Top 5 Complete Boxers Pound per Pound of My Lifetime
Posted: 08 Nov 2024, 13:00
With due respect, at 56 years old, I have seen a lot of great boxers in my lifetime that their technical boxing prowess impacted my views.
And these 5, were the most complete boxers that I have ever seen in my lifetime:
1. Eusebio Pedroza:He had it all. He could do it all. A guy that didn't get the recognition that he truly deserves. A true all time pound per pound top 100 great that made 19 title defenses, 10 of them in his opponent's backyards. Was harshly criticized by the American media as a dirty fighter. But, in reality, Pedroza was a superb boxing technician that can really fight, especially on the road. He was a true world champion defending the WBA World Featherweight Crown all over the world. You need poise and cleverness to fight in another man's backyard. Plus, the likes of Salvador Sanchez, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Azumah Nelson and Wilfredo Gomez never wanted none of him. It's a shame that he couldn't fight the elite Featherweights of his day so that he could have display his skills
2. Mike McCallum: Another extraordinary champion that held the WBA World Jr Middleweight Crown, making 6 title defenses, all by knockout! Another top 100 pound per pound boxing great that could do it all. It's a shame that The 4 Kings didn't fight him. Maybe he came to the party too late. Or maybe he was too of high risk, low pay type of boxer. By the time he emerged into the scene, the 4 Kings were fighting each other for bigger paydays. And I don't blame none of the 4 Kings for that. In this cruel sport, you gotta go for the BIG MONEY. To make as much money as you can! Did the 4 Kings ducked him? I don't know. There were chances that fights could have been made with him. But, unfortunately, it didn't happen. Maybe the 4 Kings saw the knockout McCallum did to super star Donald Curry. Or maybe they saw how he dismantled knockout artist Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, who was probably the greatest KO puncher in my lifetime. But, to all of that, this guy was the real deal.
3. Salvador Sanchez: Sanchez was definitely the most complete boxer ever out of Mexico. He was fast, he could fight great inside, had great stamina, ring generalship, and chin. His will and determination was second to none. One of the top 5 all-time greatest featherweights, was cut short of his career at only 23 years old. But, what a fighter! I wanted to see him fight Eusebio Pedroza, the #1 most complete boxer in this list for a Featherweight Unification title bout, but it didn't happen. He was much more accomplished than Pedroza. And he also made more money and history. Many people said that he was the best, but he never proved it against one of the all-time great featherweights. And that guy was Pedroza.
4. Roberto Duran: When it comes fighting inside, there wasn't a fighter ever, DEAD OR ALIVE, that was a better at that craft. Fighting inside is a lost art in boxing today, and I don't know why. Even though The Hands of Stone hit hard, it wasn't all about power. The guy was also an extraordinary counter puncher. Just look at the 3rd fight with Esteban De Jesus. Duran confirmed that he was a complete boxer. He had it all. And his most underrated asset was speed, something that Sugar Ray Leonard in Montreal was amazed and surprised. The guy was a fighting machine and a manager's dream. And he fought 5 decades doing it. And his senses and faculties are still intact. That means that really, Duran didn't get hit as much as people thought he did. One of the top 5 all-time pound per pound great boxers in my view, fighting from Bantamweight all the way to super middleweight. That's skills! Because fighting guys that supposed to be younger, bigger, stronger and at their own weight class is not easy. How did he do it? Look at him! He is not punch drunk. Is he? And by the way, for all the haters out there, he is the greatest boxer pound per pound in my lifetime! Nuff said!
5. Sugar Ray Leonard: And for last, Sugar Ray Leonard. A sensational boxer that could do it all that could adapt and improvise any opponent's styles. The fastest man in this list. Was he fast? Just look at his films. The guy's hand and foot speed were unbelievable. Not the fastest boxer in my lifetime, but one of the most accurate. His inside game was not as great as the other 4 in this list, but he could held his own. He had speed, stamina, will, power, determination, heart, chin, ring generalship and was an extraordinary strategist inside and outside the ring. And he was also an underrated puncher with a vicious body attack. There would never be another one like him. And so many boxers tried, including Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. We just wish that he would have never had that detached retina and seen him fight Aaron Pryor, Donald Curry, Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, Mike McCallum and others on the radar. And also, we wished he would have had much more fights, at least 60 or 70. But, it didn't happen. From 1979 to '82, he was the dream come true. After 1982, he only had 7 fights in his last 15 years as a professional. He was a complete circus after 1982. But, I am not going to talk about his post 1982 bouts. I don't think that America has ever had a much more talented or skilled boxer as Sugar Ray Leonard in my view. He was the most complete boxer ever that America ever had.
And these 5, were the most complete boxers that I have ever seen in my lifetime:
1. Eusebio Pedroza:He had it all. He could do it all. A guy that didn't get the recognition that he truly deserves. A true all time pound per pound top 100 great that made 19 title defenses, 10 of them in his opponent's backyards. Was harshly criticized by the American media as a dirty fighter. But, in reality, Pedroza was a superb boxing technician that can really fight, especially on the road. He was a true world champion defending the WBA World Featherweight Crown all over the world. You need poise and cleverness to fight in another man's backyard. Plus, the likes of Salvador Sanchez, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Azumah Nelson and Wilfredo Gomez never wanted none of him. It's a shame that he couldn't fight the elite Featherweights of his day so that he could have display his skills
2. Mike McCallum: Another extraordinary champion that held the WBA World Jr Middleweight Crown, making 6 title defenses, all by knockout! Another top 100 pound per pound boxing great that could do it all. It's a shame that The 4 Kings didn't fight him. Maybe he came to the party too late. Or maybe he was too of high risk, low pay type of boxer. By the time he emerged into the scene, the 4 Kings were fighting each other for bigger paydays. And I don't blame none of the 4 Kings for that. In this cruel sport, you gotta go for the BIG MONEY. To make as much money as you can! Did the 4 Kings ducked him? I don't know. There were chances that fights could have been made with him. But, unfortunately, it didn't happen. Maybe the 4 Kings saw the knockout McCallum did to super star Donald Curry. Or maybe they saw how he dismantled knockout artist Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, who was probably the greatest KO puncher in my lifetime. But, to all of that, this guy was the real deal.
3. Salvador Sanchez: Sanchez was definitely the most complete boxer ever out of Mexico. He was fast, he could fight great inside, had great stamina, ring generalship, and chin. His will and determination was second to none. One of the top 5 all-time greatest featherweights, was cut short of his career at only 23 years old. But, what a fighter! I wanted to see him fight Eusebio Pedroza, the #1 most complete boxer in this list for a Featherweight Unification title bout, but it didn't happen. He was much more accomplished than Pedroza. And he also made more money and history. Many people said that he was the best, but he never proved it against one of the all-time great featherweights. And that guy was Pedroza.
4. Roberto Duran: When it comes fighting inside, there wasn't a fighter ever, DEAD OR ALIVE, that was a better at that craft. Fighting inside is a lost art in boxing today, and I don't know why. Even though The Hands of Stone hit hard, it wasn't all about power. The guy was also an extraordinary counter puncher. Just look at the 3rd fight with Esteban De Jesus. Duran confirmed that he was a complete boxer. He had it all. And his most underrated asset was speed, something that Sugar Ray Leonard in Montreal was amazed and surprised. The guy was a fighting machine and a manager's dream. And he fought 5 decades doing it. And his senses and faculties are still intact. That means that really, Duran didn't get hit as much as people thought he did. One of the top 5 all-time pound per pound great boxers in my view, fighting from Bantamweight all the way to super middleweight. That's skills! Because fighting guys that supposed to be younger, bigger, stronger and at their own weight class is not easy. How did he do it? Look at him! He is not punch drunk. Is he? And by the way, for all the haters out there, he is the greatest boxer pound per pound in my lifetime! Nuff said!
5. Sugar Ray Leonard: And for last, Sugar Ray Leonard. A sensational boxer that could do it all that could adapt and improvise any opponent's styles. The fastest man in this list. Was he fast? Just look at his films. The guy's hand and foot speed were unbelievable. Not the fastest boxer in my lifetime, but one of the most accurate. His inside game was not as great as the other 4 in this list, but he could held his own. He had speed, stamina, will, power, determination, heart, chin, ring generalship and was an extraordinary strategist inside and outside the ring. And he was also an underrated puncher with a vicious body attack. There would never be another one like him. And so many boxers tried, including Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. We just wish that he would have never had that detached retina and seen him fight Aaron Pryor, Donald Curry, Julian "The Hawk" Jackson, Mike McCallum and others on the radar. And also, we wished he would have had much more fights, at least 60 or 70. But, it didn't happen. From 1979 to '82, he was the dream come true. After 1982, he only had 7 fights in his last 15 years as a professional. He was a complete circus after 1982. But, I am not going to talk about his post 1982 bouts. I don't think that America has ever had a much more talented or skilled boxer as Sugar Ray Leonard in my view. He was the most complete boxer ever that America ever had.
