BoxRec

This should be interesting. Who was the best lightweight?

By virtue of his incredible wins over Welterweights while fighting as a Lightweight, I have to give the slightest of edges to Henry Armstrong over Benny Leonard. Next week I could change my mind.

I liked Ike Williams great to watch, but I think Duran for me.

it has to be duran, he was incredible.

Leonard's resume at lightweight > Duran's

Duran for my money, but Whitaker is under rated, and I'm not sure there is a lightweight ever that could beat Sweet Pea better than 50% of the time.

He would have a good chance of getting under Roberto's skin, and taking him off his game. A bit like Sugar Ray did.

MANNY PAKWAY

BoxBuzz wrote:Duran for my money, but Whitaker is under rated, and I'm not sure there is a lightweight ever that could beat Sweet Pea better than 50% of the time.

He would have a good chance of getting under Roberto's skin, and taking him off his game. A bit like Sugar Ray did.

are you sure duran wasn't playing games in that second fight. wasn't that about the time duran got tied

in with don king and his boys.

A little surprised at the results so far. Benny Leonard would be a deserved winner, but I'm the only one who's picked Armstrong so far ?

Joe Gans. In his prime he was untouchable at the weight.

Seamus wrote:A little surprised at the results so far. Benny Leonard would be a deserved winner, but I'm the only one who's picked Armstrong so far ?

Armstrong is one of my favorite fighters of all times.I have him number 2 lightweight behind Duran.
Benny Leonard is number 3 for me.

Roberto Duran

Not enough love for Sweet Pea.
The guy that outboxed and embarrassed Chavez at 140 and handcuffed the legendary Azumah Nelson, could make a monkey out of any lightweight in history.
He's only overlooked because he wasn't a dynamic champion like Duran. Fans are always enthralled by aggressive punchers with attitude.

SenorPipino wrote:Not enough love for Sweet Pea.
The guy that outboxed and embarrassed Chavez at 140 and handcuffed the legendary Azumah Nelson, could make a monkey out of any lightweight in history.
He's only overlooked because he wasn't a dynamic champion like Duran. Fans are always enthralled by aggressive punchers with attitude.

roger that....

SenorPipino wrote:Not enough love for Sweet Pea.
The guy that outboxed and embarrassed Chavez at 140 and handcuffed the legendary Azumah Nelson, could make a monkey out of any lightweight in history.
He's only overlooked because he wasn't a dynamic champion like Duran. Fans are always enthralled by aggressive punchers with attitude.

roger that....

Benny Leonard, Joe Gans, Roberto Duran and Henry Armstrong... Any of those 4...put them in any order...

Ike Williams, Pernell Whittaker, Carlos Ortiz and Tony Canzoneri just below...

The great Roberto Duran. He was an animal in that weight class.

Of all the great lightweights, the great Ike Williams had the greatest quality of opposition.

elmersalsa wrote:Of all the great lightweights, the great Ike Williams had the greatest quality of opposition.

It was a difficult choice for me between Williams and Duran, I plumbed for Duran because I grew up with his fights, but watching footage of Williams fight is like boxing poetry.

Ezzard wrote:Benny Leonard, Joe Gans, Roberto Duran and Henry Armstrong... Any of those 4...put them in any order...

Ike Williams, Pernell Whittaker, Carlos Ortiz and Tony Canzoneri just below...

Pretty much how I see it. Ambers was probably right there with any of them. What really hurt's Ambers case is the two losses to Lew Jenkins. He wins those two, and you can make a serious argument for him being #1.

Leonard and Gans were slick but could also punch. Duran and Armstrong were so aggressive and were effective. Duran's competition doesn't stack up to the rest, but he is still up there.

Williams looked really good a lot, but he really didn't stand out in his own era.
Canzoneri would have been a tough one for anybody.

Ike Williams hit awfully hard and he was a real 15 round fighter. I've gone for Benny Leonard who had lots of scraps with very tough men and came out unscathed; I think I remember reading that Arcel put Leonard as the best he'd seen though he said Duran would have fit into that (or any other) level.

Duran.... I put him in the same category as Ketchel, in this sense: Duran could of stayed at lightweight for the next decade and still of been the king of the hill... no one in that time could of challenged him and beaten him... same goes with Ketchel, had he not been murdered, no one in ten years time would of come along and of beaten him.

HomicideHenry wrote:Duran.... I put him in the same category as Ketchel, in this sense: Duran could of stayed at lightweight for the next decade and still of been the king of the hill... no one in that time could of challenged him and beaten him... same goes with Ketchel, had he not been murdered, no one in ten years time would of come along and of beaten him.

Nobody wanted to fight the great Roberto Duran when he was champion in his prime. The featherweight champs did not challenged him, neither the jr. welterweight champs. Duran had to jump two weight classes to fight somebody. This guy in his prime was a monster, a real fighting machine, a complete fighter. He could do it all in his prime.

Lightweight is always the toughest for me . The general consensus is always Duran at #1 but I think several of the guys mentioned can also make a case for themselves .

Gans

Leonard

Williams

Duran

Whittaker

Armstrong


I'd like to see a tournament of those guys

elmersalsa wrote:

HomicideHenry wrote:Duran.... I put him in the same category as Ketchel, in this sense: Duran could of stayed at lightweight for the next decade and still of been the king of the hill... no one in that time could of challenged him and beaten him... same goes with Ketchel, had he not been murdered, no one in ten years time would of come along and of beaten him.

Nobody wanted to fight the great Roberto Duran when he was champion in his prime. The featherweight champs did not challenged him, neither the jr. welterweight champs. Duran had to jump two weight classes to fight somebody. This guy in his prime was a monster, a real fighting machine, a complete fighter. He could do it all in his prime.

So that's what happened...The reason Duran wasn't fighting the best opponents was because they were all scared. Arguello, Chacon, Cervantes and Benitez were all just yellow. Though it seems like Benitez got over it.