Part 1 - 100 ATG List - Old School Era

[asero_831]

Basically almost all fighters that made the top 100 Boxers of all-time can be called not just a legend but an ATG. These are first ballot HOFers and their contribution to the sport are unparalleled.

But to come up with the list, we need to ensure that each era is evenly represented to minimize bias.

I come up with four boxing Eras spanning three decades each. We will be having 25 fighters in each Era.
A. Old School - Prior 1920
B. Golden Age - 1920-1949
C. Television Era - 1950-1979
D. PPV Era - 1980-Present

I took the year an individual fighter debuted and for this thread we will examine the top 25 fighters in the Old School Era. They are the pioneers of the sport under the Queensbury Rules. We can also refer this era as a "No Decision Era" as boxers will fight until one is out or end in a stalemate. These old school fighters fought in an era similar to MMA wherein there are smaller gloves and a lot of clinching.

Here is the Top 25 List along with the year of their debut:

01. Harry Greb 1913
02. Sam Langford 1902
03. Bob Fitzsimmons 1885
04. Benny Leonard 1911
05. Gene Tunney 1915
06. Joe Gans 1893
07. Mickey Walker 1919
08. Jimmy Wilde 1911
09. Tommy Loughran 1919
10. Stanley Ketchel 1903
11. Terry McGovern 1897
12. Joe Walcott 1892
13. Tommy Ryan 1887
14. Packey McFarland 1904
15. Abe Attell 1900
16. Jack Johnson 1898
17. Pancho Villa 1919
18. Mike Gibbons 1907
19. Jack Dempsey 1914
20. Ted Kid Lewis 1909
21. Jack Britton 1904
22. Tommy Gibbons 1911
23. Tiger Flowers 1918
24. George Dixon 1886
25. Freddie Welsh 1905

26. Pete Herman 1912
27. Jack Dillon 1908
28. Johnny Kilbane 1907
29. Young Corbett III 1919
30. Harry Wills 1911

[Rusty Tromboni]

An era is defined by its best fighters, as in those in their prime (or near it). Not by who debuted.


Also, I dunno how you can make a clear delineation of eras. But the teens and 20s go together.

[asero_831]

Those who excelled in the 1920s debuted in 1910s.
These are Greb, Benny Leonard, Tunney, Walker, Dempsey, Loughran, Flowers, Herman, etc
These are the last batch of old schoolers before the Era of 15 Rounds. They paved the way for Henry Armstrong, Ross-Canzoneri-Mclarnin trio, Murder's row and some of the finest flyweights we have.

[asero_831]

The problem with defining a fighter in their prime is it is a little complex. Say Duran builds his resume in 70s but his biggest win is in 80s. Same but Muhammad Ali, he dominated 60s and 70s.

Mayweather's prime was 2000s but his biggest wins happens in 2010s.

[Rusty Tromboni]

You're all over the place. Maybe first define what YOU mean by "era"; then outline those eras.


For example:
Fitz, McFarland and Greb probably all belong to distinct era's, and each was his era's best. But how so and why (on both counts)?

[asero_831]

This is the era for boxers starting to box using Queensbury Rules.
We do not see any full fight footage if any for these boxers. This are the early years of the sport before the launch of the golden age in which boxing is clearing the number one sport in America and Europe.

[QueensburyRules]

The problem with defining a fighter in their prime is it is a little complex. Say Duran builds his resume in 70s but his biggest win is in 80s. Same but Muhammad Ali, he dominated 60s and 70s.

Mayweather's prime was 2000s but his biggest wins happens in 2010s.

- -Not really, and moreover U overcomplicate extraneous factors not in play, ie Duran best win ever in 1980 at the end of his prime.

And using decades as a marker when most fighters don't fight past 15 years

U the first to rank Tunney over Dempsey and so on.

Appreciate the honest effort, but U got a lot of remodeling to do.

[BattlingNelson]

Fine effort. I look forward to the rest.

[DeeMoney]

The problem with defining a fighter in their prime is it is a little complex. Say Duran builds his resume in 70s but his biggest win is in 80s. Same but Muhammad Ali, he dominated 60s and 70s.

Mayweather's prime was 2000s but his biggest wins happens in 2010s.

I accept that logic, as I have tried to rank eras by fighters in their prime, and as you implied there is too much crossover. The issue is fighters don't plan their career based on arbitrarily round time ranges (such as decades).

I still prefer looking at primes, but your list essentially gives the same picture, and will be more clear when you get to the later eras (the first one covers a lot of ground).