Duran
Breland
Honeyghan
Cuevas
Trinidad
DLH
Mosley
Forrest
McCrory
Starling
McGirt
Pacquiao

All better/more proven welters. Apologies for missing anyone

Yes, you're right about Mayweather. He's in there as a wild card maybe... I've given him a huge, huge slice of benefit of he doubt. I should probably take him out and put Moseley in.

I'd definitely have Shane ahead.

The win over Oscar eclipses Floyd's entire 147 career, which in my opinion is very underwhelming.

[elmersalsa]

I could never put Duran at #2 from 1977 to now. I cannot consider Duran a true all-time welterweight.

[elmersalsa]

From 1977 to now at 147lbs/welterweight top 10 all-time for me:

Sugar Ray Leonard
Thomas Hearns
Felix "Tito" Trinidad
Pernell Whitaker
Donald Curry
Roberto Duran
Pipino Cuevas
Oscar De La Hoya
Shane Mosley
Carlos Palomino

[IKSRTFO]

I see Floyd on these lists alot. Personally, I think Mosley has done more at 147 than Mayweather and Pacquiao. So has Trinidad. They manned up and faced their ultimate challenge at welter.