Greatest boxer ever?

  • Thread starter Thread starter brunow
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Sharkey said:
Would you consider someone like Lew Eskin's opinion invalid, Bobby, considering he wrote about boxing during the 40's and continued to do so right up until the 80's or 90's, I think?

Not only did Eskin not vote Robinson the best of all-time, but he didn't even think he was the best of his own generation, which Esking followed as it happened. He chose Ezzard Charles as the best during Robinson's time, and I certainly think that's a "valid" enough opinion considering, whether you, I or anybody else can agree with it or not.
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Fine, I'll preface.

Ezzard Charles huh, I saw some old list on Boxrec a while back where they said he was the greatest HW of all time. That's just silly. Great all-time fighter, was way better at MW than LH than HW. Either way Sharkey, I've never heard the name in question nor of the guy that wrote it. I'll make a correction though if you like, "If you're a boxing historian that has forgotten more about boxing than I've ever known, you can say whatever you'd like." K?
 
BobbyBrez said:
Fine, I'll preface.

Ezzard Charles huh, I saw some old list on Boxrec a while back where they said he was the greatest HW of all time. That's just silly. Great all-time fighter, was way better at MW than LH than HW. Either way Sharkey, I've never heard the name in question nor of the guy that wrote it. I'll make a correction though if you like, "If you're a boxing historian that has forgotten more about boxing than I've ever known, you can say whatever you'd like." K?
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I hate to defend the site, but if I'm not mistaken, I do believe those all-time rankings that they have are or at least were (I don't look at them) more of a pound-for-pound type thing that they did, which would have brought all of Charles fights below heavyweight into the equation.

Eskin was a longtime writer for The Ring (Asst. Editor or something during the 50's and 60's or something), who also later wrote for Boxing Illustrated, I do believe, and other magazines for a great number of years. I think he did some ref'ing or judging too, and all of his "contributions" to the sport found him elected to one of them Hall of Fames (IBHOF or WBHOF).

For the last part in quotes there...whatever, man.
 
duttyrock said:
i dont rate dempsey that highly either....
...think this has been covered before hahaha
sorry bradlee
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Well, this thread has m - e -t- a- morphosed into "Favorite fighter ever" instead of "Greatest boxer ever?"

I'm just getting into the Heavyweights forum spirit of things !


Just for the record though:

The Manassa Mauler Jack Dempsey really was the best of them.
In the ring or on the street, Dempsey had the most of everything.
The perfect fighting man.

YouTube - Jack Dempsey: To Victory

MAULER.jpg


Inactivity as a champion weighs against him regarding all time ratings though.
The guy was still the goods.
He's still credited with 83 pro bouts in a 13 year career though there were certainly other unrecorded bouts.
What I'd give to see Dempsey's unfilmed bouts of 1918 and early 1919.
Many boxing luminaries including Gene Tunney, Sam Langford, Ray Arcel, and Max Schmeling cited Dempsey as the best fighter they'd ever seen.

Dempsey's name doesn't echo down through the ravages of time for nothing.
.

EDIT: Fixed Link.
 
Wow..........

How about:
-Sugar Ray Robinson
-Henry Armstrong
-Jack Johnson
-Jack Dempsey
-The Rock
-Grazzi
-Fuller
-Pipino Cuevas
-Hagler (Sugar Ray Robinson is not on my list as he didn't beat the Marvelous One)
-Chavez


Probably SSR. Man he was bad dude. You watch those old grainy highlights of his. The dude could move like a cat. Power in both hands. Mean, fast. He was bad.
 
bradlee180 said:
Many boxing luminaries including Gene Tunney, Sam Langford, Ray Arcel, and Max Schmeling cited Dempsey as the best fighter they'd ever seen.
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The admiration was mutual to say the least;

'I think Sam Langford was the greatest fighter we ever had. In 1916 I came here and had a couple of fights and won them. I was managed by a fellow named John the Barber. After winning these two fights he said, "I got a good fight for you." I said, "Who is it?" He says, "Sam Langford." I said, "Not me! Goodbye!" He was a great fighter and I didn't have the experience to fight a man like that. He was a hell of a puncher, never been licked, so why should I get my brains knocked out for nothing? Even at my best I don't know whether I could lick him or not. He was a good man, good puncher, rough, tough.'

- Jack Dempsey, page 58 of Heller's 'In This Corner'


Not that I blame Dempsey for turning down that fight for the reason he expressed, but on a related note, couldn't this thread use a bit of a pugilistic nursery rhyme?

Who'll fight Sam Langford? (by William O'Connell McGeehan, circa 1907)

*ahem*

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," said Stanley K.,
"Britt has taken me away
And I'm signed to do a play.
Then I'm going to the hay.
I'll not fight Sam Langford."

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," said Jack the Twin,
"I am careful of my chin
And I'm pretty near all in,
And suicide's a sin.
I'll not fight Sam Langford."

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," is Papke's wail,
"I'm a lily white and pale
And my life is not for sale;
Why I'd sooner go to jail.
I'll not fight Sam Langford"

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," said Kid McCoy,
"I'm a pretty game old boy,
But this unrefined employ
I will leave for hoi polloi.
I'll not fight Sam Langford"

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," said poor old Fitz,
"Though I'd fight for just six bits,
Still I haven't lost my wits;
I'll preserve my speckled mitts.
I'll not fight Sam Langford."

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," said Hugo Kelly,
"He would pound me to a jelly
And I'd lose some vermicalli.
Not for me. What ta helli?
I'll not fight Sam Langford."

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," said Joe da Grim,
"I no like to fight with him
Cause he shutta up my glim
And da chances are too slim.
I'll notta fight Sam Langford."

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not I," Al Kaufman said,
"You are crazy in the head.
Chase yourself and go to bed.
I ain't anxious to be dead.
I'll not fight Sam Langford."

Who'll fight Sam Langford?
"Not us," the low brows cried
And they turned around to hide.
"Nix; the color line is wide,
And we're going to stay inside.
We'll not fight Sam Langford."
 
The poem is much appreciated, Sharkey.



Rocky Marciano photo for the hordes of Marciano fans in here:

rockymarcianosplitoi9.jpg

.
^ In light of some of what's being written in here lately, I'm warning you:
Nobody better ask if he won the fight or not!
.
 
Who needs the left nostril? The Lord saw fit to bless me with a spare.
 
Tam-Tam said:
Obvious and wrong. Louis is arguable, I agree. Marciano is not. Regardless of the '0', they are of a clearly different caliber.
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Meh. Ali was a product of his own hypew as much as he was a great fighter. He was agreat fighter to be sure, but there were many better.

Ali has many bad lossses on his record and many questionable dec victories. Early in his career, he was special, I'll say that. But I think his celebrity started to get the better of him. Ali took beatings. I don't care if it was his style or not.

Marciano lost to no one and had a better resume than most recall. (BTW, I've never been a big Rocky flag waver)

IMO, Louis is more questionable than Ali.
 
Liked the Sam Langford mention.

Billy C from talkin boxing with Billy C was biggin him up.
 
Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest of all time. Fought every and anyone. Did it all in the ring. Won, lost, drew, killed an oponent.
 
dont know about greatest but my favourite would be duran and pacman
 
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