Best British boxer of all time: Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Barry McGuigan… Colin Hart’s top ten
Boxing columnist Colin Hart looks back on six decades of ringside action to decide who reached the top of the pile
ANYONE wishing to provoke explosive arguments among fight fans have simply to compile a top ten list to light the touch paper.
The Editors of Ring magazine, known in America as the Bible of Boxing, have selected their top ten living world champions as the main feature in their November issue.
They admit their selections will spark a debate - which is putting it mildly.
Donald Trump being invited to present the prizes at Cheltenham Ladies College couldn’t cause greater controversy.
I wouldn’t mind betting beer will be spilled in saloons and bars from coast to coast in the States when the inevitable rows start getting heated.
But at least there will be few who object that their No 1 choice is Sugar Ray Leonard. Pound-for-pound the most perfect fighting machine I’ve ever seen in the flesh.
Leonard is followed by 2 Roberto Duran; 3 Pernell Whitaker; 4 Evander Holyfield; 5 Marvin Hagler; 6 Julio Cesar Chavez; 7 Floyd Mayweather Jnr; 8 Jake La Motta; 9 Manny Pacquiao; 10 Larry Holmes.
The most glaring omission which is bound to create fierce differences of opinion is Mike Tyson’s name.
Leaving out the youngest man ever to win the world heavyweight championship and who made so many violent defences is certainly an extremely brave call.
Getting involved in such contentious issues can lead to grief for boxing writers. Many years ago in Sunsport I picked my top ten heavyweights of all time.
I placed the legendary Rocky Marciano, as low as no 9.
I figured that though Marciano retired unbeaten with a perfect 49-0 record that included 43 KO’s, as he stood barely 5ft 10in and weighed just over 13stone he wouldn’t have stood a chance against the modern Goliaths.
Rocky is idolised by the Polledri family who run Little Italy, one of Soho’s most famous restaurants and one of my favourites.
Such was their passion for their hero they were so incensed I had placed him so low in the pecking order they sent word that I was barred.
Fortunately they were just having fun and my ban was soon lifted.
Despite the obvious danger of upsetting people Ring magazine has inspired me to risk the abuse and choose my top ten British living world champions.
After much soul searching Welshman Joe Calzaghe is my No 1.
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Joe retired after a sensational 15 year career having won every one of his 46 fights and holding the world super-middleweight title for a record-breaking 10 years.
His victims included super-stars like Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jnr. But when Calzaghe beat Jeff Lacy it was the night he reached a boxing Everest.
He dismantled Lacy, a world class opponent, with such a masterful display of box-fighting, the American, psychologically never recovered.
The other nine in order of merit are Ken Buchanan; John Conteh; Lloyd Honeyghan; Lennox Lewis; Nigel Benn; Carl Froch; Naseem Hamed; Ricky Hatton and Barry McGuigan.
There will be those who can make out a very strong case for any one of those outstanding champions as being worthy of sitting proudly at the top of the honours board.
With men like Frank Bruno, Chris Eubank, John H. Stracey and Carl Frampton being left out it shows just how difficult it was to come to a final conclusion.
I suppose if all those who disagree with me were to form an orderly queue the line might stretch for several miles.