Boxing's Greatest Champions (Documentary from series "HBO Boxing's Best")

[@sdprazak]

Great seeing this again! It’s been years! I think this documentary came out around 78-79.

[@rebelliousredneckvlogs]

Gret documentary, and great seeing Joe Louis recognized as the greatest!

[@jankro84]

Why don't they make a more up to date version

[@nickiemartin1426]

Awesome documentary, thanks

[@16nowhereman]

Agree! SRR the greatest fighter of all time!!!

[@MrBumboclart]

Wow! There was footage of SRR at 147lb? I never knew that.

[@cliffmesser9307]

By the way don't forget Ali had over three years taken away from him not many fighters can can come back and win a heavyweight championship. But I do agree sugar ray Robinson the greatest

[@pukulu]

If they redid this show again, I suppose that Marvin Hagler would be among the top 5 greatest middleweights. I would rank him number 1, with Mickey Walker and a few others close behind.

[@pukulu]

Since the show was made some very good light heavyweights have come along --- Matthew Saad Muhammad, Dwight Braxton (Qawi), Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, Michael Spinks, etc.

[@louisgillbriti3617]

A great group of lt hvys.

[@tommygrizzell1698]

This has great suptulness a sweet sweet sweet watch i liked there observations on these Very Very Special Fighters but there can be no doubt in my mind or anyone elses observations on Who truly was the greatest and my observation there can be no doubt in my mind it was Sugar Ray Robinson the man was truly Flawless he had the whole sweet package there will never be another sugar Ray Robinson Fact.

[@conartist267]

I still think Ali is the greatest HW of all time, yet he had three years in exile. Before ‘67, Ali was unbeatable and untouchable. Imagine his record if he had’ve gone on. It would have gone way past 50/0

[@Pharcydeify]

NO SAM LANGFORD! The guy fought the top lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight champion of his era, reportedly gave all of them tough fights, save for freaking Jack Johnson who was 185 to Langford's 153lbs. Most avoided fighter in boxing history, stopped nearly all the top heavyweights of his era even though he was only a small light heavyweight at his peak, more knockouts than George Foreman and Mike Tyson combined, Master boxer, phenomenal puncher, world class chin, great defense. Could be argued as the greatest fighter of all time period. Not pound for pound, PERIOD!

[@alec2726]

Hey! Interesting comment. My Dad told me of Sam Langford and Sam McVey many years ago. There is not much information or videos available now but they were great. Another one you should look at is Peter Jackson, fought a 60 round draw with JJ Corbett. Buried in Roma Queensland, Australia. Bob Fitzsimmons first fought in Tom Lamy's Gym, George Street, Sydney, Australia. There is a statue of him in New Zealand where he lived..

[@johnlaslow3074]

I agree and they also left Harry Greb off the list. What a joke

[@stevestarr9769]

OMG, at 35:50 there's Bill Gallo's drawing of a SMILING Sonny Liston...I almost fell on the floor.

[@louisgillbriti3617]

Bill Gallo. The best. marine.

[@pukulu]

Some heavyweights to be added --- Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, Vitaly Klitschko, Wladmimir Klitschko, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

You are welcome for the Mad. Sq. Gar. fight of 77. I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for pointing me to your channel. Lots of good stuff and the IBF payoff for rankings investigation was great. Naseem Hamed, like Roy Jones & Sergio Martinez, is so athletic that he was successful in boxing despite not being a good boxer. Barrera exposed Hamed's weaknesses as a boxer. The Chavez - Rosario fight was good but I still don't understand why Rosario did not stay in center of ring. (continued).

[@johnlegg8559]

Marvelous Marvin hagler is now the greatest of all time in middle weight divisions

[@EricadezAlwaysme]

look at Larry Merchant. He still looks old. I love this guy though. He loves to instigate

[@dirtyjew1974]

I like Larry but I just cant agree with all of his points

[@kingp3947]

@@dirtyjew1974 same here bro

[@fischparov]

Very few have heard of Harry Greb 5'8" 165lbs 300 fights by 32yrs old fought everyone and anyone beat 18 world champions fought light heavies and heavyweights called the man without fear was wicked fast with an iron chin often fought guys that outweighed him by 10-25lbs

[@dirtyjew1974]

I know its popular to say robinson was the best pound for pound but I think greb was.

[@giannipisa5978]

That guy actually believes Joe Louis would have beaten Ali. Larry Merchant corrects him beautifully: Joe Louis almost lost to Billy Con, what do you think Ali would have done to him ? Well said Merchant, well said

[@MasterFatness]

Ali got caught and was almost knocked out by Henry Cooper. This is boxing, my friend. Anything can happen. No two fighters are the same. Billy Conn was technically brilliant, more so than Ali. He managed to gain an edge in points over 12 rounds and was still knocked the fuck out. We never know what would have happened to Ali, had the bell not rung and had Angelo Dundee not split his glove. He probably would have won anyways. Still, Ali was not untouchable, and versus a champion like Joe Louis, who can knock out just about anybody, nobody can be deemed safe.

[@giannipisa5978]

MrRoyalFatness Thats not really a comparison is it ? Billy Conn to Henry Cooper ? And yeah sure, Conn was the more technical fighter. But his technical skills dont even come close to the athletic skills Ali had. Ali was 6`3 and weighed ( in his prime ) between 204 and 220 pounds. He had a reach of about 79 inches. And i dont even have to mention its speed as wel on his feet as his handspeed right ? And here comes flatfooted Joe Louis, with a 76 inch reach, about 6`2 and weighing about 197 pounds. Ali would have danced circles around him, putshotting him from the outside till he either cut him up or knocked him out. Even if Louis caught him with a punch, Ali had the one of the best chins of all time .And now dont get me wrong im not putting down Joe louis, he was one of the greatest heavyweights ( and champions ) of all time. And everything can happen in boxing, but just look at the individual fighters and you cant do nothing else but put all your money on Ali.

[@MasterFatness]

I'm not comparing Cooper to Conn. I only used him as an example. A boxer can outbox a puncher for 12 rounds and still get knocked out in the last 10 seconds. A puncher can put down a boxer with one good punch, but still lose the decision. Point is, anything can happen. Ali had great difficulties with boxers who could counter his jab. Louis had one of the best jabs ever, and was equally good at defending against it. Make no mistake, Louis was a smart boxer. To take one thing out of the equation; Ali would never have knocked out Louis. Come on. He was a featherfist all the way through, could not put a guy with a chin on the canvas for 10 seconds, even if his life depended on it. In fact, he did exactly that only FOUR TIMES over the course of his career, one being against George Foreman, a stoppage that was completely bogus, thanks to the pro-Ali referee. Ali had everything except power and fundamental defensive skills. Joe Louis had everything except flashy footwork. I would have loved to see these guys fight. Perhaps Ali would have gotten knocked out the first and only time in his career, perhaps not. We will never know.

[@giannipisa5978]

MrRoyalFatness Louis wasn`t fast enough to counter Ali`s jab, not in a million years. Pummeled by lesser punchers ? you mean like foreman ? earnie shavers ? ron lyle ? these guys are considered among the hardest punchers of all time ! and yeah by no means was Ali a hard hitter, but power is not the only ingredient to get a guy out of there. Speed is very important also. Even though i dont see one thing Louis would have to offer to get a win over Ali, i agree i would have loved to see the 2 guys fight each other. What i always found really impressive about louis was those unbelievably strong short shots he could deliver in rapid succession. In close he was devastating

[@MasterFatness]

I edited my comment after posting the part about lesser punchers, realizing it was a stupid comparison. I wasn't talking about any of the mentioned fighters. I know them all perfectly well, none of them are featherfists. As for Louis not being fast enough to counter Ali's jab, well... if you know boxing, you ought to know that the key to the jab is timing, not speed. Ken Norton countered Ali's jab with a jab of his own, all night long, over the course of 3 fights. I don't think I have to explain myself when I say that Louis was a master of timing and was also much faster than Norton. So, saying that he wouldn't have been able to counter his jab is nonsense, really. It would have been his best weapon against Ali, especially if the fantasy match had taken place before Norton did Ali the favor of exposing his weakness to this, the counter jab.

[@alboooze]

Muhammad Ali the Greatest

[@Pharcydeify]

NO HARRY GREB? The guy has the best record of any fighter to ever compete in boxing, 18 of 18 against world champions across three divisions.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

Thanks for the reply. You make a number of accurate points. I find almost nothing with which to disagree - except - if PBF had trouble with Castillo in both bouts at 135 lbs. Then, Duran would have slowed PBF with very hard body punches & it is highly unlikely that PBF's illegal defenseive tactics - elbows, holding, holding foes head down, etc. would have prevented RD -or- JC - from numbing his legs and KOing him in mid to later rounds. An excellent analysis - I enjoyed reading it!

[@johnlaslow3074]

No Harry Greb there is a joke. He was definitely the best middleweight and he beat Micky Walker. He had the best record in history winning 270 of 299 fights. And he was legally blind in one eye for half his career. Any list without him and Sam Langford is bogus.

[@renzopeterson153]

Greb was a fraud

[@brandonhigh1191]

.brown is Mexican although most white people have it

[@GilturnerknocksoutphonyFloyd]

There are no films of Greb in a fight. Only short clips of him training. Because of that todays so called experts ignore him. These are the same type of “ experts “ who claim Mayweather is the greatest of all time. Now that’s a JOKE!! Greb, Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong are the best pound for pound with Duran nearby 0

[@jimrushing5365]

Excellent.. I have some memorabilia of Langford that even his family hadn’t seen before! I agree with your total analogy! 😊 30:47

[@beeasy112]

AMEN

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra (cont.) It is obvious we will never agree, but I do appreciate your boxing knowledge and civility in discussing our difference of opinion. Also, thank you for answering my question as to why you would rather fight RD than JC. If you are still boxing, good luck in the future and I'm sure you're smart enough to know when to stop. I see no point in continuing this as we are firm in our opinions. It has been interesting. Duran vs Barkley, hear Clancy say RD is "so relaxed". Cheers

[@joe123090]

What about the fly, bantam, and feather weights? That wasnt all the weight classes. Jimmy Wilde greatest flyweight, Eder Jofre greatest bantamweight and the most important, will o the wisp, Willie Pep the greatest featherweight. You forgot some very important names.

[@mr.roberto1898]

maybe the best post here !

[@cristiandelvillar3121]

NO HARRY GREB AT MIDDLEWEIGHT???!?!?!???!? He’s the greatest middleweight in boxing history

[@jameswalsh688]

Still carried grudge against Ali and they had yet to see the real great bouts of the 70s.

[@cliffmesser9307]

Louis was great but Ali was the greatest. To fast great chin greatest fighter ali

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@joe123090 You are absolutely correct about Willie Pep being the greatest featherweight of all time. His career record is: W 205+ L 7, he was known as "will- of- the wisp" because he was so difficult to hit. Pep had an unexpected loss & he ran off 73 CONSECUTIVE WINS; a feat which may never be equaled. No doubt, Willie Pep is the best featherweight - bar none! Pep also came back from a bad plane crash and SUED to get his boxing license restored. Superb boxer and a very tough man!

[@abdurmuhammad9665]

What a shame jack johnson best of all tome

[@abdurmuhammad9665]

Called the round and punch no one could Match

[@6412mars]

I see Larry Merchant ... I'm gone!

[@J4sse]

HBO!

[@mrhamonSr]

Larry still looks young old

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra I cited KO percentages only because of your statement: " duran was probably the greatest slugger at lightweight but really that belongs to beau jack or hammerin hank". I did NOT claim that duran was better that Hank Armstrong, albeit, I do believe he was a better lightweight than Beau Jack. Also, Hank A. had a large majority of his fights, at championship level, as welterweight. ( I need one more reply - thank you for bearing with me.)

[@shaneash1598]

Jimmy Wilde

[@1945temo]

Too bad there's not even one fight from the wars Harry Greb VS Gene Tunney, it would have been nice to watch at least one. Greb was the only man to beat Tunney.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

(continued) enjoy is Arguello vs V Fernandez - a 10 rd non title bout which Arguello lost by Dec. Fernandez was fast & a superb boxer. Duran fought Fernandez, a 15 rd title bout & RD KOed Fernandez in 13th rd w/left hook to his liver. Both bouts are on KZbin. It is fascinating how people see the same fight, fights or fighters so differently. This is esp. evident in hypothetical ranking or matches. Once again, thanks for the fights & other vids. However, my opinion is the same. Yours 2 I bet!

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@joe123090 You are correct to use "will o the wisp" which I had not seen in your earlier post. Both terms :"will o ..." and "will of ..." are proper uses of Pep's nickname. No correction or offense intended. Take care.

[@rickhorejsi1121]

No way rocky was better than Ali, NO WAY!!! marciano only had 6 or 7 title matches, ALI HAD OVER 20. AND FOUGHT ALL 10 TOP CONTENDERS 3 DIFFERENT TIMES CHAMPION ALI WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE KING

[@stuartjohnson7967]

F**K Me. We should of called this. The TrumanOThirsty Show. Youknowitall…! - Knobhead.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

There is no question that Rosario was forced to fight the way Chavez wanted the fight to proceed. It became obvious quickly that Rosario was being hurt more by Chavez's punches than vice versa. Also, Ghavez landed heavy punches to Chapo's body with amazing accuracy and effectiveness. Chavez cut off the ring and controlled the flow & tempo of the fight. I also agree with you that Barrera is a great boxer and deserves more acclaim than he received during his career. (continued) (especially

[@conartist267]

I’m still shakin my head. Old Ali footage vs young Louise footage. What about the footage vs Liston, Patterson, Moore, Williams etc etc. Then they rank Ali above Louise P4P. Makes a mockery of the selections.

[@williepep-fy7qm]

Con artist Henry Cooper?

[@TrumanOThirsty]

(continued) I am certain that Hamed was surprised at the boxing clinic Barrera put on during his fight with Nassem H. It proves that a well rounded, top tier boxer will usually beat a "boxer" who relies too heavily on pure athleticism & neglects to master the fundamentals of pugilism. I enjoyed your videos of James Toney and he is an impressive & talented boxer. Why did Toney not fight outside the IBF more often? Was he dodged in an era of non mandatory title defenses & 2 many sanctng. orgs.?

[@HappyJoddler]

They got Max Baer but no Jim Braddock?

[@rockyfish3115]

Harry Greb, then Sam Langford and Ray Robinson joint 2nd Armstrong in 3rd then the likes of pepp, Walker etc

[@johnosandra]

Bowe is most skilled big man on the inside but Golota has to be the most skilled big man overall Ive ever seen and old Foreman the best schooled big man, especially with old Archie's bag of tricks in his corner. Of all the big men, the last punch i would ever wanna take from one of them is Razor Ruddocks left hook, sinister left hook.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

right

[@hitcan79]

Ali is the greatest of all time

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra By chance, I came across a KZbin video of a fight - H. Weston vs W. Benitez in 77. Match was at Mad Sq Garden & before bout Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler were introduced to crowd. Also present were G.Cooney, M. Rossman, Howard Davis (anncng. debut as pro), and some other boxers. Altho bout between Benitez & Weston not a great one; it is worth a look at introduction to see so many active & former boxers in MSG ring at one time, when MSG was still a top venue for boxing matches!

[@Aaronthegreatest]

larry merchant has really declined since the 80s =/ he's actually impressive here, but now he can barely string together a sentence.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra At what weight ( lbs.) do or did you box? Would there be a preferred weight at which you would fight Duran or Chavez? Unless you are or were a top tier, world class fighter at middleweight or above, I can't imagine you having much chance with either; assuming prime age & condition for you, RD or JC. I must admit, I'm curious, why would you prefer Duran over Chavez as an opponent? Duran is the bigger, stronger man, very quick, hard to hit & vastly under rated as a def. fighter!

[@stuartjohnson7967]

TrumanOThirsty. Gotta be Irish ☘️ with a name like that. I think 🤔 you’re Nat Fleischer really. Mr Boxing 🥊, that’s who you are.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@TrumanOThirsty 2nd Correction: I should haved typed that Duran's opposition (in first 28 bouts) had a collective record of: 14 W & 9 L, 3 w/no official record of bout, and 2 opponent's record were E(ven) I apologize for this & an earlier error.

[@martymcgrogan]

I watch a lot of video. I think Joe Louis could have dispatched Ali, even in his prime. Much more economical, powerful, and had more stamina. A better puncher and finisher. Better all around. .

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra I understand your opinion. However, all opinions on intangibles are subjective but knowledge of a particular subject (expertise) is helpful in giving deliberated opinions. Up to age 29, after RD - SRL 2 debacle, Duran's work ethic was superb. RD was also relaxed in ring. Watch Duran in Palomino bout & listen to L Merchant's comments. I saw Chavez take apart Rosario in a lop - sided match, on which I lost $50. However, in h/prime, I believe RD could h/done the same. (cont.)

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra I must respectfully disagree. Larry Merchant & Gil Clancy (in 1979 & '89 respectively, both said Duran was "one of the greatest fighters who ever lived"). Angelo Dundee called Duran "an all time great, who does a lot of 'cute things in the ring" and " this is why he's an unmarked slugger". Dundee went on to say that " Duran never got the accolades he deserved because he had the misfortune to be overshadowed by Muhammad Ali. Chavez was great but Duran was greater.

[@harrygreb3457]

No Harry Greb????? No Sam Langford????

[@mr.roberto1898]

they needed a little footage, but those who truly know boxing history acknowledge those 2 as all time greats

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra To begin, I am unsure as to what you mean in the first sentence of your reply. Secondly, IMO, one cannot rate a fighter's greatness on record alone. Moreover, Chavez was given a very questionable draw in a bout with Pernell Whitaker, which I thought Whitaker won. In the final anlysis, either opinion regarding Duran & Chavez has many arguments in its favor. There is much merit to your view, but I see it differently. Cheers.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra I've been polite while acknowledging there is much substantive evidence in favor of each of our opinions vis a' vis Chavez & Duran. I had hoped to avoid a lengthy colloquy. I shall do it your way. In Chavez's 1st 28 bouts, his opponents had a collective record of: 110 W - 172 L, a mean avg. of 4 W & 6 L per opponent, (rond. off) Chavez went 12 W - 7 L & no record of 10 bouts. Also, his 12th bout vs. Miguel Ruiz, JC Sr. was DQ,a loss,but his mgr. R Felix was on the [ to be cont]

[@artcusack7608]

Ali is the greatest!!!!

[@TrumanOThirsty]

(continued) A lot of younger fans think that "Pretty Boy Floyd" - PBF or PacMan - PM - could beat either Chavez or Duran at lightweight. I strongly disagree with that view. In addition, the records of PBF & PM, along with catchweight fights & less talented opposition does not support such a belief! What is your opinion on PBF or PM vs JC or RD? It seems that Ferdie Pacheco is last of the Ali - early to mid Duran era left; Clancy, Dundee & Bert Sugar are now gone. Boxing is poorer for it.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra Obviously you know boxing & fought.. I know boxing well but as an analyst & fan. I was not a boxer but I did play one on TV (just kidding). Duran's best fights were: 3rd bout DeJesus, title bout Buchanan, & 1st bout SRLeonard. Duran was the best lightweight ever & the majority of boxing analysts, commentators, & writers concur. I agree that JC & RD had unique "auras" & charisma. We will never agree on JC & RD. Do you think JC could have beat SRLeonard? Take care.

[@joe123090]

@johnosandra chump? the only chump here is the one that talks shit on youtube. If you knew anything about boxing you would know Willie Pep is the greatest featherweight. People might disagree about the bantam greatest. Not much footage exist on jimmy wilde but from what i seen and read is that he was one of the hardest punchers p4p knocking out fighers that outweight him up to 50lbs. i go by what boxing historians write since there the ones that know the sport cause theyve lived through...

[@qkwnwkw]

Joes Louis being voted the best Heavyweight of all time. Is absolute bullshit.

[@hammad9091]

No it’s not.

[@goshenhill40]

joe louis would have knocked Ali out.Those liston and george ghost punches would not standup with louis.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra Cm'on: you cannot make an enormous claim, " i know as a fighter i'd rather fight duran " (than chavez), without answering my questions!

[@joe123090]

@johnosandra ...those years and not by what people type in youtube comments so next time you dont agree with something someone says in the comments dont get butt hurt and start throwing your shit all over the room

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra says: "Chavez won titles in ... as many different divisions but Durans ..." Your claim is false. Chavez won titles in 3 divisions - jnr. ltwt. 130 lbs. - ltwt. 135 lbs. & jnr. welterweight. 142 lbs. A span of 12 Lbs!. Duran won 4 titles - lt.wt. 135 lbs. wltrwgt. 147 lbs. jnr. mddlewgt. 154 lbs. & mddlewgt. 160 lbs. A span of 25 Lbs & 3 full Divs.! Lgtwgt. - Wltrwgt. & Middlewgt. Also, both Beau Jack & Hank Armstrong had lower career KO %s than Duran! RD better than JC !

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra Here are my closing remarks. RD had more early fights (1st 40) against superior opposition. E Marcel, appx. Rd's 20th opp. became world champ & Kobayshi, his 28th opp. w/ a former 2 time lgtwt. champ. RD grew into a master boxer - off. & def. Chavez's early fights are not recorded and I did not recognize any name in his 1st 40 fights. RD, in his 29th bout, took the title from a superb K. Buchanan (43-1) when Duran beat him. I respect your opinion but strongly disagree. Take care.

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra "this arguement is just the opinions of 2 men i assume" - You assume correctly.

[@sherirobinson6867]

Jack Johnson was the greatest heavyweight...bare knuckles, age, year's active... nobody could do what he did... Louis and Ali and Rocky and Dempsey were all Great! None of them could of done Jack did!

[@TrumanOThirsty]

(contnued) It appears Chavez took a much better punch than ER, as Rosario was consdrd the hardest punching ltwgt. at that time (larry said this) In any case, Chavez's punches took a visible toll - rd by rd! I still think Duran would have beaten Chavez. Did you watch entire RD - Palomino bout? Esp., the 3rd, 9th & 10 rds with an open ear for Larry's comments & last 30 seocnds - 2nd rd! RD was awesome against #1 ranked wltrwgt, ex champ Palomino. Another fight you might ... (continued)

[@edwardbliss8931]

Wouldn't it be easier to show photos of the boxers instead of sketches?

[@thomasgrizzell5894]

there is no question Duran was the greatest lightweight Hagler best welterweight Robinson greatest middleweight and Joe Louis the greatest heavyweight Lol......

[@darrenstopper1806]

Hagler only fought at middleweight

[@TrumanOThirsty]

@johnosandra (cont.) All rankings are opinions based on certain criteria, with each "expert" favoring some aspects of boxer's abilities differently and often, the differnces in skills & abilities are very small; but, all rankings must be numbered. This causes disagreement. There is no way to know for sure & common opponents are not very useful; some styles do not match up well. I respect your opinion but disagree. IMO. RD is best lgtwgt. ever but all u list were great. (cont...)

[@raymondhannon9442]

Bob fitzsimmons won the middleweight title then the heavyweight title and then the lightheavy title in that order name one other fighter. That did that

[@bossbanks6441]

No Leonard Hagler or Hearns... wtf type of documentary is this

[@smallies7154]

conor mcgregor easily the greatest

[@stuartjohnson7967]

Alright fergie. How’s Prince Andrew nowadays

[@smallies7154]

@@stuartjohnson7967 i apologize for that comment. i was young and stupid. prince andy still dont sweat

[@stuartjohnson7967]

@@smallies7154 We are all good. Stay Safe and take care. ADIOS AMIGO.🙏