The 25 Greatest Pound per Pound Latin Boxers of All-Time

[elmersalsa]

I'm only coming up with 8. Go ahead and name them.

The great Eusebio Pedroza's WBA world featherweight title defenses in opponents' backyards:

1. W15 Enrique Solis, November 27, 1978, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2. WTKO13 Royal Kobayashi, January 9, 1979, Tokyo, Japan
3. WTKO11 Johnny Aba, November 17, 1979, Papua, New Guinea
4. W15 Spider Nemoto, January 22, 1980, Tokyo, Japan
5. WKO8 Sa-Wang Kim, July 20, 1980, Seoul, South Korea
6. W15 Rocky Lockridge (I), October 4, 1980, McAfee, NJ, USA
7. WKO7 Carlos Pinango, August 1, 1981, Caracas, Venezuela
8. D15 Bernard Taylor, October 16, 1982, Charlotte, NC, USA
9. W15 Angel Levy Mayor, May 27, 1984, Maracaibo, Venezuela
10. L15 Barry McGuigan, June 8, 1985, London, England

In total, Pedroza defended the crown abroad in 13 different sites outside of his native country of Panama.

[elmersalsa]

The great Eusebio Pedroza was a true road road warrior, defending his title ten times in opponents' backyards, and 4 of them in neutral sites. A total of 14 defenses outside his native Panama. He defended the crown in Panama only 6 times. A remarkable feat for any boxer of any weight and of any era. It requires lots of mental skill and poise to defend your title, especially on the road. More meaningful in someone else's backyard where the hometown crowd could influence the judges and outcome of the fight. Some champions don't even get out of their own country to defend it in someone's turf. Pedroza did this on the regular. He was champion for 7 years! Remarkable! Absolutely and strictly, world class!

He was probably the most complete boxer that I have seen in my lifetime.

[Ambling Alp II]

Not exactly the backyard of Lockridge and McGuigan.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Not exactly the backyard of Lockridge and McGuigan.

Lockridge was sort of based out of Jersey with the Duva ties. I thought Taylor was from Tennessee.

[Counter-puncher]

Not exactly the backyard of McGuigan.

did you hear the crowd at Loftus road that night?

[elmersalsa]

Not exactly the backyard of Lockridge and McGuigan.

Well, most of the 10,000 crowd that night were people from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

So Rocky Lockridge ain't American? Or McAffe, NJ doesn't belong to the United States? As a matter of fact, McAfee was Lockridge hometown for is boxing career. It was his backyard.

[elmersalsa]

Not exactly the backyard of McGuigan.

did you hear the crowd at Loftus road that night?

They certainly weren't behind of supporting Pedroza.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Not exactly the backyard of Lockridge and McGuigan.

So Rocky Lockridge ain't American? Or McAffe, NJ doesn't belong to the United States? .

[SaadOffTheDeck]

If fighting an American anywhere in America constitutes their back yard I have to think Chavez destroys your boys mark there. Canelo probably already has more. Cotto? Morales? Barrera? Pacquiao? Napoles?

10 is still a lot, but some of those guys have to be higher with such loose guidelines.

[Ambling Alp II]

While Lockridge fought a lot in New Jersey, he was really from the state of Washington which is almost 3000 miles away. Pedroza also had 6 title fights in his hometown. What Pedroza did really isn't that much more impressive than a guy who fights on neutral sites most of the time; which is what most fighters have done.

Probably most importantly, it's not like the "home field advantage" hurt Pedroza; the officials always bailed him out when the decision was close, including against Lockridge twice.

[elmersalsa]

While Lockridge fought a lot in New Jersey, he was really from the state of Washington which is almost 3000 miles away. Pedroza also had 6 title fights in his hometown. What Pedroza did really isn't that much more impressive than a guy who fights on neutral sites most of the time; which is what most fighters have done.

Probably most importantly, it's not like the "home field advantage" hurt Pedroza; the officials always bailed him out when the decision was close, including against Lockridge twice.

Stop it, stop it! Pedroza got the mark, which is a remarkable feat. Ask any fighter in history what does it takes for a champion to defend his crown in someone else's turf. It's a DIFFICULT THING TO DO.

Seattle or McAfee is in the big ol' USA. It's not in Mexico. It's not in Panama nor Europe. It's in the United States.

Facts are:
1. Rocky Lockridge is an American.
2. The fight was in America. It was Not in Panama.
3. New Jersey was Lockridge's hometown backyard for his pro career. Just like Brockton, MA was for the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. (Hagler is from Newark, NJ.)
4. You're a Pedroza hater. Recognize the man's greatness once and for all. No champion in history had defended his crown in someone's else turf on the regular like Pedroza did. He defended it all over the world. He was a TRUE WORLD CHAMPION and pound per pound all time great.

[elmersalsa]

If fighting an American anywhere in America constitutes their back yard I have to think Chavez destroys your boys mark there. Canelo probably already has more. Cotto? Morales? Barrera? Pacquiao? Napoles?

10 is still a lot, but some of those guys have to be higher with such loose guidelines.

The great Julio Cesar Chavez does not have the mark. Look it up. None of the guys above have defended his crown in someone else's turf like Pedroza did.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I'm not going to look it up, but I'd be very surprised if Chavez didn't make title defenses against at least 11 Americans in America. Since you know he didn't. How many did he have?

[Ambling Alp II]

I got 12 if you count LaPorte. Castillo, Mayweather, Practhett, Lockridge, Taylor, Duplessis, Smith, Mitchell, Haugen, Whitaker and Randall. Many were not in the opponent's backyard.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I got 12 if you count LaPorte. Castillo, Mayweather, Practhett, Lockridge, Taylor, Duplessis, Smith, Mitchell, Haugen, Whitaker and Randall. Many were not in the opponent's backyard.

America may as well have been Chavez back yard, but when Elmer gets stupid it's hard not to call him on it. What about Marty jakubowski? I always considered Laporte Puerto Rican. Whitaker was the defending champion in that one.arguello probably has quite a few.

[Ambling Alp II]

Can't believe I overlook Marty Jakubowski? Well that is 13. LaPorte was born in Puero Rico, but hardly fought there. He had many fights in New York City before he fought Chavez.

I believe Lennox Lewis had 9- Tucker, Jackson, McCall, Briggs, Holyfield twice, Grant, Tua, and Tyson. That would be in the same amount in the same country as Pedroza had.
There is probably others as well who had as many as Pedroza.

I think we have consider what advantage there is fighting in your own country. In the United state, we have no probably rooting for a foreigner against an American if we don't like the American. Or root for the foreigner if we really like the foreigner. It's not like people are holding up US flags and chanting "USA, USA."

It's also not hard to find examples of officials giving the benefit of the doubt to the foreigner against an Americian in a fight in the United States.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Yeah, in a long history of dumb shit, calling the entire United States home field is insane. You could be fighting 45 minutes from your home on enemy turf.

[elmersalsa]

I'm not going to look it up, but I'd be very surprised if Chavez didn't make title defenses against at least 11 Americans in America. Since you know he didn't. How many did he have?

Chavez had Seven title defenses in someone else's turf for the WBC World Jr Welterweight Title. And he had to regain the crown from Frankie Randall to get seven. Promoter Don King and the WBC president Jose Sulaiman of Mexico got that hand on that fight all written over it.

No fighter in boxing history had more title defenses in opponent' home turf than The Panamanian Scorpion, Eusebio Pedroza. He had 10 title defenses. A remarkable feat for any fighter.

[elmersalsa]

I got 12 if you count LaPorte. Castillo, Mayweather, Practhett, Lockridge, Taylor, Duplessis, Smith, Mitchell, Haugen, Whitaker and Randall. Many were not in the opponent's backyard.

I guess you don't get the point.

The Juan LaPorte fight was not in Puerto Rico.
The Rocky Lockridge fight with JCC was not in McAfee, NJ.
The Greg Haugen fight was in Mexico, Chavez' backyard.

The Pernell Whitaker fight was not a Chavez' title defense but, Sweet Pea's.

Pedroza had Chavez beat on that record. No fighter in history had defended a world title in opponents' backyards more than the great Eusebio Pedroza. It's a remarkable feat, no matter how we look at it.

[elmersalsa]

Yeah, in a long history of dumb poo, calling the entire United States home field is insane. You could be fighting 45 minutes from your home on enemy turf.

It even makes Pedroza's record more remarkable. He fought Rocky Lockridge in McAfee, NJ. Lockridge's backyard. He fought Bernard Taylor in Charlotte, NC which was Taylor's backyard.

The great Julio Cesar Chavez didn't do it that way. Even though the opponent was American, he never defended the crown in the American boxer hometown or backyard. And even if I am calling Las Vegas, NV home for the American boxer, even if that is not his real backyard, STILL, doesn't matched Pedtoza's record. An amazing feat for any world champion.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Yeah, in a long history of dumb poo, calling the entire United States home field is insane. You could be fighting 45 minutes from your home on enemy turf.

It even makes Pedroza's record more remarkable. He fought Rocky Lockridge in McAfee, NJ. Lockridge's backyard. He fought Bernard Taylor in Charlotte, NC which was Taylor's backyard.

The great Julio Cesar Chavez didn't do it that way. Even though the opponent was American, he never defended the crown in the American boxer hometown or backyard. And even if I am calling Las Vegas, NV home for the American boxer, even if that is not his real backyard, STILL, doesn't matched Pedtoza's record. An amazing feat for any world champion.

I was a big Pedroza fan, he was fortunate to get both decisions against Lockridge. Undermines your point. You said that anywhere in America would constitute an Americans backyard. Did you speak out of turn?

[Ambling Alp II]

elmer like Pedroza therefore Pedroza deserves all those dubious deciisons he got. If elmer likes a guy that is all there is to it for him.

I guess the Lockridge and Haugen fights should not count for Chavez since they weren't in the US and it was for Whitaker's title. I think that LaPorte should count since LaPorte was as much as from New York as Lockridge was from New Jersey. Laporte moved to New York and fought there a ton of times before fighting Chavez.

Still don't see how we can count McGuigan for Pedroza. elmer keeps acting like being in the same country is all that matters.
McGuigan was from Ireland. The fight was in England. Those are two different countries.

That makes it 10 for Chavez and Pedroza and 9 for Pedroza.
Arguello had 9 as well and tied with Pedroza. (Leonard Hernadez, Royal Kobayshi, Arturo Leon, Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo, Ray Mancini, Roberto Elizondo, James Busceme, Andy Ganigan)
Lennox Lewis has 9 and is therefore tied with Pedroza. However elmer doesn't like Lewis so apparently is ignoring him.

[Kalan]

I don't care who the 25th best is frankly... The best is Salvador Sanchez... Rating him behind Pascual Perez who has the most puffed up ring record in Latin History is an abomination. And obviously Edwin Valero not only ranks ahead of Perez, but also Eusebio Pedroza -- who was brutally stopped in 2 rounds by green youngster Alfonso Zamora... Ranking the phony, record padding Perez anywhere is ridiculous.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I don't care who the 25th best is frankly... The best is Salvador Sanchez... Rating him behind Pascual Perez who has the most puffed up ring record in Latin History is an abomination. And obviously Edwin Valero not only ranks ahead of Perez, but also Eusebio Pedroza -- who was brutally stopped in 2 rounds by green youngster Alfonso Zamora... Ranking the phony, record padding Perez anywhere is ridiculous.

Rarely could a post be so right and so wrong at the same time. Valero isn't top 200.

[BoxBuzz]

Pretty sure the people on the east coast knew that Valero was about to be defeated in his next outing....which is why he was set up and incarcerated, as not to embarrass the Venezuelan leaders.

as it is, his record leads people such as K to assume many imaginary things about his skill set.

But for the record, the greatest fighters of all time are currently in a four way tie: a tie that can never be mathematically resolved...or intellectually questioned.

FMJr...
Edwin Valero
Rocky Marciano
Joe Calzaghe
Sven Ottke