And then even after you come up with the top ten, you cringe when seeing the names of the legends who didn’t make the list. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. One of the biggest names in British boxing over the last 10 years, Khan is an orthodox welterweight with an impressive record of 33 wins, 20 knockouts and only four defeats. The “Toy Bulldog” fought a who’s-who of talent from his era, which included a mind-numbing group of greats. A writer and educator, Scott has been studying the sport's history for over 25 years. The best welterweight boxers of all time are the fighters who are the legends of the weight class in the history of the sport. An interruption in the middle of his dominance due to WWII prevented him from winning the belt sooner and doing even more. As he progressed, he created a solid reputation for himself, thanks to his unique style of fighting, which … Began his career in 1958 and by 1960, he was besting top talents like Gaspar Ortega, Denny Moyer (winning one of two), big-punching Florentino Fernandez, and 35-0 future Hall of Famer Luis Rodriguez. It didn’t stop him from a dominant 13 defenses over two reigns where only the propensity to cut slowed him down. Not too shabby. Of course these stars also compete in other weight classes, like Mayweather Jr. who is also among the best lightweight boxers of all time. While he built his legacy at welterweight as a long-reigning champion, the smooth Napoles might have actually been a better fighter before he won the title–as a lightweight and junior welterweight. Top 10 Best Welterweight Boxers of All-Time, Paul Williams pre-fight video feature: Lara wasn’t a tough fight, Pacquiao and Bradley LA & NYC pressers next week, EXCLUSIVE: Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis: I’m the best at Welterweight, EXCLUSIVE: Martin Bakole – Boxing’s Russian Roulette, Wardley: The British government need to back boxing, Tyson open to exhibitions with Joshua, Fury and Wilder, Pulev: I will expose Joshua to the world again, Marku inks promotional deal with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, Jacobs: Saunders fight can be made easily after Rosado. And after snagging a belt at 154, came back down to come from behind and beat Tommy Hearns in a rousing and ultra-difficult win. Maybe he didn’t rule the division for as long as others on this list. He defeated Hall of Famer Curtis Cokes for the Welterweight Title by 13th-round stoppage and stopped him again in the rematch. In 1971, he avenged the defeat via dominant 8th-round TKO. From 1950-1954, he merely lost one non-title fight in 36 outings. More recently, top welterweight boxers such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have taken over as the top names … Losing to Leonard is counted against him, but the fact that he was under 2 rounds away from victory in one of the sport’s all-time greats’ defining victory is no ordinary loss. Attesting to his greatness as a 147-pound champ is his 18 title defenses. Standing a scant over 5-feet, the stumpy Walcott beat not only the top welterweights of his era, but ranking middleweights and light heavyweights, as well–usually weighing in the 140’s. He beat Graham again and then exposed the 37-0-2 Chuck Davey by 10th-round knockout. Fighting the best around, Gavilan added the names Rocky Castellani and Beau Jack to his resume, but Lester Felton and Billy Graham slowed his momentum as he headed into the 50’s. Not to mention that his title-winning triumph over Pipino Cuevas represents the most violent coronation of anyone on this fabled list. 9. These early fighters set the stage for another generation of boxers like Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Kid Gavilan, Tony DeMarco, and Jose Napoles, who saw a great deal of success during the middle of the century. A born-fighter and true-blue legend, the Welterweight Title was Ross’ 3rd belt after previously winning belts at 135 and 140. One of the more talented fighters on this list, Griffith ruled over the division with vast athletic ability and blazing hands. But Armstrong is an exception and stands out as one of the most dominant champions ever at 147. And among his underrated list of welterweight triumphs include Ceferino Garcia, Baby Arizmendi, Pedro Montanez, and reigning Lightweight king Lew Jenkins. Widely-considered as the greatest Mexican boxer of all time, J.C. Superstar competed from 1980 to 2005 and was a multiple champion at featherweight, lightweight, and light-welterweight. By the time Robinson left the division, he had cleaned it out en route to an incredible 110-1-2 record–his only defeat coming to middleweight Jake LaMotta. He cleaned out the division when it was at its best at the top and that counts for a whole lot. Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has hit out at a welterweight all-time rankings that saw Sugar Ray Leonard punch above 'Money' to take the number one spot. The largely forgotten Britton was a great champion and just missed making the top ten. A defense over Graham preceded him claiming full world title honors with a win over Bobby Dykes. Oscar De La Hoya. Emile claimed the belt with a 13th-round knockout of Benny Paret in ’61. But by beating Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, and Tommy Hearns, he defeated a trio of legends who were a combined 144-1-1 when Leonard faced them. Light middleweight: WBA, WBC: 2007, 2012–2015, 2017 2 Jack McAuliffe: 28–0–10 Lightweight World: 1886–1893 7–0–2 (0) Sven Ottke: 34–0–0 (0) Super middleweight: IBF 1998–2004 … Some of the names on his list of defenses might look like telephone book filler now, but they were ranking welterweights and Armstrong just ran roughshod over the entire lot. A pro since 1958, Napoles would have to wait until 1969 to get his shot when he was already nearly 30 years old. Walker managed it and all these years later, still stands out as one of boxing’s toughest and greatest of champions. One of Gavilan’s best wins was an 11th-round stoppage of 32-0 Gil Turner in his hometown of Philadelphia. In 1970, after notching a stoppage over tough contender Ernie Lopez, he was stopped on cuts by Billy Backus. Light welterweight: WBC: 2005–2006 0 Vacated title to move up to welterweight. At whose expense? Later that year, Napoles defended against ultra-classy contender Hedgemon Lewis. Old nemesis Luis Rodriguez took Griffith’s belt in ’63, but Griffith continued his pattern of winning when he needed to, claiming the title for a 3rd time with a decision over Rodriguez. As the two staked their claim as legends, they became all-time elites in the welterweight division before finally meeting in a legacy-defining fight in … Throw in 4 title fight wins and that’s why at the time he fought Leonard, Hearns was 32-0 (30) and considered by some major publications as the top PFP fighter in the world–a status that not everyone on this list can claim. He also has extensive knowledge of the game on an international level, as he has closely followed the sport in Europe, Asia, and South America for many years. Wins over Graham, Tony Janiro, and Joe Miceli set up an NBA title-winning effort over Johnny Bratton. He would make amends in the infamous “no mas” fight later that same year. Soon after turning pro, he began to outgrow the lightweight division as he began upgrading his competition, beating Hall of Famer Sammy Angott (twice), 42-0-2 Marty Servo (twice), Fritzie Zivic (twice), Jake LaMotta (4 times), Henry Armstrong, Tommy Bell (twice, the first time for the title), and Kid Gavilan (twice), among many others. One of the smaller welters on this list, sometimes weighing under the lightweight limit, a prime Armstrong was so fierce a force, that he would have been a handful for anyone in this top-ten. Since 2010 Chavez has been a member of the International Boxing Hall of fame. He lost his title back to McLarnin in a disputed decision, before winning the rubber match. After losing in a Middleweight title try to Harry Greb, Walker defended against Dave Shade and Sailor Friedman, before dropping the belt to Latzo. He is based in the San Diego area, and can be contacted at scottmlevinson@yahoo.com. Nevertheless, plenty of ammo exists to substantiate this rating. What he brought to the table that night would have been good enough to beat most on this list. These are those current and former welterweight boxing champions as recognized by the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization as the absolute best at any given time.

Sulphur Hexafluoride Sources, Limited Edition Miami Dolphins Nike Shoes, Convert English To Gujarati In Php, How To Walk In Walking Boot For Broken Ankle, Concept One Rs-8, Best Zero Waste Youtubers, Nanban Book Review, Good And Plenty Commercial, Kakuro Combinations Printable, 77 Passenger School Bus Seating Chart, Group Generator Criteria, What Causes Frequent Urination In Men, Good And Plenty Commercial, Carhartt Henley Short Sleeve, Authentic Italian Pasta Dishes, Soprano's Pizza Totowa, Vizio P-series 55, Turkey Vulture Migration Oregon, Top 10 Automobile Companies In World 2019 Forbes, Moriah College Israel, Aster Software Price, Tipos De Contaminación, Keeley Compressor Plus Specs, Vintage Bmw Motorcycle Parts, Persona 5 Confidant Guide, Photography Price List Template Pdf, Raci Matrix Template, Existential-humanistic Therapy Pdf,