Golden Gloves

It is doubtful whether any weight division in boxing rivals the middleweights in terms of savagery, excitement and tragedy! A number of 160 lb titleholders died violently; Stanley Ketchel, Billy Papke, Marcel Cerdan, Randolph Turpin, Carlos Monzon, while several others became post-career celebrities due to their personal magnetism and charm; Rocky Graziano, Freddie Steele, Nino Benvenuti  and Sugar Ray Robinson. Australian ring genius Les Darcy died of pneumonia before his 22^nd birthday and Dick Tiger was diagnosed with liver cancer before drawing his last breath at age 42. Famed inventor of the “corkscrew punch” Kid McCoy was married ten times and spent eight years in prison for manslaughter, though many suspected he had murdered his wealthy lover. Eventually after his release, a heavily depressed McCoy, whose real name was Norman Selby, decided that he’d had enough of life and committed suicide.

The middleweight division is also the oldest in boxing history (1884) and had a breathtaking number of stars parade across the international stage, a large percentage of which were elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Certain fighters were natural middleweights, while others made brief pit-stops in the division en route to challenging for either lighter or heavier championship honours.

Experts normally agree that five fighters stand above the rest, namely; Sugar Ray Robinson, Stanley Ketchel, Harry Greb, Carlos Monzon and Mickey Walker, though there has also been substantial support for the likes of Les Darcy, Charley Burley, Marvin Hagler, Tony Zale, Marcel Cerdan, Frank Klaus, Billy Papke, Bernard Hopkins, Emile Griffith, Mike Gibbons and Dick Tiger.

Here then is the Pettifer prognosis in 30 categories, of what many maintain has been Ringdom’s most electrifying weight division!

MOST AGGRESSIVE STYLE:  Harry Greb

MOST DURABLE:  Jake La Motta

BEST BOXER/FIGHTER: Sugar Ray Robinson

BEST ONE-SHOT HITTER: Stanley Ketchel

BEST UPPERCUT: Billy Papke

BEST FOOTWORK: Sugar Ray Robinson/Mike Gibbons

BEST SOUTHPAW: Marvin Hagler

MOST DOMINANT TITLE REIGNS: Carlos Monzon/Marvin Hagler/Bernard Hopkins.

BEST DEFENCE: Charlie Burley/Marcel Cerdan

BEST LEFT HOOK: Tony Zale

MOST EXPLOSIVE RIGHT HAND: Rocky Graziano

BEST JAB: Sugar Ray Robinson

MOST STAMINA: Harry Greb

FASTEST HANDS: Sugar Ray Robinson

BEST BODY PUNCHER: Tony Zale

BEST INFIGHTER: Marcel Cerdan

MOST GENTLEMANLY: Dick Tiger

MOST COLOURFUL: Rocky Graziano

BEST COUNTER PUNCHER: Charlie Burley

BEST COMBINATIONS: Sugar Ray Robinson

MOST KILLER INSTINCT: Stanley Ketchel

DIRTIEST FIGHTER: Harry Greb/ Kid McCoy

MOST UNORTHODOX: Harry Greb

MOST CLINICAL SLOW POISONER: Carlos Monzon

MOST COURAGEOUS: Marcel Cerdan

MOST UNDERRATED: Joey Giardello

MOST EXPLOSIVE TRILOGY OF FIGHTS: Tony Zale versus Rocky Graziano

MOST TRICKY: Kid McCoy

BEST ALL-AROUND RING TACTICIANS: Sugar Ray Robinson/Marcel Cerdan/Charley Burley

MOST SCIENTIFIC: Mike Gibbons