BoxRec

I'm not a big fan of top 10 lists as I always change my mind and reserve the right to alter the one below, but to kick things off on this topic here goes......

Joe Frazier.
Tommy Loughran.
Harold Johnson.
Midget Wolgast.
Lew Tendler.
Benny Bass.
Joey Giardello.
Berbard Hopkins.
Jeff Chandler.
Bob Montgomery.

Maybe Loughran should be ahead of Frazier. He fought the better opposition.

I'd have Philadelphia Jack O'Brien at numer 1.

Decagon wrote:Bobby Watts might not be top 10, but he deserves a mention.

Ditto Bennie Biscoe and Tim Witherspoon

I thought someone said Jack Blackburn...he should certainly be there!

What about Sonny Liston, he's considered by many to be a Phile fighter, though the Police chased him out of town...

Yeah, Liston is considered a Philly fighter!

Meldrick Taylor
Percy Bassett
Harry Lewis
Georgie Benton
Tyrone Everett
Matthew Saad Muhammad
Battling Levinsky

I'd put Loughran, Levinksy, and Tendler near the top of the list.

Yeah KOJO whats the ruling by you re: Liston? Is he is or is he aint a Philly Fighter?

I always thought of him as a St. Louis fighter.

That's my take but his roots are Philly I beleive.

barry wrote:I thought someone said Jack Blackburn...he should certainly be there!

i think i did, yeah blackburn is easily on the list. blackburn was one of the greatest lightweights of all time.


too some of u pro modern fans who dont believe buy into a real old timer like blackburn......... those power punches, accuracy, punching arsenal and motion on how to deliver them blackburn taught louis, where do u think blackburn got that from? from watching a schoolyard fight? i dont think so. let me tell, those incredible punching techniques blackburn taught louis was the EXACT same punching technique and punching arsenal blackburn himself used to use as a fighter. and I know even pro modern fans love the way joe louis punches, so I think u should take jack blackburn a real old timer into consideration and really study his career and u will find he had a very 'modern' style according to the pro modern fans. blackburns not on film, but blackburns style is similiar to joe gans who is on film and the pro modern fans would be very impressed by gans on film. and blackburn was close to as good as gans, so that tells u something about blackburn!

its very hard to convince a pro modern fan on a certain old timer, so i will leave it at that!


however to some of the old timers boxing fans on here, i dont need to say much.

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:

barry wrote:I thought someone said Jack Blackburn...he should certainly be there!

i think i did, yeah blackburn is easily on the list. blackburn was one of the greatest lightweights of all time.


too some of u pro modern fans who dont believe buy into a real old timer like blackburn......... those power punches, accuracy, punching arsenal and motion on how to deliver them blackburn taught louis, where do u think blackburn got that from? from watching a schoolyard fight? i dont think so. let me tell, those incredible punching techniques blackburn taught louis was the EXACT same punching technique and punching arsenal blackburn himself used to use as a fighter. and I know even pro modern fans love the way joe louis punches, so I think u should take jack blackburn a real old timer into consideration and really study his career and u will find he had a very 'modern' style according to the pro modern fans. blackburns not on film, but blackburns style is similiar to joe gans who is on film and the pro modern fans would be very impressed by gans on film. and blackburn was close to as good as gans, so that tells u something about blackburn!

its very hard to convince a pro modern fan on a certain old timer, so i will leave it at that!


however to some of the old timers boxing fans on here, i dont need to say much.

How many other great champs did Blackburn manage to produce?

Collins2000 wrote:

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:

barry wrote:I thought someone said Jack Blackburn...he should certainly be there!

i think i did, yeah blackburn is easily on the list. blackburn was one of the greatest lightweights of all time.


too some of u pro modern fans who dont believe buy into a real old timer like blackburn......... those power punches, accuracy, punching arsenal and motion on how to deliver them blackburn taught louis, where do u think blackburn got that from? from watching a schoolyard fight? i dont think so. let me tell, those incredible punching techniques blackburn taught louis was the EXACT same punching technique and punching arsenal blackburn himself used to use as a fighter. and I know even pro modern fans love the way joe louis punches, so I think u should take jack blackburn a real old timer into consideration and really study his career and u will find he had a very 'modern' style according to the pro modern fans. blackburns not on film, but blackburns style is similiar to joe gans who is on film and the pro modern fans would be very impressed by gans on film. and blackburn was close to as good as gans, so that tells u something about blackburn!

its very hard to convince a pro modern fan on a certain old timer, so i will leave it at that!


however to some of the old timers boxing fans on here, i dont need to say much.

How many other great champs did Blackburn manage to produce?

well collins thats a good question.


I know when blackburn first became a trainer, he guided sammy mandell to a lightweight title, and bud taylor to a bantam weight title.


- also jack blackburn trained highly avoided top black heavy of the 20-30s george godfrey, i dont know for how long though


ill tell u this blackburn did train jersey joe walcott very early in jersey joes career in the 1930s and with blackburn teaching jersey joe the tricks of the trade , jersey joe went on a short winning streak. however, soon Blackburn was contacted by a couple of numbers runners from the midwest Julian Black and John Roxborough, and offered the job of training an amateur champion they had interest in named joe louis. Blackburn agreed as long as they'd take Walcott into their stable of fighters. Blackburn told Walcott he wanted him to come along to Chicago. It could be a big break for Jersey Joe; for if the other kid didn't pan out, they would be looking for someone else. "We're gonna take a trip to find out if you're the one," Blackburn told Jersey Joe. Blackburn really thought a highly of the very young walcott and couldnt help notice how much potential he had and how fast he was progressing during there training sessions. Blackburn at the time thought more of walcott than louis. however, walcott came down with the typoid and never made the trip. couple years later, blackburn however had not forgotten about jersey joe and sent for him to come down to chicago and be a sparring partner for louis' upcoming fight with max schmeling in 1936. well walcotts luck hit rock bottom again when walcott floored louis in the sparring session. walcott was sent home and his chance to be trained by jack blackburn was over.

well to make a long story short, blackburn in those few years he taught walcott some valuable things including some cute tricks that walcott would never forget and would master later on. blackburn was an all around great fighter who knew the tricks of the trade.


who knows how good jersey joe would have been had he got to stay with blackburn in his younger years. ill tell u this, walcotts prime would have been a lot sooner had blackburn stayed with him as blackburn would have prepped jersey joe into his fighting best when walcott was in his 20s.

J-C wrote:

Decagon wrote:Bobby Watts might not be top 10, but he deserves a mention.

Ditto Bennie Biscoe and Tim Witherspoon

Bobby Watts, Eugene Hart and Willie Monroe were all on my mind and I really wanted to include Bad Bennie Briscoe who is a personal favourite of mine, but on a first draft of a P4P top ten they just missed out.

BoxBuzz wrote:Yeah KOJO whats the ruling by you re: Liston? Is he is or is he aint a Philly Fighter?

My thinking went I started this thread was the fighter was either born, turned professional or did the vast amount of their training and fighting in Philly.

It;s a grey area though I admit.