By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Photo by Eva Rinaldi via flic.kr/p/du1tf9
Mike Tyson dropped some wisdom on an attentive audience during his 2012 visit to Sydney Australia for Day of the Champions: Main Event Mike KO. Some of his more memorable quotes in the talk were, “The message of my show would be no matter what adversity hits you in life, don’t give up — that’s the only time you will lose,” and “Someone can be a champion and never have a title.”
Roy Jones Jr.
Last week my childhood took a left hook and right jab when I got news of the death of Pernell “Sweetpea” Whitaker.
On July 14, the former professional boxer died after being hit by a vehicle in his hometown of Virginia Beach. Whitaker, 55, couldn’t dodge the automobile in time and died at the scene.
The roller coaster life of a boxing legend came to a tragic conclusion. One of my favorites in the sweet science is gone.
Whitaker was introduced to my life, like several other boxers, through the television. And the main channel where I viewed boxing greats was HBO. Names like Whitaker, Tyson, De La Hoya and Jones were superstars on the network of champions.
Those pugilists were headliners during and after the “Television Era” of boxing. And they ushered in the “Pay-Per-View Era.”
Now people say the sport of boxing is on life support. And one of the view things that keeps pumping breath into the industry is classic highlights.
Viewing Whitaker’s artistry in the ring is bringing me back some great memories as a pre-teen watching him dodge his opponent’s swings. Seeing Sweetpea in his prime has me ready to count down my top 10 boxers of my lifetime. I didn’t start watching boxing until 1986. So the era I’m breaking down is from 1986 to 2006. These are the 10 boxers who had a legitimate era of dominance, won championships, entertained and defined the sport during my most impressionable years.
I think there were a few great boxers in this 20-year period. Here are the honorable mentions: “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, Evander Holyfield, Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe, “Sugar” Shane Mosley, “Big” George Foreman, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Hector “Macho” Camacho, Felix Trinidad, Manny Pacquiao, Winky Wright, Antonio Tarver, James Toney and Prince Naseem Hamed.
10. “Pretty Boy” Floyd/“Money” Mayweather
(Years active: 1996-2007/2009-15)
Two nicknames illustrates how this man had a couple of important chapters in boxing history. The 50-0 record proves his dominance against the best of his time.
Floyd Mayweather’s legacy is wrapped up in those nicknames. The “Pretty Boy” era was him building off his father’s career and growing into manhood in the ring. Then “Money” Mayweather became an industry and an icon.
How many boxers get to make $100 million for one bout? The Money Team still has a strong impact on the sport four years after his retirement. Money secured his legacy with victories over the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto.
But I got to know Floyd Mayweather Jr. as Pretty Boy, beating greats the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Arturo Gatti in clashes. Mayweather is an all-time great in the ring and I truly respect his 50-0.
On the other hand he ranks so low on this list because he was too defensive and fought intelligently leaving a lot to the imagination.
9. Tommy “Hitman” Hearns
(Years active: 1977-2006)
The “Motor City Cobra” was born in Memphis on Oct. 18, 1958. I touched hands with the boxing legend in the Pyramid back in 2002. As I was walking back to the Memphis Tigers locker room for postgame interviews, I felt a larger-than-life presence right next to me. I look up and it was the Hitman.
He smiled at me and said, “Hello man, what’s your name?”
After catching my breath, “My name is Thomas.”
“My name is Thomas too,” he replied with a laugh.
Who would think of it, two great Thomases born in Memphis side by side. OK, his résumé is a little better than mine.
Hearns helped author HBO’s golden period with the likes of Hagler, Roberto Durán and Ray Leonard. I saw Hearns beat the best. Then some of the best had his number.
What made Hearns must-see TV was his unique frame in the ranks with those traditional non-heavyweights. Hearns was tall and slender with oversized arms. He won world titles in five weight divisions: welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and super middleweight.
8. Bernard Hopkins
(Years active: 1988-2016)
The man known as the “The Executioner” took on the likes of Joe Louis in the 1940s and Muhammad Ali in the ’70s. OK, I’m joking.
But Hopkins had a pretty long career. In 2014 Hopkins won the WBA (Super) title from Beibut Shumenov at the age of 48. He is the real-life Rocky. He fought against the best of many eras with an endless prime.
Hopkins has multiple championships to his credit, including the undisputed middleweight title from 2004 to 2005 and the lineal light heavyweight title from 2011 to 2012. Hopkins first became a world champion by winning the IBF middleweight title in 1995.
The years listed on his boxing résumé meant Hopkins crossed paths with names like Trinidad, De La Hoya, Jermaine Taylor and Roy Jones Jr. Hopkins brought each one of them his amazing combination of power and speed. Hopkins mastered fundamentals, leading to a long and productive career.
7. Lennox Lewis
(Years active: 1989-2003)
Allow me to introduce Lennox Claudius Lewis of West Ham, London via England. A man you could have tea with and moments later he could decapitate any bruiser with one blow. Lewis will go down as one of the best heavyweight champions of all time.
His local tie is his participation in the highly anticipated bout with Mike Tyson in the Memphis Pyramid in 2002. Lewis won 42 fights with 32 coming by knockout.
Some other notables to fall to the strong Englishman were Hasmin Rahman, Evander Holyfield, Tommy Morrison, Oliver McCall, Ray Mercer and Shannon Briggs.
Lewis started to shape his legendary résumé when he represented Canada in the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the super heavyweight division over Riddick Bowe.
I guess he left a strong impression on Bowe because in 1992 Lewis took over the number one position in the WBC rankings. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion later that year after Riddick Bowe gave up the title to avoid defending it against Lewis.
6. Oscar De La Hoya
(Years active: 1992-2008)
Speaking of the Olympics, “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya became a household name winning the gold medal in the lightweight division. Then he embarked on a great career to validate his Mexican-American heritage.
Since retiring from action, De La Hoya has been an entrepreneur in the sport. He is now promoting events through Golden Boy Promotions, and many young fighters trust him because he was so great in the ring. De La Hoya knows what it takes to be a champion, winning multiple world titles in six weight classes.
De La Hoya is one of the biggest names of the “Pay-Per View Era.” He generated approximately $700 million in pay-per-view income and participated in multiple bouts that could have been considered “fight of the year” candidates. I guess a man that was so entertaining should be a promoter.
5. “Sugar” Ray Leonard
(Years active: 1977-1997)
Let’s make this short and sweet. Ray Leonard was one of the best when the spotlight was the brightest. He only took to the ring 40 times, but he left an amazing highlight reel. Leonard was a part of “The Fabulous Four,” a group of boxers who all fought each other throughout the 1980s, consisting of Leonard, Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
Leonard became the face of that group, securing victories over the others. Plus he had an innocent baby face that drew millions of views to their television sets to see him perform.
And the man named after iconic singer Ray Charles gave legendary performances of his own with furious comebacks, electric combinations and Houdini escape jobs.
Leonard was also the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses and was named “Boxer of the Decade” for the ’80s. He had to be ranked high on this countdown because he made boxing mainstream to me.
4. Julio César Chávez
(Years active: 1980-2005)
I wouldn’t try to fight any of the entries on this countdown. But there is only one man in this ranking I would have nightmares about, Julio César Chávez. With a poker face, Chávez brutalized his opposition with face-crunching blows. His body shots loosen up vital organs. And never test his endurance because Chávez got stronger in the later rounds.
He is a living legend in Mexico because he is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters to ever walk the planet. He ruled the lightweight division throughout the ’80s and early ’90s. When I saw his fights promoted on HBO, the only question was how long it would take for him to win.
Chávez holds records for the most total successful defenses of world titles with 27, shared with Omar Narváez. Chávez is also the record holder for most title fight victories. His fight record was 89 wins with no defeats and one draw before losing to Frankie Randall in 1994. He won 87 bouts in a row until a draw with Whitaker.
3. Pernell Whitaker
(Years active: 1984-2001)
Speaking of Sweetpea, he never dodged a challenge despite escaping so many punches. Whitaker was the best defensive fighter I’ve ever seen.
The reason why he ranks so high on my personal list is because he was entertaining from bell to bell.
He had knockout power, but he would rather put on a clinic to make sure the people got their money’s worth. Whitaker had quick feet, eyes in the back of his head and amazing balance.
It was as if he were made out of rubber and springs. Sweetpea was flamboyant and didn’t mind playing to the crowd. He took what both “Sugar Ray” Robinson and Leonard started and added ’80s flair.
Whitaker was more than just a show. He won titles at lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight. He was the undisputed lightweight champion at one time. In 1989, Whitaker was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
He held the mythical title of best pound for pound in the world throughout the ’90s. I encourage you to go to YouTube and look up Sweetpea and enjoy one of the greatest pugilists, sweetest of the scientific sport and master of Queensbury rules ever.
2. “Iron” Mike Tyson
(Years active: 1985-2005)
The most controversial pick on this list, “Iron” Mike Tyson is the face of this generation. He is the Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson of this period.
Tyson was a household name either because you hated him or loves his work in the ring. I’m a part of the latter. I was such a huge Tyson fan that I cried myself to sleep the night of Feb. 11, 1990. I still remember the image of my hero Tyson reaching for his mouthpiece in the Tokyo Dome as James “Buster” Douglas was seconds away from pulling off the biggest upset in sports history. The reason it was such a shocking moment in boxing was because Tyson had built up a devastating résumé in the industry. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and still holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20 over Trevor Berbick.
Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts via knockout. James Smith and Tony Tucker would fall to the power of Tyson uniting all the belts.
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” validated that claim with wins over Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno, Donovan Ruddock and Michael Spinks in 91 seconds. Tyson fights on HBO were an event. And you would still make plans to go out afterward because he would knock out his opponent in mere seconds.
The sweet irony for me is Tyson won his 50th and last professional bout on Feb. 22, 2003, over Clifford Etienne in the Pyramid. It was a Tyson classic in my hometown. With a crushing blow, Etienne went down after 49 seconds of the first round.
1. Roy Jones Jr.
(Years active: 1989-2018)
If you take all the best attributes of the previous nine men and some of the best of all time, Roy Jones Jr. rivals with all of them. He is the best pound-for-pound fighter I have ever seen in his prime. Simply amazing.
Jones had the flash, the skills, the power and something that you have to be born with — timing. His timing helped him duck punches. Jone’s gift allowed him to catch the opposition with the right punch in the perfect location for a knockout. And when he decided to be braggadocious, Jones’ timing was ideal once again, giving us some of the best highlights in boxing history.
Jones was unapologetic for being the best for a decade. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes. I witnessed him march up the weight classes, winning championships as a middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. He is the only boxer in history to start his professional career at junior middleweight and go on to win a heavyweight title.
The Boxing Writers Association of America named him as the Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s.
Just a quick viewing of Jones in his prime validates that claim and puts him in the running for the best of all time. He is definitely No. 1 of this time frame.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Magic Valley Publishing. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
