Sounds like an interesting book. Hope you don't the idea that I don't think Griffith was very good. He was a helluva fighter. He did have a lot of close fights, sometimes against guys that weren't that good. Most of the time he got the benefit of the doubt from the judges. However, he certainly had more than his share of big wins.
I actually think he is underrated at middleweight. He wasn't that much better at welterweight.
At middleweight, he has two wins over Tiger (though one was controversial), and one against Benvenuti. At the age of 35, he almost beat Monzon.
At welter he has the wins over Rodriguez. All of them were hotly disputed.
There is no way that he was #3 at welterweight and #22 at middleweight. He should be just inside the top 10 at welterweight and not that far outside the top 10 at middleweight.
Ambling Alp II wrote:Sounds like an interesting book. Hope you don't the idea that I don't think Griffith was very good. He was a helluva fighter. He did have a lot of close fights, sometimes against guys that weren't that good. Most of the time he got the benefit of the doubt from the judges. However, he certainly had more than his share of big wins.
I actually think he is underrated at middleweight. He wasn't that much better at welterweight.
At middleweight, he has two wins over Tiger (though one was controversial), and one against Benvenuti. At the age of 35, he almost beat Monzon.
At welter he has the wins over Rodriguez. All of them were hotly disputed.
There is no way that he was #3 at welterweight and #22 at middleweight. He should be just inside the top 10 at welterweight and not that far outside the top 10 at middleweight.
And I am saying, the great Emile Griffith was a better welterweight than middleweight. His record shows it. The videos shows it. And his record as champion in both weight classes shows it. He is #3 in my view.
elmersalsa wrote:I have made a compilation of the top 25 welters in history. Debates are allowed and discussed in decent manner, without name calling, please. Once a person in this forum or debate calls someone else a name in derogatory fashion should be getting notifications from the moderators.
Here is my list:
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Emile Griffith
4. Kid Gavilan
5. Sugar Ray Leonard
6. Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles
7. Barbados Joe Walcott
8. Carmen Basilio
9. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
10. Thomas Hearns
11. Luis Manuel Rodriguez
12. Ted "Kid" Lewis
13. Jack Britton
14. Charley Burley
15. Jimmy McLarnin
16. Fritzie Zivic
17. Felix "Tito" Trinidad
18. Young Corbett III
19. Donald Curry
20. Pernell Whitaker
21. Mickey Walker
22. Barney Ross
23. Curtis Cokes
24. Roberto Duran
25. Holman Williams
Let's start the debate.
I would have Tommy Ryan at number 2 behind Robinson and would also have McFarland in the top 15 easily. No way are Donald Curry or Trinidad or Burley above Walker and Ross and Ross should be MANY rungs higher. Back to McFarland, he fought above the LW limit for half his career and although never really a welterweight he was sure a Jr Welterweight but wins against the like of Jack Britton twice and Mike Gibbons giving at least 7 lbs away makes this guy a PHENOM... he was NEVER beaten. If we have a Junior Welterweight list surely he is untouchable at number one.
Nice try dipshit. McFarland didn't beat Gibbons. I have the entire film. Newspaper reports are split, which is puzzling given how the fight played out. Just another attempt by you to tear down Gibbons so you can make the argument that Darcy was better. Riddle me this: Why did Darcy duck out of the largest purse he was ever offered to face Gibbons? He had a signed contract and instead wanted to fight the great Len Rowlands...
It's too bad Young Jack Thompson didn't make your list. He broke the color line against African American boxers that lasted 29 years. Many of his opponents have made it into a Hall of Fame but he has yet to get the recognition he deserves. His youngest sister died in 2019 but his family lives on hoping that he would be recognized. Maybe you can give him an honorable mention.
