BoxRec

Thinking about Lomachenko and how he's a great fighter who's likely to only end up with around 25 fights got me thinking who are some of the greatest fighters in history with the fewest number of pro fights?

Yoko Gushiken 23-1
Michael Spinks 31-1
Jeff Fenech 29-3-1
Kostya Tszyu 31-2-1
Joe Frazier 32-4-1
Jeff Chandler 33-2-2

Off the top of my head these are the fighters that come to mind. Spinks really crammed a lot into his 32 fights didn't he? Undisputed in one of the great 175 era's then lineal and #1 at Heavyweight dethroning a legend.

Who are some others that had an unusually low amount of fights yet find themselves inducted in the hall of fame or at the very least among the best in their divisions history? I'm thinking under 40 fights would be considered a low amount.

Sugar ray Leonard 40 fights in total,I actually thought it was less,but checked there to make sure

semtexreilly wrote: ↑10 Dec 2018, 17:55 Sugar ray Leonard 40 fights in total,I actually thought it was less,but checked there to make sure

Yeah, for sure Leonard is up there. He definitely squeezed the biggest amount of greatness into the smallest amount of fights during his years.

I know a lot of Japanese or Korean fighters tend to fight a lot less and retire with relatively low numbers like Jiro Watanabe at 26-2. Not sure he's at the level above but he's on the IBHOF ballot and deserves a strong look. Yuri Arbachakov (based in Japan) too, at 23-1 and Sung Kil Moon at 20-2. All brilliant fighters.

Orzubek Nazarov was 26-1 too.

Not sure if they are considered great but here are a few others, all world champs and some in the IBHOF -

Ingemar Johansson 26-2
Barry McGuigan 32-3
Terry Marsh 26-0-1
Naseem Hamed 36-1
David Haye 28-4

I guess the old timers shouldn't count but it is interesting how they acted in such extremes? (No NWS included)

James J. Corbett 11-4-3
James J. Jeffries 19-1-2

Peter Maher 126-9-5
Robert Fitzsimmons 61-8-4
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien 92-6-14

These are just the HW contenders, you know what the numbers look like for Joe Gans and Sam Langford. But it is interesting how the top two were able to make so much noise (and money) with so few fights.

Wesley mouzon could have been something real special

APerno wrote: ↑10 Dec 2018, 23:45 I guess the old timers shouldn't count but it is interesting how they acted in such extremes? (No NWS included)

James J. Corbett 11-4-3
James J. Jeffries 19-1-2

Peter Maher 126-9-5
Robert Fitzsimmons 61-8-4
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien 92-6-14

These are just the HW contenders, you know what the numbers look like for Joe Gans and Sam Langford. But it is interesting how the top two were able to make so much noise (and money) with so few fights.

Corbett did have some fights that have been lost to history. He himself maintained that he had 39 fights. But yes, it has always seemed odd to me as well that so many old timers had a ton of fights but then you run into some that didn't have that many at all.

Anyway, some more Hall of Famers with less than 40 fights:
Jess Willard
Lazslo Papp
Carlos Palomino
Yuh Myong-Woo
Jack McAulliffe
Yoko Gushiken

Andre Ward 32-0

Jack McAuliffe 29-10
Ike Weir 26-2-9

The really extreme ones are some of the bareknuckle guys
John Jackson 2-1
John C Heenan 0-2-1

Edit:
Jimmy Britt 13-7-3

The bareknuckle guys are hard to determine. They had more fights than what's listed. Especially when they were unknowns coming up. Ireland's Dan Donnelly, though, I believe only had 5 fights in total (for money).

As for gloved guys, I think of someone like Jeffries (championship level) or Papp who was blocked from competing further than he did.

But I'll mention a different kind of badass greatness, where someone became absolutely legendary with next to no fights in the pros and that's Salamo Arouch, the man who inspired the film TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT. He reportedly went 208-0-2 in the Nazi concentration camps, and had PREVIOUSLY been in the Olympics. So far, the record searchers have only found one fight for him in the pros, a loss in 1955 which clearly was well passed his prime. Alot of amateurs and pros did these kinds of fights and unfortunately died as a consequence of losing.

Another man who comes to mind as something great was Abraham Hollandersky. He had few pro fights, but, he literally had over a thousand exhibitions and wrestling matches. He's in the Jewish Hall of Fame.

Saensak Muangsurin 14-6.

Unlikely to get anywhere near a HOF but Kittikasem has only 29 fights
Hasegawa 41
Zamora 38
Tatsuyoshi 28
Esparragoza 36
Gushiken 24

Astonishing to say that Guillermo Jones has been a pro for 25 years and hasn't even cracked 50 fights

O'Neil Bell 32

Jeffries is the one for me, only 22 fights. That's a pretty impressive career/resume in so few fights.

A couple from the "what could have been" files - Lamar Parks and Superbad Mays both with 28 fights.

Chitalada 31

Leonard is the obvious one, but if we're sticking strictly to a 25 fights or under criteria, Jeffries has to take the cake. I'm such a Heavyweight hater and lover of the lighter weights, especially the Asian scene, but none of them really come close in terms of resume.

Personal favorite would be Yuri Arbachakov, though. Weak resume, but he could be beautifult to watch. Not always, mind you, but at his best, against the right style, he looked like the perfect boxer-puncher.

Abradolf Lincler wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 12:05 Personal favorite would be Yuri Arbachakov, though. Weak resume, but he could be beautifult to watch. Not always, mind you, but at his best, against the right style, he looked like the perfect boxer-puncher.

Just wanted to mention him.

Does the WBO title count as "greatest"

Michael Bentt 11-2-0

Don Curry just sneaks in with a 34-6 record.

APerno wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 12:29 Does the WBO title count as "greatest"

Michael Bentt 11-2-0

Haha. If we are talking about the WBO we could add Steve Collins 36-3

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑12 Dec 2018, 23:05 The bareknuckle guys are hard to determine. They had more fights than what's listed. Especially when they were unknowns coming up. Ireland's Dan Donnelly, though, I believe only had 5 fights in total (for money).

Some of them did, but from what I've seen, it appears Heenan and Jackson didn't. Not proper prize-fights anyway.

IIRC Tom Hyer was 2-0 too, but had rough and tumble fight.

How about Davey Moore; had five WBA title fights going 4-1?

18-5-0

APerno wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 17:40 How about Davey Moore; had five WBA title fights going 4-1?

18-5-0

He died, didn’t retire

Controversial wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 17:50

APerno wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 17:40 How about Davey Moore; had five WBA title fights going 4-1?

18-5-0

He died, didn’t retire

Death is retirement.

Onetimeonly wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 18:54

Controversial wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 17:50

APerno wrote: ↑13 Dec 2018, 17:40 How about Davey Moore; had five WBA title fights going 4-1?

18-5-0

He died, didn’t retire

Death is retirement.

Final

I didn't note the retirement requirement; true he was still campaigning when he passed.

I noticed he was the one who burst Kevin Rooney's bubble.