The Fullmer factor
It was excellent that the movie showed the Fullmer - Paret clips.
shareFullmer was the kind of guy that was just like Paret only he was 7 pounds heavier and could take a better punch. I think Fullmer was the biggest factor in Paret's death. Especially when you consider that Griffith fought Paret just three months after the Fullmer beating.
Ring wars (think Gatti v. Ward, Corrales v. Castillo etc...) today are almost always seperated by more than six months.
In full agreement with the Fullmer factor. Fullmer was no soft touch. Remember that he had defeated the great Sugar Ray Robinson in a middleweight title fight.
Interesting, both Emile & Sugar Ray should be considered great champions.
Some other greats include Jimmy Wilde, Eder Jofre, Willie Pep, Carlos Ortiz,
Benny Leonard, Mickey Walker, Marcel Cerdan. Archie Moore, Henry Armstring,
Barney Ross and Tony Canzoneri. and then there was Muhammed (Cassius Clay) Ali
and Joe Louis.
Oh hell yeah. You make a great point about Willie Pep. Perhaps he doesn't get his due because: 1. He was a Featherweight (Funny that now it's one of the most talented divisions in the sport) and 2. He was accused of throwing that fight when the odds were like 12-1 and every little paddycake hook knocked him down. I've seen the film and it looks like he's faking it. GREAT FIGHTER all the way around. Same with Ross and Wilde.
shareGood to read messages about the exciting lighter weights. I liked
Eder Jofre, Reuben Olivares, Willie Pepp, Vincente Saldivar, Carlos Ortiz and Roberto Duran.
Ortiz was a monster, I know a little about Jofre only in passing. Duran speaks for himself (no pun intended there). I'd have to take Pepp narrowly over Duran. I say that knowing full well that considering Duran fought with 45 years of fight training, boxing knowledge, and diet and conditioning, he would easily win the fight against Pepp. That said, you have to look at the context in which the fighters fought and on that level only, Pepp is the slight favorite.
shareCannot forget to put Sandy Saddler in this list.
shareInteresting that you mention Benny Leonard. Sugar Ray Robinson is the fighter most often cited as the greatest fighter ever pound for pound. However an almost equal number of boxing experts and historians would award that honor to the great Benny (Benjamin Leiner) Leonard, who retired in 1932.
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