Top 25 Lightweights of All-Time

[elmersalsa]

This is my compilation of the top 25 greatest boxers of the lightweight division history. Great fighters in this weight class. One of the deepest of all weight divisions. We are subject to debate with class like we did at the top 25 best welterweights weeks ago. No name calling, no profanity, no derogatory remarks about someone's comments, and let's have respect of opinions from one to another, please.

The top 25 greatest lightweight boxers of all-time in my view:
1. Roberto Duran
2. Joe Gans
3. Benny Leonard
4. Ike Williams
5. Pernell Whitaker
6. Joe Brown
7. Carlos Ortiz
8. Tony Canzoneri
9. Beau Jack
10. Henry Armstrong
11. Bob Montgomery
12. Shane Mosley
13. Lou Ambers
14. Ad Wolgast
15. Sammy Angott
16. Ken Buchanan
17. Battling Nelson
18. Ismael Laguna
19. Freddie Welsh
20. Esteban DeJesus
21. Julio Cesar Chavez
22. Rocky Kansas
23. Jimmy Carter
24. Paddy DeMarco
25. Edwin "Chapo" Rosario

Let's start the debate

[elmersalsa]

Honorary Mention:
Sammy Mandell
Duilio Loi
Oscar De La Hoya
Jack McAuliffe
Lew Tendler

[Dancin' Dan]

Good list. Buchanan gave Duran such a great fight. Somehow feels like he should be higher. Delahoya would be tough for anyone on the list to beat at lightweight. Fast, powerful. Rocky Kansas might have been rugged but I don't think he would do well against most of these cats. Liked Duran and Gans - one and two. Boom Boom's reign was short but against tough comp. another guy who steam rolls Kansas.

[davie]

http://boxrec.com/boxer/36384

This guy would surely be the Floyd of his day
Did well to keep that 0

Wins over Mike Gibbons, Owen Moran, Jack Britton x2 (and a draw), Lockport Jimmy Duffy and a win (and 2 draws) against Freddie Welsh who makes your list
Not to mention beating Eddie Murphy up twice, that's got to be worth bonus points

Not someone I'm familiar with, just doing the old looking at records and making a judgement, but that's a pretty impressive record for me.

http://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Human:36384
A few speak highly of him here, worth a top 25 place?

[Ezzard]

Dave Holly, Elbows McFadden, Jackie Blackburn, Packy McFarland should all figure...

[scartissue]

I would lose Angott, Kansas and DeMarco and insert Barney Ross, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Alexis Arguello.

[Ambling Alp II]

http://boxrec.com/boxer/36384

This guy would surely be the Floyd of his day
Did well to keep that 0

Wins over Mike Gibbons, Owen Moran, Jack Britton x2 (and a draw), Lockport Jimmy Duffy and a win (and 2 draws) against Freddie Welsh who makes your list
Not to mention beating Eddie Murphy up twice, that's got to be worth bonus points

Not someone I'm familiar with, just doing the old looking at records and making a judgement, but that's a pretty impressive record for me.

http://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Human:36384
A few speak highly of him here, worth a top 25 place?

Of course McFarland should be in there. Probably should be in the Top 10.
Barney Ross and Sammy Mandell obviously should be in as well.
Ross beat Canzoneri twice who is at #8. He should be in the Top 10.

All three were much, better than Laguna, Buchanan and DeJesus.
They should be taken out along with Rocky Kansas, Paddy DeMarco, and Rosario.
Billy Petrolle, Jack Blackburn, and Dave Holly could be put in.

Ambers is too low at #13.

[Ezzard]

To be honest it's probably the most wide open division there is...

Gans, Leonard, Armstrong and Duran are all locks for a P4P top 20 rating... Not many other divisions can say that.

[Ambling Alp II]

That's probably true. I also have Ross in the Top 20 for all fighters. Some people probably have Canzoneri and Whitaker. A lot of close calls.

[Seamus]

Henry Armstrong was 6-0 in world welterweight title fights while weighing in as a lightweight. 10th place is pretty darn low when you've done that.

[davie]

Henry Armstrong was 6-0 in world welterweight title fights while weighing in as a lightweight. 10th place is pretty darn low when you've done that.

In defence of the list, Armstrong did go from fighting at feather, straight to Welter. His only recorded lightweight title bout was a defeat to Ambers.
Ok he weighed 135lb for many of those WW bouts, but for me he was fighting at welter, that's where thos victories should count. You may disagree but you can't have it both ways and take them as lightweight wins if he is ranked as one of the all time greats at welter.

[Seamus]

Of course they count at both weights, but obviously they have more value at Lightweight. Those 6 fights can be rated at Welterweight, but Armstrong doesn't rate any higher at that weight by coming in lighter because it would be of no benefit. But in facing another Lightweight it's got to be scary knowing the other guy has fared well against heavier opponents.

[elmersalsa]

I would lose Angott, Kansas and DeMarco and insert Barney Ross, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Alexis Arguello.

Great names, but I think that they didn't do enough at lightweight

[elmersalsa]

To be honest it's probably the most wide open division there is...

Gans, Leonard, Armstrong and Duran are all locks for a P4P top 20 rating... Not many other divisions can say that.

They are candidates for top 10 pound per pound consideration. At least two of the four mentioned above are top 5 greats of all weight classes

[elmersalsa]

The great Ike Williams. I think he was the most underrated of all the lightweight boxers. What a fighter. He fought in the Golden Era of the Lightweight Division which is the 1940s

[elmersalsa]

Good list. Buchanan gave Duran such a great fight. Somehow feels like he should be higher. Delahoya would be tough for anyone on the list to beat at lightweight. Fast, powerful. Rocky Kansas might have been rugged but I don't think he would do well against most of these cats. Liked Duran and Gans - one and two. Boom Boom's reign was short but against tough comp. another guy who steam rolls Kansas.

Great post.

[elmersalsa]

The great Joltin' Joe "Old Bones" Brown was a fantastic and beautiful boxer in his prime. He is another that doesn't get his due.

The Ring Fighter of the Year in 1961.
Made 11 world title defenses for 6 years from 1956 to 1962. He had a terrific jab and great balance gliding around the ring. A globetrotter as a champion, fighting in 16 countries around the world. A true definition of world champion

[elmersalsa]

Ike Williams, Beau Jack, Bob Montgomery, Lew Jenkins, Willie Joyce, Enrique Bolanos, Sammy Angott, Juan Zurita and Wesley Mouzon among others, defined the Golden Era of the lightweight class.

[elmersalsa]

Behind the great Carlos Ortiz, Hall of Fame boxer Ismael Laguna, was the second best lightweight in the world in the 1960s

A complete fighter that was never stopped in 75 professional contests. He was a two-time World Lightweight Champion who had a short reign in both occasions

[Ezzard]

To be honest it's probably the most wide open division there is...

Gans, Leonard, Armstrong and Duran are all locks for a P4P top 20 rating... Not many other divisions can say that.

They are candidates for top 10 pound per pound consideration. At least two of the four mentioned above are top 5 greats of all weight classes

I like Ross in the top 20 too.

Ike Williams and Canzoneri are top 30 candidates.

Good call on Old Bones.

[Ambling Alp II]

Ross should be top 10, possibly top 5.
He was beat Canzoneri (who is rated 8th on this list). He also beat Bat Battalino and Billy Petrolle. His only losses at lightweight were in the firs two years of his career.

McFarland beat Welsh (who is 19th on this list) Also beat Tommy Murphy and had a draw with Jack Britton. He never lost.

Sammy Angott beat Baby Arizmendi, Willie Pep, and Lew Jenkins.

All three (Ross, McFarland, and Angott) are huge oversights. It would be like a heavyweight list and leaving out Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, and James Jeffries.

All have vastly superior resumes to people like Buchanan, Laguna, DeJesus and Kansas. Hard to believe anyone would even debate this.

[elmersalsa]

Tomorrow night when the Sabbath is through, I will debate some points

[davie]

OK Elmersalsa & Ambling Alp, let's not turn this into a rerun of the welterweight thread.

be nice

[keithmoonhangover]

This is my compilation of the top 25 greatest boxers of the lightweight division history. Great fighters in this weight class. One of the deepest of all weight divisions. We are subject to debate with class like we did at the top 25 best welterweights weeks ago. No name calling, no profanity, no derogatory remarks about someone's comments, and let's have respect of opinions from one to another, please.

The top 25 greatest lightweight boxers of all-time in my view:
1. Roberto Duran
2. Joe Gans
3. Benny Leonard
4. Ike Williams
5. Pernell Whitaker
6. Joe Brown
7. Carlos Ortiz
8. Tony Canzoneri
9. Beau Jack
10. Henry Armstrong
11. Bob Montgomery
12. Shane Mosley
13. Lou Ambers
14. Ad Wolgast
15. Sammy Angott
16. Ken Buchanan
17. Battling Nelson
18. Ismael Laguna
19. Freddie Welsh
20. Esteban DeJesus
21. Julio Cesar Chavez
22. Rocky Kansas
23. Jimmy Carter
24. Paddy DeMarco
25. Edwin "Chapo" Rosario

Let's start the debate

Benny Leonard is the #1 lightweight of all time.

[Jpreisser]

Benny Leonard is the #1 lightweight of all time.

Hard to argue otherwise. If I am not mistaken, Ray Arcel was close to both but still rated Leonard higher. Regardless of his opinion, Leonard's resume is much better.