Who is the best boxer of the 1930s?

[Sgr Rob]

Who was the best pound-for-pound boxer during the 1930s?

Lately I've been digging deep into the history of boxing, reading up on the sport and even practicing (though not at the sparring level yet, just practicing on technique on speed and heavy bags and shadow-boxing), and it's a sport I've come to really admire. I know little about the 1930s other than a few greats, so hoping from the boxing aficionados here I could get some insight on who the best was during this period.

I started a 1940s thread here: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f53/who-best-p4p-boxer-1940s-1277929/index2.html. After looking into this off my final three, I've concluded off records, titles, rankings and fights I've seen that Sugar Ray Robinson was the best during this time, with Willie Pep and Joe Louis right behind. Actually, here's my current rankings the generations, P4P best:


2000s: Manny Pacquiao
HM: Floyd Mayweather
1990s: Roy Jones Jr
1980s: Thomas Hearns
HM: Sugar Ray Leonard; Marvin Hagler; Mike Tyson
1970s: Roberto Duran
1960s: Muhammad Ali
1950s: Sugar Ray Robinson
1940s: Sugar Ray Robinson
HM: Willie Pep; Joe Louis

 

[Fedorisbest]

Jack Dempesy

 

[ThirdPartyView]

Jack Dempesy

His last fight was in 1927.

 

[enswell****]

Joe Louis
Henry Armstrong
Barney Ross


EDIT:
I'm a big Tommy Hearns fan, dude, but he certainly wasn't the pound-for-pound guy of the 80s.

 

[ThirdPartyView]

You can also mention guys like Tony Canzoneri, Lou Ambers, Jimmy McLarnin, Kid Chocolate, Billy Conn, John Henry Lewis and even 'Slapsie' Maxie Rosenbloom in the conversation - still, I'd probably put Armstrong's achievements above all else in the era.

 

[mozfonky]

Armstrong over a slew of others. He was the original pacquiao without any possibility of artificial stimulants and at a time when there were only 8 weight classes and that many champions. He should have won the middleweight title too, now, lets see pac top that.

 

[s karlyle]

joe louis......

 

[ThirdPartyView]

Armstrong over a slew of others. He was the original pacquiao without any possibility of artificial stimulants and at a time when there were only 8 weight classes and that many champions. He should have won the middleweight title too, now, lets see pac top that.

To be fair, there actually were more than 8 champions as some points when controversy erupted (IE: some states would sanction their own World Champions and there was the NBA, the predecessor of the WBA, although they generally followed the lineal/Ring champion around, shockingly enough), but it was definitely easier to point out 'the man' in any weight class at the time (vs. today).

 

[mozfonky]

joe louis......

The greatest heavyweights are usually never the best p4p of their times. Joe was in the era of Robinson and Armstrong. Ali went through the seventies in long decline while duran ruled, Holmes was trumped at the box office by little men throughout his best years. Great fighters yes but not p4p all the time.

 

[mozfonky]

His last fight was in 1927.

I think jack fought on, i know he did exhibitions don't know if any of them showed up on his "official" record.

 

[ThirdPartyView]

I think jack fought on, i know he did exhibitions don't know if any of them showed up on his "official" record.

I don't count exhibitions as legitimate fights, though (not more than, say, a kangaroo fight like the ones Primo Carnera did), and he definitely didn't do anything from 1930-1939 to warrant consideration. Pretty certain he did exhibitions while in the military in World War II since he was fitness instructor.

 

[enswell****]

No, the exhibitions (lots of them and lots of KOs) aren't on his record as professioanal fights because they were exhibitions.

The Ring Magazine ranked Mike Tyson P4P#1 over a a prime Julio Cesar Chavez who was #2.
Pernell Whitaker was #3.

.

 

[mozfonky]

ya tyson for a spell was the p4p, ali in the 60's deserved it.

 

[The Green Lantern]

Joe Louis.

 

[Greg House]

joe Louis

 

[amhlilhaus]

it's not even close. henry armstrong won three titles and only a disputed draw kept him from winning half the titles at the time. he beat a mixture of tough hall of famers to do it also.

 

[XCuTioNeR]

Henry Armstrong.

 

[TheRatman]

Shouldn't Fritzie Zivic atleast get a mention in this, he did beat Armstrong in 1940. not the 30's but it was the yr 1940.

 

[ThirdPartyView]

Shouldn't Fritzie Zivic atleast get a mention in this, he did beat Armstrong in 1940. not the 30's but it was the yr 1940.

Zivic was way too inconsistent a fighter throughout his career, which is why it's hard to consider him seriously as a P4P contender. At his best he was dangerous as hell but he flip-flopped and wasn't constantly a powerhouse, either in the 30s or the 40s.

 

[enswell****]

Plus Zivic was a notorious cheater and several dudes in here HATE cheaters and think they should be banned for life.

Zivic was almost as bad a cheater as the legendary Kid McCoy (the Real McCoy, original vintage, not the Sherdog version.)