BoxRec

After watching a show about middleweights from the past on TV a couple of nights ago, I feel inspired to make a list of the great middleweights from 1940 through 1985. Because most big fights are now on Pay-Per-View, and I was too young to see fighters like Ketchel, Greb, Walker, etc., I am restricting my list to 1940-85. Here is my top six in no particular order:

1. Ray Robinson
2. Carlos Monzon
3. Marvin Hagler
4. Marcel Cerdan
5. Ezzard Charles
6. Charley Burley

Some other great middleweights from 1940-85 in no particular order are:

1. Jake LaMotta
2. Tony Zale
3. Eddie Booker
4. Nino Benvenuti
5. Emile Griffith
6. Archie Moore
7. Gene Fullmer
8. Joey Giardello
9. Dick Tiger
10. Holman Williams
11. Rodrigo Valdez

I hope that I didn't leave out anyone who belongs here. People here are welcome to add their own list or lists.

I forgot about Graziano. He should be in there somewhere.

Anyone wanting to add their own list or lists is welcome. Time restrictions not necessary.

Ray Leonard springs to mind.

Leonard, Basilio, Duran, and Hearns all won middleweight titles, but I don't think of them as middleweights in the way I think of the ones listed, because they all spent a good deal of their careers fighting in the Middleweight Division. However, I guess that they could be included as well. Also, Kid Gavilan fought and beat some good middleweights, even though he never won the Middleweight Championship.