Tag Archives: History

Best Punchers ~ The Heavyweights

Here is my list of the 15 best punchers in the heavyweight division from the start of the Marquis of Queensberry era, (i.e.) 1892 to the present. A formula that I am using to help illustrate this for each boxer is to show their percentage of knockouts which is calculated by the number of wins they had with the number of knockouts in those wins.  This formula isn’t intended to determine the order in which I have placed them; the order also includes my opinion of them as punchers.

I am not concerned about “who beat who”, how many times they were knocked out themselves or the results if they would have fought each other.  Their physical size or if they were a world champion has no bearing – this is strictly based on strength of punching power with the opponents they fought. Why isn’t Muhammad Ali on this list?  Personally, I would take Ali to beat any of these punchers on my list – but mostly by decision wins and not by knockouts. When I write rankings of boxers in any capacity I always get disagreements and feedback, so please know that I respect your opinions, and hope you will respect mine.

#1) Joe Louis (66 wins / 52 by KO = 78.7 %) Heavyweight champion 1940-1949. Defended title a record 25 times. He was a smooth, deadly puncher with tremendous power in either hand. His combinations had perfect accuracy with overwhelming power.

#2) George Foreman (76 wins / 69 by KO = 90.7 %) Two time heavyweight champion 1973-1974 and 1994-1997. He is recognized as one of the hardest hitters ever in boxing in any weight division. He is forth on my list in the percentage category of knockouts.

#3) Sonny Liston (50 wins / 39 by KO – 78.0 %) Heavyweight champion 1962-1964. The most intimidating heavyweight ever, his left jab alone was so powerful that it knocked opponents out – the jab – and his left hook was nothing less than devastating.

#4) Rocky Marciano (49 wins / 43 by KO = 87.7 %) Heavyweight champion 1952-1956. He retired undefeated. Had limited skills and had a weight disadvantage, but his tremendous will to win overshadowed that with bigger opponents; his fights averaged a remarkable fewer than 5 rounds per bout.  Was responsible for the greatest knockout in heavyweight history in his 1952 title win over Jersey Joe Walcott in round 13 despite being behind on all scorecards.

Continue reading Best Punchers ~ The Heavyweights

Chacon vs. Lopez ~ Anniversary

The date was May 24, 1974 when Bobby “Schoolboy”  Chacon and Danny “Little Red” Lopez met in the ring for a long awaited and most anticipated bout between two Southern California rising stars. I was there that night ringside and sitting next to me was HBO Real Sports host Bryant Gumbel – who at that time was a sportscaster for KNBC channel 4 in Los Angeles. The mega match was promoted by “the first lady of boxing” Aileen Eaton and was held at the L.A. Sports Arena with a crowd of over 16,000 in attendance. Chacon was 23-1 entering the fight and Lopez was a perfect 23-0 with 21 of those bouts ending by knockout.

The two fighters lived up to all the hype and staged an action packed fight up to the ninth round, where Chacon scored a spectacular knockout stopping the previously undefeated Lopez in 48 seconds of that round. Both would go on to win world championships, Chacon the WBC Featherweight (1974-75) and the WBC Super Featherweight (1982-84) titles and Lopez the WBC Featherweight (1976-80) title.

Knowing both of these champions personally, I am happy to announce that they are the best of friends and hold the highest respect for each other. What’s amazing is that fight fans still talk and rave about their fight – 38 years ago!

Eddie Perkins ~ R.I.P.

 

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

In the fifty years I have been connected to boxing, I have been blessed to have met some wonderful people in the sport and Eddie Perkins is one of those wonderful people. Eddie passed away on the evening of May 10, 2012 at his home surrounded by family; he was 75.

I had the esteemed honor to be chosen to be Eddie’s presenter when he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame on October 14, 2006. His wife, Annie, and his entire family were present and it was such a pleasure meeting this loving family. For that event I put together Eddie’s bio for the official progarm regarding his induction into boxing’s elilte and now would now like to bring back what I wrote in 2006 honoring Eddie.

Services for Eddie will be at the Midwest Memorial Chapel, 5040 South Western Ave, Chicago, Illinois on Saturday May 19, 2012 at 10am. 

May his soul rest in peace in heaven with the Lord.

Eddie Perkins might just have been the best welterweight champion that many boxing fans never knew about, he fought for three decades against the top rated contenders of his time and about half of his 97 bouts were fought in various foreign countries outside the United States. All seven of his Junior Welterweight title fights (1961-1965) were fought outside the United States.

Eddie was born in Mississippi and moved to the windy city of Chicago when he was four years old and had an amateur bout span of 46 fights before turning pro in 1956, known though out his career as a very slick boxer and counter puncher, was only stopped once (Al Urbina in Mexico City 11-28-59) in 97 professional fights as a professional.

Eddie’s first bid for a world title in October 1961 was against Duilo Loi, who only had two losses on his ring record in 113 fights. The bout was in Loi’s home town of Milan, Italy and it resulted in a 15 round draw – thus Loi retaining his title.

Continue reading Eddie Perkins ~ R.I.P.

In My Era of Boxing

By David Martinez / Boxing Historian

I started to officially watch boxing in the year 1961. I was 13 years old, and it’s been over fifty years since my love for the sport began. I have seen so many great boxers and I consider myself blessed to have been able to live to see them.

I thought it would be interesting to list the best fighters in each weight division – my opinion – that I saw during that time span. They all have one thing in common; they are great champions. As this period of time only covers 1961 to the present, the greats such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, and Rocky Marciano, are not included.

This has nothing to do with who beat whom; (i.e.) why Oscar De La Hoya isn’t listed and he beat Pernell Whitaker, or Holmes is ahead of Tyson and got beat by Tyson, or “where is Foreman; he beat Frazier?”  It is about each boxer at the height of their career and how I saw them; this is what I am basing my ranking upon for the best of the best.

Here’s each division with the best boxers listed – in order – as I felt they were at the pinnacle of their careers:

Heavyweight  Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Sonny Liston,  Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier
Cruiserweight (195 lbs)  Evander Holyfield
Light Heavyweight (175 lbs)  Bob Foster, Archie Moore, Michael Spinks
Super Middleweight (168 lbs)  Roy Jones, Jr., Joe Calzaghe
Middleweight (160 lbs)  Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Bernard Hopkins
Junior Middleweight (154 lbs)  Terry Norris, Koichi Wajima
Welterweight (147 lbs)  Jose Napoles, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Thomas Hearns, Felix Trinidad
Junior Welterweight (140 lbs)  Aaron Pryor, Wilfred Benitz
Lightweight (135 lbs)  Roberto Duran, Carlos Ortiz, Pernell Whitaker
Junior Lightweight (130 lbs)  Julio Cesar Chavez, Alexis Arguello, Manny Pacquiao, Flash Elorde
Featherweight (126 lbs)  Vicente Saldivar, Salvador Sanchez, Marco Antonio Barerra
Junior Featherweight (122 lbs)  Wilfredo Gomez, Erik Morales
Bantamweight (118 lbs)  Eder Jofre, Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Fighting Harada
Junior Bantamweight (115 lbs)  Khaosai Galaxy
Flyweight (112 lbs)  Miguel Canto, Mark Johnson
Junior Flyweight (108 lbs)  Jung Koo Chang, Yoko Gushiken
Strawweight (105 lbs)  Ricardo Lopez, Pone Kingpetch

RING TRIVIA

A Quarterly Feature from dmboxing

Appearing every March, June, September, December  

1) Who was the first boxer from the legendary Kronk (Detroit) Gym to win a world title?  

a)  Jimmy Paul

b)  Thomas Hearns
c)  Milton McCrory
d)  Hilmer Kenty

2.) On January 1, 1913, because of rumors that heavyweight champion Jack Johnson was retired, who beat Al Palzer to win the “white” heavyweight championship?

a)  Al Kaufman
b)  Fireman Jim Flynn
c)  Frank Moran
d)  Luther McCarty

3)  Who did Frank Bruno fight in a heavyweight title bout at Wembley Stadium, London, England that drew over 40,000 fans ?
a)  Tim Witherspoon
b)  Oliver McCall
c)  Lennox Lewis
d)  Joe Bugner

4)  What boxer had a career total of 152 bouts in eleven years, which was an amazing average of almost 14 bouts per year?
a)  Jimmy Heair
b)  Julio Cesar Chavez
c)  Jose Luis Ramirez
d)  Kid Chocolate

5)  The late, legendary boxing writer, Harry Carpenter, first wrote for what newspaper?
a)  New York Times
b)  London Daily Mail
c)  Los Angeles Herald Examiner
d)  German Rheinische Post

NOTE:  Answers will be posted in three weeks or less for viewing!

Monzon vs. Benvenuti II

By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer 

 

Nino Benvenuti may be considered among the best amateur boxers of all time. He had a great professional career too. His first loss was on a highly disputed decision to Ki Soo Kim. He would win two out of three in a legendary middleweight trilogy with the highly respected Emile Griffith Eventually though his star would diminish..

There was a non title draw in 1968 against Akron, Ohio’s rugged Doyle Baird. It was a fight many thought Doyle won. Then came a loss to the terrific Dick Tiger. Then a life and death DQ win over Fraser Scott. Nino was then cut and on the verge of losing before he landed a left hook on slick Luis Rodriguez to retain his title. In Nino’s next bout he was halted by Tom ” The Bomb ” Bethea. Benvenuti had obviously under rated Bethea the first time around as he whipped Tom good in a rematch. Still you could see Nino was not the fighter of days gone by.

In November of 1970 enter Argentina’s Carlos Monzon. A disputed draw against the feared Bennie Briscoe earned Carlos a rating. Still Carlos was not considered a serious challenge to Nino’s crown. WRONG !!! Maybe Nino was on the downside of his fabulous career. Maybe a prime Benvenuti would have fared better against Monzon In my opinion Nino is lucky he met Monzon when he did. Any sooner would have resulted in the end of Nino’ s title reign. Make no mistake about it folks, Carlos owned Nino.
Continue reading Monzon vs. Benvenuti II

David Interviewed by DogHouseBoxing.com

David was recently interviewed by David Tyler, boxing writer for www.doghouseboxing.com. We’ve been given permission to display that interview here. Enjoy!

David Tyler:  David, what qualifies someone as a boxing historian?
David Martinez:  Somebody that religiously, daily, every minute of their life, is passionately devoted to the sport of boxing.

DT:  How many years have you accumulated using your criteria as a historian?
DM:  I have about 52 years.  It’s in my life, my DNA, that’s all I do.  My house is like a boxing museum.

DT:  I noticed that on your website is a posting of your top 12 boxers.  In alphabetical order:  Muhammad Ali, Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran, Joe Gans, Harry Greb, Eder Jofre, Jack Johnson, Benny Leonard, Joe Louis, Carlos Monzon, Willie Pep, and Sugar Ray Robinson.  How did you decide these were the top 12?
DM:  That’s my personal opinion over 52 years. All of these fighters would be ‘all time’ greats.  My decisions were easy….let me give you an example from my top Heavyweights also on the website…. people question why I rate Jack Dempsey over Gene Tunney and bring up the fact that Tunney beat Dempsey twice.  I simply say this, ‘at the pinnacle of both of their careers, I believe that Dempsey was a better fighter than Tunney.’

DT:  James Corbett lost twice to James Jeffries.  Why do you rate Corbett higher than Jeffries?
DM:  Same logic…I think that at the pinnacle of his career, Corbett was a better fighter than Jeffries.  Here’s another example, I think that Joe Frazier was a better fighter than George Foreman at the pinnacle of his career even though Foreman beat him twice. Continue reading David Interviewed by DogHouseBoxing.com

How High Should We Rate Riddick Bowe?

By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer

Hopefully the one time heavyweight champion of the world Riddick Bowe will never fight again. His post career problems have been well documented.

The question now is, where does Bowe rank among the great heavyweights of all time? How would he have fared against Louis, Marciano, Frazier or even dream fights in his own time against Lewis or Tyson? Here is a boxer who may have never realized his full potential. When he was near it his career declined due to his own self-indulgence.

After Lennox Lewis stopped Riddick in the 1988 Olympics, Bowe was considered a risky project. Rock Newman took the risk of managing Bowe and convinced the skeptical but astute Eddie Futch to undertake the task of molding Riddick. The rest is history. Bowe progressed nicely thru the ranks, turning pro in 1989 by halting future contender Lionel Butler in two rounds. In 1990 he stopped faded ex-champion Pinklon Thomas in nine. He also destroyed Bert Cooper in two.

In 1991 he kayoed Tyrell Biggs in eight and outscored ex-champ Tony Tubbs. He later kayoed future titleholder Bruce Seldon in one round. In 1992 he cemented a shot at the title by halting South African Pierre Coetzer in seven rounds.

Finally Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe was in the ring facing heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. The well-schooled and well-conditioned Bowe won a hard fought but convincing decision and the crown. Was this the turning point of his career? Was it the beginning of the end? The night Bowe won the title from Holyfield he could have arguably competed with any heavyweight who ever lived. He was that good.

So where did it all go wrong? Did Riddick believe he was unbeatable? Easy defenses against ex-champ Michael Dokes and shopworn journeyman Jesse Ferguson did little to sharpen his skills. His weight as well as his ego began to swell. By the time he met Holyfield in their rematch he had become a different fighter. So had Evander who had totally dedicated himself in training. Their second bout is mainly remembered for the “Fan Man” incident but in reality it was a highly entertaining fight. Even at the height of his skills against an ill prepared Bowe, Evander had all he could do to win the decision and regain the title. Without the championship, Riddick had become an enigma to himself. Would he rededicate himself or let the talent he had slip through his fists.

Riddick began his march toward reclaiming his crown. He would beat once highly regarded Herbie Hide and knock out overrated Jorge Luis Gonzalez who had beaten Riddick in the amateurs. He would again meet a now ex-champion Holyfield in a rubber match. He would pick himself off the canvas to knock out Evander and it appeared Riddick was still a prime player in the heavyweight sweepstakes. All that came crashing down following two brutal and highly controversial bouts against Andrew Golota.
Continue reading How High Should We Rate Riddick Bowe?

Happy Birthday ~ ALI

In rememberence of Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday this week, January 17, I am bringing back one of my favorite features on THE GREATEST that was part of a series I did for for this Web site. Here now, for your enjoyment, is that story. Happy Birthday Champ!

Muhammad Ali

 

By David Martinez / Boxing HistorianThis is the last of a six part series on Muhammad Ali. It has truly been my pleasure to share with you my personal accounts of THE GREATEST heavyweight champion in my era of boxing.

For those of you who have missed any of this special series, you can simply go to the menu on this website and click on the category, “Ali”, to view each part.

So, in my final, part six, I will take you back to Saturday afternoon, March 5, 2005. The location was the Stevens Steak House, Commerce, California. The event was the annual California Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee ceremonies.

This wasn’t even a live fight, but I will simply recognize it as one of the most memorable events that I have attended in my almost fifty years of involvement in boxing.

As the ceremonies were just about to conclude, the doors opened at the restaurant and the 600-plus SRO crowd started to chant “Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali” as the three time heavyweight champion entered the room. It was so electric, it was as if the Pope himself had walked into the room, and it was one of those moments in time where one just had to be there to witness and feel it.
Continue reading Happy Birthday ~ ALI

FROM THE DESK OF: David Martinez / Boxing Historian

( Winter 2012 Edition )

On a quarterly basis, I always write to thank and acknowledge the people that make this website the success that it is. My producer is John Boitnott, the main person who is simply my right hand man with his professional expertise regarding this website. Other key people are: Bob Quackenbush (Proof Reader and Photo Editing), Kathy Kraft (Proof Reader), Rusty Rubin (In Rusty’s Corner column), Tom Donelson (Boxing Correspondent Writer), Jim Amato (Senior Boxing Writer), and Ray Luna (Media Photographer). I am so grateful to have these wonderful people that contribute to this website in a positive manner.

My t-shirt, hat, and tank top products are a huge part of this website and the girls that pose wearing these items have all added a personal touch with their beauty and support.

As a boxing historian and avid collector for over fifty years, I strive to bring everyone the best in boxing in a most respectable and professional way. The fan mail that I receive is greatly appreciated and I respect your views and opinions.

One change on this website has been my RING TRIVIA, which had been monthly and is now offered quarterly in March, June, September, and December. I have added more questions (formerly three and now five) with the answers available for viewing sooner in a two-week time frame. I have always been fascinated with boxing trivia, and as a young boy growing up I would pick the minds of my older generation boxing friends to learn for myself the history of boxing that they knew and lived. When this website was born in July 2007, I knew that RING TRIVIA would be a main feature and I intend to keep it so.
Continue reading FROM THE DESK OF: David Martinez / Boxing Historian