Top 10 Panamanian Fighters Of All Time

[Seamus]

1.Roberto Duran
2.Panama Al Brown
3.Ismael Laguna
4.Eusebio Pedroza
5.Hilario Zapata
6.Ernesto Marcel
7.Davey Abad
8.Luis Ibarra
9.Alfonso Lopez
10.Alfonso Frazer

I was tempted to put Brown at number 1, because I just can't stand Duran, but then I'd be accused of lacking objectivity.

[JAHamilton77]

Some of today's fighters like Caballero, Vasquez, & Mosquera (though I think he is in legal trouble) are starting to nip at the guys at the bottom of this list.

[Ezzard]

Duran could be 1st, 2nd and 3rd here...

I like Pedroza. I think he gets forgotten about these days. Many of his fights are hard to get hold of. Great fighter.

[markl]

Duran could be 1st, 2nd and 3rd here...

I like Pedroza. I think he gets forgotten about these days. Many of his fights are hard to get hold of. Great fighter.

He was one of my favorites growing up. Had a lot of close calls but I always thought he was even up if he faced Sanchez.

Duran can only be 1 on this list. I think he is top 3 alltime ,anywhere.

[pundit]

Nice list.

[Seamus]

I put Duran at number 1 myself, but to say he could be 1-2-3 in a group that includes Panama Al Brown is unthinkable. Brown was alot more active than Duran, went 16-1 or 17-1 in title fights, was never KO'd, and beat the likes of Kid Francis, Eugene Huat, and Young Perez 3 times, Emile Pladner twice, and Gregorio Vidal, Knud Larsen, Johnny McCoy, Teddy Baldock, Pete Sanstol, Dick Burke, Johnny King, Baltazar Sangchili and Valentin Angelmann once. Several of Brown's losses also came in fights he took on very short notice.

[markl]

I put Duran at number 1 myself, but to say he could be 1-2-3 in a group that includes Panama Al Brown is unthinkable. Brown was alot more active than Duran, went 16-1 or 17-1 in title fights, was never KO'd, and beat the likes of Kid Francis, Eugene Huat, and Young Perez 3 times, Emile Pladner twice, and Gregorio Vidal, Knud Larsen, Johnny McCoy, Teddy Baldock, Pete Sanstol, Dick Burke, Johnny King, Baltazar Sangchili and Valentin Angelmann once. Several of Brown's losses also came in fights he took on very short notice.

Too each their own. I don't think Brown comes close to Duran. He was as dominant as it gets at 35 and below. Beat an alltime great at 47.

Granted, he was spotty at higher weights in old age. But if you cut his career after Leonard he still measures up to anyone.

[torodecayey]

Jorge Lujan would get my vote over 8-9-10 on your list. Other than that-it's an excellent list.

[Seamus]

I considered Lujan who was much better than his record.

[scartissue]

I'd lose #7 and 8 and install Enrique Pinder and Federico Thompson in the top ten. Pinder was an amazingly rangy boxer and Thompson, who is generally thought of as Argentine, was a Panamanian and fought there his first 5 years of his career.

Scartissue

[Seamus]

I thought about Thompson, but Davey Abad beat Tony Canzoneri, Benny Bass, Eddie Cannonball Martin, Henry Armstrong and Midget Wolgast, and Luis Ibarra posted wins over Betulio Gonzalez and Santos Laciar.

[HomicideHenry]

I don't disagree with the list, Duran should be #1 and Brown be #2, Duran was the greatest lightweight champion ever, and his mad skills, ferocity carried him over into much heavier divisions and he still had good succes even up until he retired at the age of 50.

[Martin Sosa Cameron]

I'd lose #7 and 8 and install Enrique Pinder and Federico Thompson in the top ten. Pinder was an amazingly rangy boxer and Thompson, who is generally thought of as Argentine, was a Panamanian and fought there his first 5 years of his career.

Scartissue

Federico Thompson was an Argentinian citizen who born in Panamá. Federico was Argentinian and South American Welterweight champion and challenger for the world title

Another great boxer who born in Panamá was the legendary Peruvian K.O. Brisset, South American champion of the welter and middleweights

[elmersalsa]

My list of the 10 greatest fighters that came from Panama:

1. Roberto Duran (logically understood...He is not only the greatest ever from that country, but the best ever that ever come from Latin America. The greatest fighter of his generation and definately, the greatest lightweight ever...Could be #1 in any country)

2. Panama Al Brown ( A top 50 fighter all-time by any one standards. Made 11 title defenses of the bantam crown in 7 years. Was the first Latin boxer or fighter to win a world title, and has the record of most fights without being KO'd in not counting the non decisions with 166 fights...Also fought the very best of his time in 16 countries all over the world)

3. Eusebio Pedroza (Overlooked and unappreciated at times. Made 20 title defenses of the feather crown. 10 of them in opponents' home turf, which is a world record. ONe of the very best featherweights in history and surely a HOF ranked in my book with the 100 greatest fighters ever)

4. Hilario Zapata (Won 2 crowns in 2 different weight classes. Made 24 title fights in his career...No Panamanian fighter has more title fights than he)

5. Ismael Laguna (Two-time lighweight world champion in one of the toghest eras in boxing. Was never stopped in his career)

6. Ernesto Marcel (The ONLY Panamanian fighter that retired undefeated champ. In his last fight, he beat the great Alexis Arguello for the defense of his WBA featherweight title)

7. Jorge Lujan(Magnificent technician and counterpuncher that could have been a greater fighter if he would have had the discipline. Held the WBA bantam crown for 3 years. He won the crown by giving KO artist Alfonso Zamora of Mexico a boxing lesson)

8. Alfonso Lopez (WBA flyweight champion that fought the very best flyweights and jr flyweights of his time)

9. Roberto "La Ara~a" Vazquez (One of Panama's few two-division champs. He is right now, Panama's boxing hero of the moment)

10. Alfonso "Peppermint" Frazier ( Became world champion by giving aging champ and great Nicolino Locche of Argentina a stunning upset. He represented Panama in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo)