For many of boxing historical past, world title belts didn’t develop on bushes, as they are saying, and even title pictures have been a uncommon and far sought-after commodity. Competitors was fiercer again within the day, and to be a high contender was a serious accomplishment; combating for a world title, not to mention profitable one, was uncommon and noteworthy. Occasions have modified and now belts of varied stripes abound, to the purpose the place few carry a lot real worth.
Unquestionably, each boxer on our checklist of the most effective to by no means win a world title would, in the event that they have been competing in the present day, have not less than a few straps to indicate off. And quite a lot of right here have been each unjustly denied title possibilities, or title wins, which they’d in any other case earned. Herewith our rating of the all-time greatest uncrowned boxing kings:
12. Wesley Ramey: Ramey was a intelligent boxer and a legit all-time nice light-weight with wins over the likes of Eddie Cool, Cocoa Child, Benny Bass, Tony Canzoneri, Johnny Jadick and Lew Jenkins. With solely eleven knockouts in an incredible 141 profession wins, one speculates if his lack of energy made him a poor draw and shut him out from championship competition. In any case, that he by no means obtained an opportunity to battle for the title is undeniably an injustice.
11. Jim Driscoll: Regardless of victories over world champions George Dixon and Abe Attell and extremely aggressive battles with Freddie Welsh and Owen Moran, Driscoll himself by no means fought for a world title. That didn’t cease many from concerning “Peerless” Jim, one of many ring’s most intelligent and elusive maestros, as the best boxer who had ever lived.
10. Harry Wills: For a time within the 1920’s, “The Black Panther” was the most effective heavyweight on this planet and there was even discuss of an enormous showdown with official heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, nevertheless it by no means got here to be. Even so, Wills holds wins over a number of high skills together with Luis Firpo, “Huge” Invoice Tate, Child Norfolk, Sam Langford, Billy Miske, Sam McVea, Battling Siki and Joe Jeannette.
9. Jack Blackburn: The person they referred to as “Chappie” by no means obtained the large one, however he confronted an extended checklist of all-time greats and has the excellence of getting given robust battles to a few true legends: Sam Langford, Harry Greb and Joe Gans. Blackburn claimed to have answered the bell greater than 4 hundred instances in his lengthy profession.
8. Mike Gibbons: The smaller of the Gibbons brothers, Mike was too good for his personal good and so didn’t safe a shot on the middleweight title regardless of battling the likes of Jeff Smith, Ted “Child” Lewis, Packey McFarland, Mike O’Dowd and Harry Greb.
7. Willie Joyce: Powerful, sensible and with a depraved left jab, Joyce had the dangerous luck to compete in the identical period as a few of the greatest lightweights in boxing historical past. Even so, he greater than held his personal when battling such greats as Beau Jack, Chalky Wright, Lew Jenkins and Tippy Larkin. Successful two of 4 towards the immortal Henry Armstrong, after which three of 4 towards Ike Williams, speaks volumes about Joyce’s toughness and expertise.
6. Patrick “Packey” McFarland: A real boxing legend, McFarland boasts an astonishing report of seventy wins towards 5 attracts and only a single defeat. He bested such fellow ring luminaries as Mike Gibbons and Owen Moran, to not point out world champions Jack Britton, Tommy Kilbane and Freddie Welsh.
5. Holman Williams: One of many greats of the legendary “Murderers’ Row” group, Williams was famously cited by genius coach Eddie Futch as a pugilist so gifted he would moderately watch him shadowbox than see others really battle. He bested such greats as Archie Moore, Bert Lytell, Charley Burley, Cocoa Child, Lloyd Marshall, Child Tunero, Jack Chase and Eddie Booker.
4. Cocoa Child: Herbert Lewis Hardwick was an extremely prolific battler, retiring with a profession mark of 178-58-11. Tragically, he by no means obtained an opportunity for a world title in both the welterweight or middleweight divisions, however he did notch wins over such high skills as Johnny Jadick, Younger Peter Jackson, Jack Chase, Eddie Booker, Chalky Wright and Holman Williams.
3. Lew Tendler: Had he competed at another time in boxing historical past, he would have been a world champ. Because it was, Tendler had the misfortune of competing throughout an absolute “Golden Age” for the 135 pound class. He got here nearer than anybody else to defeating the nice Benny Leonard when “The Ghetto Wizard” was in his prime, and later he dropped a really shut choice to the nice “Toy Bulldog,” Mickey Walker, however, as they are saying, shut solely counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Nonetheless, Tendler, considered one of boxing’s best southpaws, can perpetually boast victories over the likes of Rocky Kansas, Johnny Dundee, Pinky Mitchell, Frankie Callahan, Oakland Jimmy Duffy and Richie Mitchell.
2. Charley Burley: The most effective of the bunch within the unfairly ostracized “Murderers’ Row” gang, Burley couldn’t get a break or an opportunity on the middleweight title however all knew how nice he was after he amassed a report of 83-12-2 and defeated such top-shelf warriors as Holman Williams, Jimmy Leto, Fritzie Zivic, Jack Chase, Oakland Billy Smith, Jackie Burke, Archie Moore, Bert Lytell and Cocoa Child.
1. Sam Langford: Of all of the actually nice battlers to by no means win a world title, “The Boston Bonecrusher” stands supreme. Just about all of his greatest opponents — together with Harry Wills, “Fireman” Jim Flynn, Joe Jeannette, and lots of others — hailed him as essentially the most highly effective and harsh puncher they’d ever confronted. In his later years heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey admitted he prevented giving Langford a title shot and informed sportswriter Jimmy Cannon, “Sam most likely would have knocked me out.”
Early in his profession, Sam confronted two world champions, however when he defeated Joe Gans the light-weight title was not at stake, and when he battled the unique Joe Walcott for the welterweight crown, the match was declared a draw, despite the fact that first-hand accounts point out most current thought Langford the winner. “The Boston Terror” was so succesful a hoop man that in the direction of the top of his lengthy and prolific profession he was scoring knockouts when nearly fully blind. Backside line: Sam Langford is perpetually one of many best boxers who has ever lived, pound-for-pound, and the all-time greatest to by no means strap on a world championship belt.
Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Bivins, Child Norfolk, Lloyd Marshall, Younger Peter Jackson, Joe Jeannette, Eddie Booker, Dave Shade, Billy Petrolle, Eddie Shea, Younger Stribling, Tommy Gibbons, Black Invoice, Sam McVea, Bennie Briscoe, Bert Lytell, Jimmy Leto, Les Darcy, Peter Jackson, Child Azteca, George Benton, Jack Chase, Yaqui Lopez, Lou Bogash, Billy Graham, Younger Firpo, Ruben Navarro, Dave Sands, Joe Choynski, Jimmy Younger, Child Arizmendi, Georgie Abrams, Jock McAvoy, Tyrone Everett, Vilomar Fernandez, Pedro Montanez, Armando Muniz, Carl Tremaine, Owen Moran, Ruben Castillo, Wee Willie Davies, Al Gainer, Leo Houck, Freddie Dawson.
